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Computer Instruction
Merrol Hyde Magnet School has a state-of-the-art Computer Lab with 25 new Dell Optiplex student computers. We are using the Windows
XP operating system and we have Microsoft Office software including FrontPage on all of the student computers.
All teachers and all students have access to the Computer Lab. Fifth grade students have a regularly scheduled computer class once each week to learn basic computer skills, Internet usage, and word processing skills. Ninth grade
Keyboarding students practice their skills in the Computer Lab one period each day. The Computer Lab is available all of the other periods of every school day for use by our teachers and students.
Teachers schedule the use of the lab for special projects. These projects include Internet research, Power Point presentations, Excel spreadsheets, Access data base projects, and web page construction. In addition to these academic projects, the lab is used for student projects involving their clubs and activities such as the student newspaper and yearbook.
Keyboarding
Our keyboarding class focuses on the basic typing skills: touch typing and correct techniques for maximum efficiency. In addition to Microsoft Word and other Microsoft Office programs, we use South-Western Educational Publishing's course titled, Keyboarding & Information Processing. Our students learn basic keyboarding applications: formatting letters and reports, composing at the keyboard, and editing documents. Language skills required for composing effective documents, including grammar, spelling, and usage, are also covered in this class.
We stress both speed and accuracy in keyboarding, a skill that provides our students increased capabilities in all of their high school and college courses. Students use Typing Tutor, a program that provides immediate feedback on words per minute, to track their advancement and proficiency.
In the keyboarding class we also discuss the history and development of technology and keyboarding, as well as the latest improvements in technology and the trends for the future.
This course is a prerequisite to Document Creation and Design. |
