Tool #9 Incorporating Devices as Tools for Learning

Why tie technology to our teaching objectives? That's like asking why we give out candy on Halloween! It's fun! It's significant! It's memorable. And we are in the business of finding ways to help students remember some very important information. I've heard at workshops that the one who does the talking is the one who does the learning. With technology, I think the one who works the keyboard/camera/microphone is the one who does the learning. And that addresses the question of accountability. Students who apply their understanding of what they are learning are those who will carry it away. When students know at the outset that they will have to provide proof of their attentiveness to the learning, they will be more alert to the learning objective and ready to proving their understanding.

I'm very excited to discover games that will support our probability and statistics unit in math with double dice rolling and decision trees. They are in year 5 under Handling Data at TES iboard http://www.iboard.co.uk/curriculum.htm#mathsks2-topicYear55maths_year_ks2year5 I included a link to the measurement page which also has a great game for practicing calculations for perimeter and area. The calculations students make in their math journals would prove their engagement in the practice. The site also has some very exciting literacy and grammar/punctuation activities. My students need a lot of practice placing punctuation around dialogue and they would really benefit from going to http://www.iboard.co.uk/curriculum.htm#34226 where they can punctuate simple, complex or their own original dialogue for scenes from Goldilocks and the Three Bears. There are activities at the literacy menu for students to practice using There/Their/They're, applying apostrophes, replacing the verb "walk" with a better word, and correcting noun/verb agreements, among the many other choices. I would have students copy their sentences into the "Word" section of their writing binders where we collect examples of great language and punctuation. That would be a record of their participation and a reference for later writing.

Some apps that would work well for an iPad station are BrainPop Featured Movie. I use BrainPop a lot for introducing science concepts. Students would be accountable for the post-movie quiz. I will definitely get Dictionary.com. On Mondays, students look up the meanings of their spelling words and write them in their spirals. They could use the iPads and iTouches as well as classroom dictionaries. I think, by partnering, the whole class would be actively participating. Animation Creator and Sock Puppets would be good sites for demonstrating understanding of a science concept as well as correct grammar, punctuation, and spelling. We could print and hang the comics and show the sock puppets on the white board. My students are researching information for a debate and would benefit from Discovery Channel, Time Mobile, USA Today, and Diigo. Our librarian has provided them with a form that guides their note-taking and reminds them to reference the sites they use.