As I teach my students more and more features that involve selecting from a menu that appears when you “highlight with the left and then right click”, I’ve noticed that some are continuously baffled by which button is right and which is left. So I came up with more specific names for the mouse buttons. Problem solved. Now they get the right button the first time, every time. Try it!
Some of the things I’ve been asked by my 7 year old students lately show much the effort of this project is paying off in terms of student learning:
“Miss Versteeg, when I finish my work may have some Inquiry time? I have some questions I want to learn about so I can write on my blog”;“Hey when I finish this book can I take a picture and write about it?” This shows creativity.
“Guess what? Someone in the Busy Bee class has Lego on their blog my friend! Can I share a link with them?” This shows collaboration and communication.
“Is it okay if I do this on Explain Everything instead of PicCollage because I think it is easier to add things?” This shows critical thinking.
And, in response to my incredulous reaction to a student’s knowledge about each continent “Oh, I just googled it.” That’s often my first strategy for problem solving too!
What have your students been asking to do lately?
I just realized that TLC can stand for tender loving care or technological learning community. Tee-Hee.
Today I am doing a final edit of my Term 1 Reports. I’m slowly growing cross-eyed, but I’ve noticed something interesting. Somewhere in my ‘specific comments’ or ‘specific next steps’, every student ended up with at least one reference to how they’ve demonstrated their learning using iPad technology or their personal blogs. This is a testament to how valuable this collaborative experience has been to me. I’ve managed to integrate what I’ve learned across the curriculum in my grade 2 classroom. I think I’m actually on the road to becoming a teacher who uses technology in a way that includes creativity, collaboration, communication, critical thinking and problem solving. I still have many questions, but I am so excited to continue using everything I’ve learned to help me answer them.
I want to thank my collaborative community. I creep your blogs all the time. Thank you to those who took a minute to comment on my student’s blogs as well. It meant the world to them!
Leigh Cassell Consulting 