Third Grade
In the third grade computer class it's all about practicing keyboarding. One activity that I have the third graders do is to open up Microsoft Word. In Word I have them practicing their home row keys (ASDF JKL;) by typing a series of letters (aaa, ddd, fff, sss, etc.). This allows them to practice the proper placement of their fingers on the keys. I also have them type grade appropriate spelling words (sometimes making it a competition). I don't look for correctly spelled words, but I do look for proper finger placement.
Another activity I have them do is to go to a keyboarding website that is made by the BBC (the students call it the goat website because there is a dancing goat on one of the levels). This website has them go through stages and shows them proper finger placement on the home row keys. It's a great tool and lots of fun for them. They usually ask to go on it if they have any free time after their work is done. The website is listed below and is wonderful practice--even for me!!
Starting with the second grade, I have begun using a website called Growing with Technology. The website introduces Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, Powerpoint) at an age appropriate level. It has grades K-5th with different activities for each program on Office and allows the students to be able to learn them.
Also I have begun using this website for internet scavenger hunts. The Growing with Technology website, along with another educational website I found, both give me ideas for scavenger hunts. The main purpose of these hunts is to familiarize the students with internet research. The scavenger hunts allow the students to be presented with a worksheet with different questions and when sent to a specific site, they are able to find the answer by reading and learning more about the topic. Just recently the third graders were sent on a Solar System scavenger hunt. They were given a worksheet with questions pertaining to the solar system and sent to the following website to look for the answers.
I was informed several times that they were having lots of fun learning about the planets, but that Pluto was no longer a planet. The website was obviously outdated and the kids impressed me with their knowledge! So we looked up the date that Pluto was no longer considered a planet and researched into why that was. It was a really educational day--for them and ME!
This week we...
March 9-13
HAVE A WONDERFUL AND SAFE SPRING BREAK!!!!!!
March 2-6
*We did keyboarding practice on the bbc website and also on Microsoft word where we typed out our names, our favorite flavor of ice cream, our favorite subject in school, our favorite sport, and our animal's name or an animal we wish we had. We also did two three minute typing tests. The best score was taken for a grade.
*We also did a fun internet scavenger hunt. It was about Women's History Month, which is in March. We answered questions on a worksheet about different influential women throughout history! We learned alot!!
Women Who Left Their "Stamps" on History
February 23-27
*We did keyboarding practice on the bbc website and as always made sure we had proper finger placement.
*We also did a fun internet scavenger hunt that took us to a website with animals. The students were handed a worksheet with some fun questions about different animals and were asked to go to each appropriate animal link and answer the questions. They had a lot of fun and I definitely did as well!!
February 16-20
*We learned about databases! The students were given a database concerning the planets, their size, the number of moons they have, etc. They were also given a corresponding worksheet with questions pertaining to the database. The students learned to look at the information given to them and answer specific questions. Once again, they had fun learning about the planets! Even I learned some things, such as: Mars has the longest year (687) and Venus takes 5,832 hours to rotate a full 360 degrees. And of course, once again, I was reminded that Pluto is no longer a planet. Perhaps I should call the website and remind them as well! 
*We also did keyboarding practice on the bbc website (goat website...) and continued our practice of having our fingers always on the home row keys.