It's The Technology Lab!

It's official. I decided this week that I no longer want my classroom to be known as the Computer Lab. I want it to be called the Technology Lab. While this may not seem like too big of a deal, it highlights the exciting changes taking place across our school regarding meaningful technology integration and its potential to change how students learn.

In the last two weeks of school, my students have spent more time using digital cameras, iPads, and handheld GPS. Part of the reason for this switch is taking advantage of the gorgeous weather we have been having. But the bigger reason is because I love watching the excitement and engagement of students as they use these other technological tools to construct their learning.

Kindergarten: Before break, kindergarteners used digital cameras to take photos of shapes and symmetry in the world. This week they are using the online tool Wordle, to create word clouds of words they can spell independently.

First Grade: Before break, the first graders used the iPads to explore the Brittanica President's app on to enhance their current USA unit as well as problem solving and drawing applications such as Rush Hour, Tangrams and Doodlecast. They are also working on a VoiceThread about the presidents.

Second Grade: Second graders were introduced to the basic photography concepts of composition, focus, and lighting as they searched for objects around school tied to adjectives (slideshow to come). It was Shorecrest's version of the photographic scavenger hunt, 26 Things.

Third Grade: Third graders used GPS to geocache on campus to kick off their unit on the Iditarod. Each hidden container, called a cache, held one vocabulary card related to the race. Students then returned to the lab to become experts about their topic (i.e. dogs, vets, mushers, supplies, rules, race route), create information webs in Inspiration, and share their findings with their classmates.

Fourth Grade: Fourth graders also used GPS to geocache and kick of their next unit. Through their research on meteorological, hydrological, and geological natural disasters, they are practicing information literacy skills related to evaluating and citing them appropriately.

Acquiring satellites.

Finding the hidden cache.

In addition to watching a BrainPop movie on the topic, we discussed these five essential questions:

• WHO? Who is responsible for the site? Is there an author?
• WHAT? What type of site is it? Look to the URL.
• WHEN? When was the site created and or last updated? Does it have current information?
• WHERE? Does the site indicate where it got its information from?
• WHY? Why was the site created. What is the purpose of the site?

They are using kid-friendly search engines such as Boolify and Quintura for Kids to help them find appropriate resources.

Kindergarten Photography Slideshow

Enjoy this quick video highlight shape and symmetry photos taken by kindergarten students during their last visit to the computer lab. There are some budding photographers in our midst!

Be sure to click on the arrow button in the bottom corner to view the video in full screen.

Digital Photo Safari with Kindergarten

Using digital cameras with young students is a wonderful way to engage them in their learning. Kindergarten students are especially curious about the world around them, and digital cameras encourage students to look closely at the world from a different perspective. This week students worked with partners and participated in a mathematical photo safari search for shapes in the world. They were also challenged to find examples of reflective and radial symmetry as a follow-up to their latest lessons with Mrs. Rowe in the art classroom.

 

Here are two examples of symmetry the students found in the Early Childhood garden.

 

4th Grade Jazz Glogs

Fourth graders enjoyed working with the online tool, Glogster, to make creative posters about famous jazz musicians in conjunction with their class production, We Haz Jazz. Students quickly learned to navigate the program tool bar to add text, images, and videos. A quick review of copyright ensured students included URL's on their posters to document their resources. Click here for links to all the projects.

Here is the link to the final 3rd grade Spanish Scratch projects. Enjoy!

3rd Graders Teach Spanish with Scratch

Back in November, I posted about the LEGO WeDo Robotics program that is part of the third grade curriculum. The program facilitates critical thinking, problem solving, and collaborative work, all essential 21st century learning skills. I just loved watching how engaged the students were, building and programming their robots. I thought it couldn't get better than this! Then, I introduced Scratch.

As a way to build on these beginning programming skills and to help make their experience more authentic, the students used Scratch to design games, simulations, and interactive animations to teach Spanish vocabulary to their kindergarten peers. The kindergarten students will be viewing the projects in Spanish with Ms. Diaz-Leroy in the next few weeks. This was the first time I tried such an ambitious project with the third graders. They amazed me yet again.

As with many of the technology projects that take place in my lab with the older students, I asked them to take some time to reflect about their experiences. Taking time to think about one's work, the good and the bad and it how impacts you as a learner, is very powerful.  I will be posting all the final projects in the next week to share but thought I'd share one project and reflection with you to help you understand the process the students undertook to complete their projects.

"In computer lab, I learned a program called Scratch. Scratch is a program that teaches children about the things that you program it to do and say. For example you could put a character to say a word that you wanted them to learn. My project was a snowman. There were also clothes to one side. You had to drag the clothes to the snowman to hear their name in Spanish. What I found easy about my Scratch project was making and finding the clothing and snowman. What I found difficult about the Scratch project was programming. I learned Spanish words that I did not know before from my Scratch project." - Brenna

Brenna and Hailey E.'s Snowman Project Link

Here is a screen shot of the Scratch platform.

Gudli.com Learning Games

I recently stumbled across a new site I wanted to share. Gudli.com is a free website of educational activities geared for preschool to second grade. In addition to games, there are videos, worksheets and arts/craft ideas. The site has a nice layout and easy to use interface, and all of the games are labeled to help parents and educators choose appropriately leveled-games. Games can be located by age-level or content area and cover all areas of the curriculum. Worth a look.