From the Computer Desk of Mr. Perris 2009-2010

July 23, 2009

 

Dear Parents,

This year your child will have the opportunity to use a personal computer (PC) in a computer lab setting.

 Curriculum

We will focus on different standards in the computer lab according to grade level.  A copy of these standards is available in the computer lab or on our PC lab website.  The four main areas of focus will be: (1) basic computer literacy and keyboarding; (2) using the computer as a tool for writing; (3) using the computer for reading, math and problem-solving skills; (4) using the computer as a tool for creativity and multimedia.

 

Grading Policy

In Computer Education, your child will receive a grade based on academic achievement and completion of grade level computer standards.  A student’s grades will be based on quality and timeliness of completed assignments as well as formal and informal tests of computer knowledge. 

 

Lab Expectations

Following directions and hard work are essential to the learning process. The students will be rewarded by such methods as praise, awards, and preferred activity time (PAT). Consequences for misbehavior will be loss of privileges and parental contact.

 

Students are expected to:

Follow directions, be responsible, and stay on task.

Use the software and hardware appropriately.

Speak and act respectfully.

 

Parental Involvement

If you have a computer at home encourage your child to practice typing using the correct form of keyboarding. Make sure your child is not “pecking away,” but instead keeping their fingers in the proper position.  Check our website at http://www.egusd.net/donner/pdf/Computer%20Standards2009-2110%20_5_.pdf for useful computer lab standards.

 

Sincerely,

Mr. Perris

Chris Perris

 

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History in June

June 20, 2009

Expert from Elizabeth Pinkerton’s article:

Elitha Donner students save history – Students of Chris Perris at Elitha Donner Elementary School recently created a documentary about their school’s namesake, Elitha Donner, and they won a Sacramento County award for it. They entered their project in the Student DV (digital video) program that has participants from 16 school districts, and they won the Student Education Video Award for students in grades 4-6. The intent of Student DV is to inspire students to produce educational videos for sharing their vision and ideas. The Student Educational Cable Consortium showcases digital video programs created by Sacramento students, and the program is aired weekly on educational cable channels that reach more than 300,000 Sacramento households.

Producing a video program involves much more than just taping an event, according to teacher Chris Perris. A successful production requires numerous cross curriculum skills including teamwork, the ability to research topics, knowledge of subject areas, the ability to communicate ideas, reading, creative writing, and organization. Perris tells us that the students in the school’s film academy created the documentary to honor Elitha Donner and tell her story. “We were excited that not only did our film academy win the SEVA award, but we were able to touch the hearts of the Donner family.”

These are comments from some of the students:

Matthew Long: “It was incredible that I was at the same location where Elitha’s family was stranded in the mountains.”

Haley Duclos: “It took a team effort to tell Elitha’s story. We really worked hard to get this done.”

Nathanial Franklin: “I am glad that Mr. Perris started the film academy.”

Others in the group were Tommas Mutz, Johannes Thio, Emily Caldwell, Maria Metias, Robin Nguyen, Gurtaj Toor and Anthony Byrnes.

Principal Michelle Jenkins had this to say about her award winning students: “It has been an incredible experience as our students have traveled back in time in search of the history of our school’s namesake. Learning about Elitha Donner and meeting family and friends directly related to her allowed this group of students to create a remarkable video production to bring history to life. The project would not have been possible if not for the encouragement and support from our film academy teacher, Mr. Chris Perris and parent Kathleen Franklin. We are very proud of our film academy team for producing a film of such high caliber.”

Perris has this advice for teachers who might be interested in having their students participate in digital video: “It takes patience,” he says. “You have to do a lot of research and then be prepared to move into many directions as the story begins to unfold. It is exciting to see students get enthralled with their story.”

http://www.egcitizen.com/articles/2009/06/20/lifestyle/doc4a3ab0921471d706397785.txt

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SEVA 2009 Awards Night (Fast Forward to 11:22 on the video)

June 17, 2009

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Who was Elitha Donner? SEVA Winner

May 13, 2009

PROGRAM TITLE: Who was Elitha Donner?

