Technology

Junior Achievement Program Launched to Great Success!

St. Dominic students in Kindergarten through 8th Grade have been taking advantage of the Junior Achievement Program during the final semester of the 2017-2018 school year.

Junior Achievement programs are designed to help students acquire the knowledge and economic reasoning skills to make sound financial decisions, as well as to encourage them to create a thoughtful plan for their lives beyond elementary and high school. It is on the cutting edge of college and career readiness with attention to technical skills development for success in the world of work.

Junior Achievement also fosters the use of Soft Skills - the habits, attitudes and personality traits that are increasingly important in the workplace. Students focus on the Soft Skills of Communications, Reliability, Team Work/Collaboration, Problem Solving, Critical Thinking, Time Management, Adaptability/Flexibility and a Positive Attitude.

St. Dominic School Robotic Program

SPRK+ (Students Parents Robots Kids)

During the final semester of the 2017-2018 school year, St. Dominic students continue to learn how to write computer code. They now have accounts at several coding websites that teach different coding languages such as Python and Java, as well as SCRATCH from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Learning to code is an increasingly important skill as it uses all the STEM skills (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math.)

It also teaches and reinforces critical thinking skills as well as utilizes strategies to help when you have written your code incorrectly!

Learning to code is definitely a "student - led" process. Certain students instinctively figure out the process and demonstrate to classmates how to solve problems. They are instructed to show and teach others how to achieve the goals they have acquired. This not only helps the other student, but reinforces the concept in the mind of the student who is teaching.

All this coding has been inspired by the addition of our new Robotics Program. Thanks to a very generous donor to our Magic Match program, as well as grants from KHQA One Class At a Time and The Quincy Noon Kiwanis, and our St. Dominic PTO, we were able to purchase 20 robots as an initial investment in our new Robotics Program. Students use the SPHERO app on their ipads to write the code and control their robot. They really enjoy the opportunity to learn how to code, then run the program to determine its success. What an awesome hands-on, real-life learning experience!

Technology Continues To Be a Vital Part of St. Dominic School

At St. Dominic School, all K-8th Grade students enjoy two 40 - minute computer classes each week.

Pre-school students have one computer class per week.

During these classes, we focus on:

  • the Microsoft Office Suite of products including Word, PowerPoint, Excel and Publisher.
  • Google applications such as Google Docs, Presentations, Spreadsheets and gmail. We use Google Classroom and Google Apps for Education. Students in Grades 5-8 all have approved school email accounts to receive and send homework assignments to their teacher.
  • Educational websites that focus on Math, Reading, Spelling, Science, Social Studies, Religion, Internet Safety and Security, Music and Language Arts. These educational websites correlate to topics instructors are teaching in the classroom, in order to reinforce classroom instruction.
  • Keyboarding - students use Typing Master keyboarding software (thanks to a grant from Adams Electric Cooperative). With this software, students learn the correct procedure for typing with all fingers to improve their typing accuracy and speed.
  • Computer Coding and other STEM skills
  • Movie Maker and other multi-media programs
  • Web 2.0 tools
  • A new Robotics Program inspires creativity, collaboration, STEM skills and lots of fun!!

If you would like to visit any of the educational websites that we use during the year, please feel free to access my bookmarking website:

www.IKeepBookmarks.com

The account email is simply: stdom8.

There is no password.

During the year, I will be adding many of the websites that we use during class to IKeepBookmarks.com.

Be sure to check back often to discover educational websites that your student can enjoy and keep learning from home!

Thank you!

Mrs. Nan Wood

Computer Instructor

Pictures of St. Dominic Pre-School students enjoying the many educational opportunities that are offered in our state-of-the-art computer lab: