Summer Tech Information for Parents

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    Dear Parents, 

     

    At Encinal we use several great online resources.  These are just some of the major programs that our teachers use in the classroom:

    Seesaw  

    Great news!  Seesaw is a digital portfolio, so you’ll still be able to access this year’s work next year. However, if you want to save the year’s work in one spot, you can download it so that you may save it (note: you will need to have created a parent login with Seesaw to be able to access the work).  Here are the steps (or go to tinyurl.com/seesawsummer to view directions):

     

      1. Sign into your Parent account on a computer/laptop at https://app.seesaw.me
      2. Click on your Profile Icon on the top left
      3. Click on the Gear Icon
      4. Click on Account Settings
      5. Click on Download Journal Archives; choose the archive you’d like to save.

     

    DreamBox Math, K-8

     

      • DreamBox is a great way to keep your child engaged with math all summer long!
        • Aim for 40-60 minutes/week (at least 5-8 lessons)
        • Have students work near you so you can supervise, but...  
        • Let your child make mistakes...that’s how the program will know that the content needs to be adjusted!  If you give too much help, the problems will get harder and your child will be not be able to work independently.
        • It’s okay to help if your child doesn’t understand how to use one of the digital tools...just don’t do the math for him/her
        • Pro tip: create a parent account (look for a tiny link in the bottom right of the screen after your child has logged in).  Then you’ll have access to your child’s progress data, too!
      • Students login with Clever (use the Clever app on an iPad or go to https://clever.com/in/mpcsd; your child will log in using his/her regular info or with a QR code sent home from the teacher). Must have the DreamBox Green and DreamBox Blue apps installed on iPads.




    Raz-Kids (Reading) K-3

      • Raz-Kids provides books right at your child’s reading level
      • For iPads, download the Kids A-Z app from the App Store
      • On computers/Chromebooks, go to www.kidsa-z.com/main/Login
      • Regardless of device, use the Teacher Username and login provided by your child’s teacher

     

    Typing Club, 2-5th grade

      • Summer is a great time to work on keyboarding skills!  Aim for 15 minutes at least 2-3x/week.
      • Students log in with Clever (see above)
      • Supervision is key! If your child doesn’t keep his/her hands on the homerow keys, it will be hard to increase speed and accuracy.

     

    Code.org, K-5

      • Check out their free coding courses for different age groups!
      • Students can log in with Clever (see above).