Monthly Archives: June 2017

In all my research on the matter in preparation for getting the students ready for typing the state tests, this explanation of what we are trying to do feels like it is the closest to the goals what we are trying to reach.

When you teach typing or technology in the classroom, the goal isn’t speed and accuracy. The goal is that students type well enough that it doesn’t disrupt their thinking. Much like breathing takes no thought and playing a piano is automatic, students want to be able to think while they type, fingers automatically moving to the keys that record their thoughts. Searching for key placement shouldn’t interfere with how they develop a sentence.

Albeit, they go on to say they should be comfortable with the key placement by 3rd grade and then begin to work on their speed. We all know that most of our students are not here and might not be here by the time the state tests roll around.

Like the students, all we can do is our best and hope they see the value in the practice we are asking them to participate in.

            As the school year comes to a close it is the perfect time to reflect and prepare for changes you want to make for next year. If one of those changes is to be more organized then you might want to check out SYMBALOO.COM.

Symbaloo holds all your favorites, but unlike keeping them on a button, they are front and center for you so for those times you sit at your computer and you are not really quite sure why you sat down at your computer. Symbaloo uses premade icons or your own icons to label the “tile” which kind of look like an app button to me, but what  do I know.

The default is 4 pages of available icons which you can change and arrange to your liking. You can add more or delete extras  later.

Registering for symbaloo is easy and free and they do not bomb your email account with emails everyday. Because they do offer a pay service as well, symbaloo will send emails maybe once a month, unless you choose the option for more. The school probably does not want your symbaloo page as a homepage, but once I go to the page for a week or so, the schools computers just log me right it automatically, just like home.

Happy Organizing, and have a peaceful and restful summer.