IN THE CLASSROOM |
Technology
Sunnyside is committed to integrating computer technology and instruction into the curriculum. We are one of the few elementary schools in San Francisco to introduce students to computer programming starting in kindergarten and the first elementary to become a member of Code.org. In 2014 & 2015 all students participated in Hour of Code. We have also integrated our iPads into our art program in the classroom and in special art events.
Generous donations of time and financial support by the PTA provide computers for every classroom. Depending on grade level, our classrooms utilize:
Equipment DonationsWe're always interested in donations of Macs, Chromebooks and iPads. Corporate donations of multiple (mostly identical) machines are fantastic as these are much easier to set up and get into the classrooms. Contact [email protected] for more info.
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Programs
Used in our math enrichment classes, Sketchpad is a software program for exploring geometry, algebra and beyond.
Starting in Kindergarten, our students use code.org and an Hour of code to learn programming.
RAZ Kids is an interactive e-book program offering differentiated learning to improve their reading skills. It is used in some of the lower grades.
Student login Parent login Please contact your child's teacher for access. Get the mobile app here 
BrainPOP is an award-winning online educational resource, featuring lively animated videos and interactive activities.
Sunnyside uses both the regular and Jr editions. Our licence allows students to log in at home as well as at school. |
Our favorite iPad apps
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Smoovie
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Introduced at our Stop Motion Animation 101 craft night, this great little app makes stop motion a breeze. See some previews we created here.
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Little Writer
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A nice little trace-the-letter app. Very intuitive to use and lots of fun as the whale chases the fish to draw the letter. Covers letters, numbers, shapes and words.
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Slate Math K-1
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A fun little application, has everything from counting & drawing numbers to equality and patterns.
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Brain Pop
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Our school subscription to the Brain Pop program gives us access to all their material and videos. We also use Brain Pop Jr in lower grades.
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RAZ Kids
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This is the mobile app to accompany our differentiated reading program, using interactive e-books and quizzes to improve student's reading skills.
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Scratch Jr
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Scratch is finally available on the iPad!
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Programming at home
The Hour of Code beginner tutorials are a wonderful way to get started. If you;re feeling a little more ambitious, Scratch is reasonably easy to learn if you have time and free to download to your home computer or run in your web browser. If you'd prefer something which is easier to get started with, take a look at these apps which we're currently evaluating for use in the classroom.
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Blockly Maze
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Very similar to Scratch, but differs in that it sets the student a series of challenges rather than being open-ended. Developed by Google Education.
Try it here. |
Hopscotch
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Much more limited in what it can do compared with Scratch; it is mainly focused on moving characters around the screen. The benefit is that it runs on our iPads.
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My Robot Friend
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This one barely qualifies as programming but it is great for problem decomposition, logical thinking and basic math skills (addition, negative numbers, etc.)
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Tynker
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Several free lessons in increasing difficulty (before needing the paid version), this follows a similar guided approach to Hour of Code.
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Help Us
The PTA Technology Committee is composed of parent & teachers and concentrates on effective and appropriate use of technology within the school. Our work ranges from enabling technology (such as deploying a school-wide wifi network, upgrading computers, helping teachers with technology issues, etc.) to working out how technology can be integrated into and best supplement the school curriculum.
Contact [email protected] if you can help in any way.
Contact [email protected] if you can help in any way.
