Keyboard Shortcuts

My school is lucky enough to have a K-2 computer lab.  However, our K-2 lab needed some work.  When I got here, it was a windowless cave with bulletin boards covered by sad, faded black paper and random staples.  After a couple of sessions with my kids in there and my trusty staple remover, I've made some progress!

This all started with a vision of posting keyboard shortcuts for students to reference.  I use shortcuts all the time and I wanted to have my students be able to use them, as well.  By posting them in a visual way like this, they can just look on the board to see them, instead of constantly asking me, "How do you print, again?"

But first, I had to make the computer lab presentable enough to hang my shortcuts.  I removed the old, black paper and left the blank bulletin boards.  I figured this was better than faded paper with tons of staples in it.  I added happy, polka dotted border to make it fun.

I taped the border to an old, green chalkboard, and since there was no chalk to be seen, I used my chalk markers and wrote the web address for the 2nd grade test we have to give each month, as well as my classroom website.  I want the kids to learn how to go to these sites on their own, so they can do it at home, too.  I'll add to this list throughout the year and also post websites that other teachers use.

You might remember this project from my Classroom DIY post.  I wanted to have pencils available in the lab, since my students have to take a monthly math test and I want them to work out the problems on paper to verify the correct answer.  We also use these math testing booklets full of allowable resources.
My classroom has 4 Mac desktops (refurnished and granted from Free Geek in Portland, OR).  I hung the page sized reference sheet for Mac shortcuts so students can refer to it to remember how to quit, print, even copy and paste!

If you are interested in hanging shortcut posters in your computer lab or classroom, you can check them out here!



Are you working on sprucing up any rooms in your school?  Maybe you are like me and have a computer lab in need of some love!  

I'm linking up with Katie from Queen of the First Grade Jungle!


6 comments

  1. Just got a new Mac. I need this for my house! Yikes I'm lost.

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    1. Haha, you can do it! It was hard to get used to, but now I'm a complete Mac girl and love it!
      Nicole
      Teaching With Style

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  2. I love those shortcuts girlie! If we had a computer lab - I'd hang those suckers right up. Instead...I'll have to be real sneaky and decorate our COW cart {sneaky, sneaky - I'll have to be}...

    Thanks!

    Holly
    Crisscross Applesauce in First Grade

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    1. COW cart? You are too funny! Even if you have to be sneaky, I will always suggest decorating something! :)

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  3. So many things I love about this post! 1) I LOVE making over blah spaces! 2) I MUST have those chalkboard markers! I never even knew those existed! and 3) You got computers from Free Geek?? Tell me more! I've donated 3 old non-working computers to them in the past, but never thought about getting some from them!

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    1. Yes, those chalk markers are awesome! I got them at Michaels, but I linked them to Amazon in the post if you just want to order. When I taught Kinder, I would write our monthly sight words on the mirror above the sink with them, so kids could practice sight words while washing their hands! Loved it! And go to Free Geek's website, there is a grant form. Nate Lee is my contact and he is AWESOME! Tell him I sent you! He was slightly obsessed that my last name is Heinlein (like the sci-fi writer). He granted computers to a nonprofit I am involved with, as well as granted 5 PCs that we shipped here to Hawaii for my schol's K-2 lab! Now there are enough computers for each of my students! Free Geek rocks!

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