I think it is very important to make sure that teachers have tied the technology to their daily objective and that students are not just playing with the Web 2.0 tools. In addition to tying the technology to the objective, they must also make sure it is aligned or congruent to the state TEKS as well. We are using the technology to incorporate the skills we are teaching in addition to teaching students how to use the technology and not just using it for research.
We should hold students accountable to the stations/centers. It is important for teachers to go back to the questions: What do I want the student to know? What do I want the student do? The accountability piece needs to be able to answer those questions for the teacher. Whether students complete a questionnaire, submit a reflection, or fill out an interactive Google document, the teacher will have instant feedback on whether the student was on task and accomplished the learning objective for each station. Using a rubric to grade student station work may also be helpful.
Interactive Websites: I visited Thinkfinity and came across Fishing For a Living which directly links students to the Smithsonian National Museum of American History. There were pictures of Native Americans and actual tools or artifacts pictured on the site. I would incorporate some kind of chart in Google docs where the students would compare and contrast the various fishers from 1840 to 1920: Salmon, Commercial - Atlantic Cod, Chesapeake Oysters, Columbia River Salmon, and Whaling or I would do some kind of Jigsaw activity where the students collect facts about one group and prepare a presentation. I also visited the Glogster website and was amazed at the creativity this site gives to students. They could take their favorite book and turn it into a movie by creating a movie poster. They could write their own poetry and design a poster. The first week of school, they could create a poster using buttons that represent their thoughts, wishes, dreams, and hopes. Students could create anti-bullying messages on interactive posters. The possibilities are endless in creating interactive posters.
Apps for IPod Touch/IPad: I downloaded Art Puzzle HD and Shake 'em Up United States. The first App allows the student to view classic works of art and turn it into puzzle pieces. The student then has to put the original piece of art back together. Students can adjust how hard or easy the puzzle is depending on how many pieces they want to break the painting into and the teacher can go back and see how many galleries the student went into and viewed. I would hold the student accountable by asking them to name at least 3 artists and their paintings that they were able to successfully put back together in a reflection. The second App allows a student to click on a state and the state capital is revealed. Then they shake the IPad and it selects a new state. I would have students take a blank map and fill in not only the state name, but also the state capital.
The possibilities for using the Ipad and Ipod Touches are endless. There are tens of thousands of apps available for little to no money at all. I saw interactive flashcards, math facts, story boards, notebook paper for jot lists, etc. There are so many that could easily be turned into stations. One we used at an administrator workshop showed us how to take a picture and add stickers to it. Then we took our pictures and added music turning them into an I-Movie. That would be very cool to do with my pictures from Italy. I am excited to see what our teachers come up with in our classrooms!
No comments:
Post a Comment