You are now watching: SEVA2009: Documentary 4-6 SEVA Award PRODUCER(S): Elitha Donner’s Film Academy

 

SCHOOL: Elitha Donner Elementary School

DISTRICT: Elk Grove USD

CATEGORY: Documentary

GRADE LEVEL: 4-6

STATUS: SEVA Award

TARGET AUDIENCE: Everyone

PROGRAM IDEA: Elitha Cumi Donner Wilder is buried in the Elk Grove Cemetery right off Highway 99, on the south side of Elk Grove Boulevard. Elitha Donner Elementary School, in Laguna Creek portion of Elk Grove, bears her name. This is the only school in Elk Grove, and probably the only school in Sacramento County, California, or anywhere  named after a child. It was 15 years ago in 1994 when Elitha Donner Elementary School first opened its doors. In honor of Elitha Donner, we wanted to create a video and tell her story even though it happened many years ago.

EDUCATIONAL MESSAGE: We believe that we can all learn from the story of Elitha Donner, even though it happened many years ago. Elitha faced many challenges in her life’s journey. The school will stand forever as a fitting tribute to the perseverance and hidden courage within children and youth. 

JUDGES COMMENTS: Great editing pace.  Good, clean audio.  Voiceover talent did a great job. Great organization and effective interviews.

 http://www.egusd.net/news/2009/051809b.html

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U.S. Attorney honors local students for Internet safety lessons

January 9, 2009

 
By Cameron Macdonald -  EG Citizen Staff Writer
Published: Tuesday, December 23, 2008 8:30 AM PST

A top federal prosecutor visited Elk Grove to honor three groups of local students who won first place in a contest over who can creative the best video that teaches about Internet safety.

U.S. Attorney McGregor Scott of the Eastern District of California attended the Elk Grove Unified School District board’s Dec. 16 meeting where he spoke to students and attendees about the dangers that children could encounter while using the Internet.

Chief among the dangers are online predators who target children, he said.

“There are people who mean your children ill, every moment of every day,” Scott said.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office and the Elk Grove Unified staff held a contest for the school district’s students that called for videos which educated the viewer about Internet safety topics like fraud, the loss of privacy and “cyberbullying” or the act of slandering or pestering an online user.

The winners were announced a few weeks ago and their videos were played at the Dec. 16 school board meeting.

Fifth graders at Elitha Donner Elementary School took first place among elementary schools for their video, “Internet Fraud – Beware of It!”

The film had a student write Internet messages to a “friend” he recently made online who convinces the victim to give away his mother’s credit card number.

The “friend” then purchases an enormous bounty of merchandise from a bookstore, using the mother’s stolen credit card number and its manager, played by a teacher, then calls up to thank her for making a grand purchase.

Scott said that depiction of Internet fraud is “no joke.”

He mentioned that someone stole his wife’s credit card number and bought up to $7,000 worth of items from a Victoria’s Secret store.

Scott noted there is a generation gap between adults and children about computer literary where many children have used the Internet throughout their lives.

Elk Grove Unified Trustee Pamela Irey cautioned the audience about online dating services where users do not truly know who they intend to date.

“Everyone has a duty to learn as much as they can to protect themselves,” she said.

The contest’s other winners are eighth graders from Toby Johnson Middle School for their entry, “Internet Safety,” and students from Elk Grove High School for their piece, “The Life of Fred,” which is about an Internet user who posts private, personal information on the Internet.

All of the winners received video cameras for their schools, a chance for their videos to be broadcast on a local TV channel and a tour of the KCRA television station.

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Seven EGUSD schools to participate in digital journalism program

January 5, 2009

Lights.  Camera.  Action!

Thanks to an innovative program sponsored by the Gannett Foundation, News10 and the Sacramento Educational Cable Consortium (SECC), seven Elk Grove Unified schools will have the chance to begin developing the next generation of journalists.

