Spreading our enthusiasm - what we have shared so far

We feel strongly that although the itouch devices are housed in the Fifth grade classrooms, the learning they give opportunity to is worth sharing with as many students as possible!

Pre-K/Kindergarten: Using the apps: ABCs free, Color Talk, Numbers and Memory Match, fifth grade students really enjoyed working with and teaching the younger students.

First grade: Fifth graders shared some time together before the thanksgiving break playing "Turkey Trot" and "Thanksgiving Match". It was great to see the partners taking turns and enjoying some problem solving games.

Second Grade (and more):Second grade teachers using them to capture Reader’s Theatre and then have been sharing the readings with the class using AV cables to connect to TV.

Third grade: Small groups are working on putting together their Reader’s Theatre using digital cameras and photostory.

Fourth grade: Factbook app. Tried scavenger hunt originally given to fifth, and are now creating another scavenger hunt for fifth grade to try!

MWE FLIP Crew: students using flip cameras to capture events of the school such as Kindergarten Storybook Parade and Thanksgiving Feast.

TEACHnology classes

So many projects- so little time! It has been challenging to coordinate technology lessons within the context of the already packed school day. We would love for technology to be a “specials class” that students go to at least once a week!!! In order for the technologies to be used seamlessly within the classroom skills have to be taught, and this takes time even though the students catch on very quickly.

After completing introductory “skill classes” during voluntary recess sessions on: imovie, iphoto, photostory, windows movie maker, blogging, web 2.0 tools, flipcharts, flip cameras and garage band, we have moved on to projects. We have identified four projects for the students to work on integrating all of the different technologies. The four projects are: a recycle video to share with Terrace Elementary; a history of MWE video to remember our building once we are rennovated; Teacher University to spotlight the collegiate expereinces in our building; and the mentor project to continue building relationships across grade levels. The students will choose which long-term project that they want to work on.

One challenge for this grant has been having enough “man-power”. Due to “technical issues”- that arrive daily- some of our good intentions have taken longer than planned.

Case issues

We are so glad to have the cases (red and blue iSkins) on the itouch devices for the students, but it has not come without some hang-ups. First of all was the un-earth-friendly packaging the cases came in! It took an assmbly line of four of us working for 30 minutes just to get them out of the package! Then we spent the next 30 minutes putting the cases on the itouches themselves! (We all had sore fingers by the end of it all.) The worst was trying to plug the itouches into the sync cart with the case on. The cord would not fit all the way into the slot, so most of the cases had to be taken off at one end in order to charge and sync the devices. One teacher has the same case for her phone and says once the case stretches out it should be easier, but until then we will have to have the students remove the bottom of the cases when we need to sync or charge them.

Here we go!

The protective cases for the itouches came in on Tuesday, so students spent Wednesday setting up their assigned itouch. They browsed the loaded apps and determined categories to sort them into. Most students set up pages for spelling/word games, math apps, science and social studies apps, mentoring apps for use with the younger grades, and a brain game page. After that the students practiced their cursive handwriting on the ABC Cursive app to reinforce the handwriting practice we have started this week. The students also cleaned the screen, put on a screen protector, and refit the case onto their itouch. The students are looking forward to using the itouch in Language Arts as a resource for their learning!

Ready to jump, but...

We are still waiting to assign the itouch devices to the students on an individual basis. The only hang-up is that the cases have yet to be delivered to us! We do not want the students to have the device unprotected and slick on their desktops for classroom use, but the waiting is keeping us from moving forward. We are ready for the "novelty" to wear off, and for the students to see how this can be a tool they use seamlessly while reading, writing, and learning their fifth grade content. We know there will be temptation to use it for play, but we are going to be very straight-forward about our expectations. We may even set up the itouch screens to be sorted by subject area so that we can tell them that during this time they should only be using apps from screen ___(1,2 3, etc). We hope this will teach them the appropriate times to use the apps we have selected.

iTouch edit

We have experimented with using the Thumbtack microphones. Mrs. Lewis had the students record their compositions about an interesting event in their life using the Voice Memo app on the itouch and the Thumbtack microphone. After making their recording, they used the itouch to listen to their story, revise, and edit their composition. Many students said how much they enjoyed recording their story so they could hear what it was they wanted to say. Many resource and ESL students who did not have a good start to their written story, found that recording the story first was very helpful. Plus, since "voice" is an important part of personal narrative, it was a valuable use of the app for the other students as well.

Tracking our progress

We have set up a planning board where we are keeping track of student’s technology proficiencies. We plan on having a flip crew. These students will be used to go into classrooms and train teachers as well as their students on how to use the camera and then make a movie/burn a DVD. Two fifth graders have already made a DVD from footage taken by a third grade teacher on a field trip. The two students used flip software and created a movie and then presented it to the class. They were so excited about their accomplishment!

We have also set up a bulletin board where we can track the applications that have been used in the classroom setting. We have created a flag to represent USA Factbook and have written the Scavenger hunt questions on cards to create a web. We plan on having a select amount of fifth teach fourth grade about the Constitution using the app and the visual.

We are on our way to making this technology a part of our classrooms!