Things to Do in Computer Class
Computer classes allow students to learn all about the different aspects of computers and their operation. There are many activities you can utilize in your computer class. These activities will enhance learning while improving students' computer skills. They can also be entertaining.
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Educational Games
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Educational games can help your students utilize computers to master their educational lessons. Websites such as ABC YA! and Scholastic offer a wide range of games that appeal to each grade level. Each game focuses on different aspects of a subject. For example, a math soccer game may have a student solving math problems in order to block soccer goals. A reading game may present students with a short story to read and questions to answer afterward. A physics game may direct students to build a complex machine out of household items. Limit their activity to only a few select websites.
Research Skills
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Pick a topic for your students to research. This should be a wide-ranging topic that can be interpreted in many different ways. For example, you could have your students select one U.S. state to research. You could also have them research historical figures from World War II or from a foreign country's history. The students then use their computers to research the topic. Give them a list of websites they should avoid using, such as personal websites and Wikipedia. Print a list of appropriate research websites but encourage them to find their own research sites as well.
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Virtual Tours
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Let your students vote on a place they would like to visit. This can be a country, town or even a specific building. Find a website that offers a virtual tour of this area. Virtual tours allow you to experience a location using pictures and videos. For example, the Visiting D.C. website has a virtual tour of the White House that displays pictures of each of the rooms. Many historical monuments, such as Plymouth Rock or Mount Rushmore, have virtual tours. Each student can use the computer to go on a self-guided virtual tour. If you cannot find a virtual tour, find pictures of your location and create a slide show of appropriate images.
Typing Skills
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Give your students a list of letters, words, sentences and paragraphs to type. Use their current list of spelling words when creating your typing assignments. You can also pick words that are more difficult to type, such as multisyllabic words or words that contain many different letters, such as "ambidextrous." There should be several pages to type every day. Have each student print out their typing when they are finished. Grade them on their typing accuracy. Misspelled words, misused punctuation, extra spaces and missed capitalization should all be considered typing mistakes.
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References
Resources
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