Students in grades K-2 have been utilizing the Kids A-Z (formerly RAZ Kids) reading app for the reading digital books and comprehension quizzes. The app has under gone updates from the company and has not been performing as it should be. The app no longer functions so we are using the Puffin Web Browser to access the student's accounts and books.  Using the Puffin Web Browser still does not allow all the functionality such as Listening to a story, but it still does allow the reading of the books. Below are visual instructions to log into Kids A-Z. 

Before Winter Break, the 1:1 iPad Survey Results were emailed to K-5 Parents. They are posted below if you did not receive a copy or would like to review them again. 

Last week, students at OGS participated in the Hour of Code. This initiative was launched in 2013 to encourage students as young as kindergarten to learn about computer science, and try their hand at coding. 

Using the tutorials found at code.org/learn, students practiced coding through game based activities such as helping Anna and Elsa skate, moving Steve and Alex in the Minecraft world, and many more. You can visit those tutorials at any time from home. 

We were also using the Daisy the Dinosaur app to learn how visual programming through the block method. This is a free app that the kindergarteners loved and many of them 'finished' the activities. 

Next week is the Hour of Code at Oak Grove and everywhere! This is an event to promote computer science and expose students as young as Kindergarten to coding activities. You can visit Hourofcode.com for more details. 

Students at Oak Grove will be using technology to practice and complete coding through web based activities as well as apps. There are many free coding programs available to students. Edutopia has a great article about learning to code and how to teach your kids. 

The American Academy of Pediatrics recently published new screen time recommendations. As parents, we are always concerned about how much screen time is healthy, and how much is too much. We realize that having access to technology 24/7 can be too much of a good thing and we try to find balance between being 'consumers' of technology and being 'creators' while using technology. At Oak Grove, we teach students that having a balance in all aspects of our lives, exercise, nutrition, and technology, is what we strive for each day. You can read the whole article here: 

Beyond ‘turn it off’: How to advise families on media use

The Oak Grove Tech Team is gathering information about the 1:1 Take Home Program that began this school year. We are asking parents to complete the survey by clicking on this link. We look forward to your input as we implement technology that supports student learning! The survey will close on November 1st. Thanks!

Click HERE to complete the survey or complete it through the form below:

Students were given a lesson in appropriate use of the iPad camera this week. We talked about how students must ask before they take any pictures with their iPad. This led to a discussion of iPad storage and how some people don’t like to have their pictures taken when they are not ready. We model how to ask and how to respond when someone say ‘no’ or ‘not today.’ 


We noted how many pictures and videos that were on our iPads and how many were assigned by the teachers. Many students had a good lesson in deleting as the picture counts were 300+. Deleting some of these pictures proved to be a loooong lesson in following directions for some, but will likely not need to be repeated anytime soon. :) 

The lesson was concluded by all the students being encouraged to take group pictures of their teachers for their digital portfolios. 

Tech U@OGS has been postponed until later in the year. Thank you to all that RSVP'd to the event and submitted questions. We will be following up with those parents through email. If there are any further questions, please email ipadhelp@ogschool.org. Thanks!

All Kindergarten through 5th Grade students have been participating in Digital Literacy and Citizenship lessons by Common Sense Media. Kindergarten students drew a mural to show ways that they can keep their iPad safe and be responsible while using technology at home and school.