Second Grade VoiceThread Portfolios

This week I had the pleasure of participating in a very special activity with the second graders - the sharing of their digital portfolios. While I help the classroom teachers organize the portfolios, gather and upload artifacts, and support the students throughout the creation process, I am always so touched by the actual portfolio shares. Watching the students so engaged and excited about their learning as they showcase and discuss their work is the highlight of my year.

Artifacts included in the portfolios represent all areas of the second grade curriculum as well the special subjects of art, music, and Spanish. Videos of students sharing projects were also included. I know these portfolios will be cherished by both students and families for many years to come.

 

Setting Up Restrictions on Apple Devices

This week's post is inspired by two conversations I had with family and friends over the weekend.

First, I was talking with a good friend regarding how her son uses his iPad during a Saturday baseball game. During our conversation, she shared a few stories of 'unauthorized purchases'. She shared how she setup her son's iTunes account utilizing her email address so that she could monitor his purchases (which I highly recommend), but in the same breath remarked she had no actual control over what her son could download both through iTunes and through the App Store. So while she was being notified of what her son was doing, she really couldn't stop him from doing it because he was not following the family rule of asking before purchasing. She was also concerned about her son downloading music and apps at school. She really wanted his iPad to be solely for educational purposes.

On Sunday, I was engaged in a conversation with my sister-in-law regarding a related issue. My niece had just bought her own iPod Touch, and my sister-in-law had no idea about how to set it up, much less how to secure the device for her young daughter. In fact, she had been told by friends that it was not possible to secure the device.

So, here is a quick step-by-step guide to setting up Restrictions on Apple devices.

 

Go to General > Settings > Restrictions. The default setting is Off.

When you select Restrictions, you will be prompted to enter in a Restrictions Passcode and then confirm the password. Note, this password should be different than any code you setup for general access to the device. This code should not be shared with your child.

 

You will have the ability to limit access to the Internet (Safari), You Tube, Ping (social networking through iTunes), installing apps, etc. 

You can also setup restrictions for access to email accounts as well as location services that can identify the location of your device through games, etc. 

 

You can set restrictions for the types of music, movies, tv shows, and apps based on ratings (i.e. PG, PG-13, R). So if you allow your child to download on his or her own, you may still want to check these settings to restrict inappropriate content.

Be sure to pay attention to the controls for In-App Purchases which will allow students to purchase new apps within apps even if Installing Apps is turned off above.

If you don't want your student to play social games, you need to pay attention to the 'Multiplayer Games' and 'Adding Friends' setting. These control the social networking aspects of the Game Center App built into each device.

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!