Students at Cosumnes River, Elitha Donner, Elk Grove, Foulks Ranch, Barbara Comstock Morse and Pleasant Grove elementary schools, as well as Monterey Trail High School are seven of the newest participants in the Digital Journalist Video Starter Kit program. Read the rest of this entry »

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Computer Lab Newsletter-2008

December 15, 2008

computer-lab-january

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EGUSD and U.S. Attorney’s Office Announces Internet Safety Video Contest Winners

November 29, 2008

The Elk Grove Unified School District, in collaboration with the U.S. Attorney’s Office, have selected the winners of the Internet Safety Video Contest.   The video contest is one component of Elk Grove Unified’s Internet Safety Initiative, which involves a three-pronged approach to educate staff, parents and students about cyberbullying, online predator strategies and other online Internet safety issues.  The Elk Grove Unified School District and U.S. Attorney’s Office have partnered on the contest to increase awareness about Internet safety.
The 2008 Internet Safety Video Contest was an innovative example of how Elk Grove Unified has taken the initiative to be a leader in the importance of internet safety outreach.  The initiative began with professional development classes about Internet Safety, Web 2.0 technology and cyber ethics for staff and Internet safety classes for parents.  This year the program has been expanded to include information to parents in school newsletters and an Internet Safety blog, 2webwatchers(http://2webwatchers.edublogs.org). 

The blog is co-facilitated by the district’s technology integration and web specialists, Gail Desler and Kathleen Watt. 
Most recently, students in grades 4-12 were invited to produce a video that promotes the safe and ethical use of the Internet.  Winners and honorees were selected at the elementary, middle and high school levels.  The students will be recognized by U.S. Attorney McGregor Scott and Superintendent Steven M. Ladd, Ed.D. at the EGUSD Board of Education meeting at 7 p.m. on December 16, 2008. 

To view the winners’ videos, click on this link: http://www.egusd.k12.ca.us/news/spotlight/spotlight_121808.cfm

 

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From the Computer Desk of Mr. Perris

July 22, 2008

Dear Parents,

This year your child will have the opportunity to use a personal computer (PC) in a computer lab setting.

Curriculum
We will focus on different standards in the computer lab depending on the grade level. A copy of these standards is available in the computer lab or on our school website. The four main areas in which we will focus on will be: (1) basic computer literacy and keyboarding; (2) using the computer as a tool for writing; (3) using the computer for reading, math and problem-solving skills; (4) using the computer as a tool for creativity and multimedia.

Grading Policy
In computer education, your child will receive a grade based on academic achievement and citizenship. A student’s achievement will be based on quality and timeliness of completed assignments as well as formal and informal tests of computer knowledge. For citizenship, I will be looking for good attitude, effort, good behavior, and care of equipment.

Lab Expectations
Following directions and hard work are essential to the learning process. The students will be rewarded by such methods as praise, awards, and preferred activity time (PAT). Consequences for misbehavior will be loss of privileges and parental contact.

Students are expected to:
• Follow directions, be responsible, and stay on task.
• Use the software and hardware appropriately.
• Speak and act respectfully.

Parental Involvement
If you have a computer at home have your child practice typing by using the correct form of keyboarding. Make sure your child is not “pecking away,” but instead keeping their fingers in the proper position. The Computer Lab could use some donations of Kleenexes, Hand Sanitizers and wet wipes.

Sincerely,

Chris Perris

cperris@egusd.net

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Elitha Donner Elementary has Global Impact: Online video contest creates offline action as kids “Be the Change”

May 13, 2008

ELK GROVE — Elitha Donner Elementary School has made it to the semi-final round of Quantum Shift TV’s “Be the Change! Share the Story!” contest, along with dozens of schools across Canada and United States. The school’s videos can be seen on their team page at http://www.quantumshift.tv/schools/team.php?id=129. You can improve the school’s chance of winning by visiting the contest site and registering as a supporter of their team.

Click on the following links for more information. http://www.egusd.k12.ca.us/news/2008/042108.html  or http://www.sacbee.com/101/story/879599.html

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