So a few weeks ago I was lucky enough to be asked to present to a group of Apple Distinguished Educators (ADEs) and some bigwigs from Apple about how I use technology in my classroom. It was a really exciting prospect for me to think quite purposefully about how I incorporate ICT to enhance student learning and what I might choose to present to other teachers.
The presentation really gave me an opportunity to reflect on my own experience of teaching with laptops, specifically Macbooks. It's been a little different to others in my school as I was a Mac lifestyle user previously. So for me, it really came down to time to play in the sandpit. I taught myself how to use a lot of the apps when I first got it- iMovie, Garageband, Photobooth etc. And as far as teaching goes, that's what the students need as well- sandpit time. It can often be difficult to factor in time to let kids play with new software and applications- but it's absolutely necessary if we want them to be knowledgeable and skilled users of technological tools. Slowly, the quality of the work they produce using these tools improves.
I touched on these ideas last post- creativity. excitement. skill. These are the three key concepts I presented to the ADEs a few weeks ago about why the Macs (but also just laptops in general) are so goddamn awesome in the classroom.
creativity.
With the Macs at their fingertips, the opportunities for students to let their imaginations run wild are limitless. They have so many choices about HOW to present their ideas, which automatically gives them an outlet for their creativity. This has been a driving force behind my creation of resources and activities for the English classroom.
excitement.
Students have a desire to show off their skills to each other through peer tutoring and learning. Without realising it, they're also demonstrating to their teachers their knowledge of content and enthusiasm for learning. Students have a true sense of ownership over what they have created and produced because the tools belong to them.
skill.
All of sudden, these kids are easily making links between the skills they need in English and other KLAs! They are coming to realise that their technological skills are absolutely transferable. As well, they are keen to share their skills and work collaboratively with each other.
The student samples I've selected here are activities which invite students to make their own learning decisions. As a teacher, I think it's becoming increasingly important to hand over the knowledge and power to our students and empower them with choice. In creating some of these activities, I admit, I didn't know how to use some of the tools I suggested to them. But they did, so it didn't matter. Importantly, these sorts of activities have had implications for my own professional learning, giving me the chance to explore how to use new Web 2.0 tools.
I've posted the PDFs here so if you like 'em, use 'em. I am also happy to email through .docx copies as well if you're interested so just let me know. As well as the tasks, I've also included some examples of the students' work. I'm pretty proud of what my girls have achieved here and I hope you'll be suitably impressed as well :)
ICT Character Study- Skellig by David Almond
Example of student work here:
The thing I love about this particular example is "Making Up Mina" at the end- this extra piece was not part of the brief, however the fact that the students CHOSE to make and include it just goes to show their enthusiasm and excitement for using technology in this task.
ICT Context Task- To Kill A Mockingbird
Podcasting Activity- To Kill A Mockingbird
ICT Visual Representations- Whale Rider Film Study- this needs to be opened with Adobe Acrobat Pro to see the embedded media.
Thursday, December 1, 2011
Wednesday, November 30, 2011
Creativity. Excitement. Skill.
It's the end of the year- probably not really the right time to be starting an educational blog right? With the academic year winding down it seems the freedom to take risks in the classroom is more available than ever! So while I was checking out some educational blogs, I came across Project PLN which was seeking schools from all over the world to get students redesigning their learning spaces, based on what they perceive as their learning needs. "What a great end-of-year challenge," thinks Miss Lizzio. And thus began Project PLN with my Year 8 Extension English class.
Let it firstly be said that our school is already exceptionally well-resourced in terms of technology, learning spaces and facilities for staff and students. We've been a 1to1 Macbook school since 2010 and the kids love them. As a teacher passionate about technology, I saw this as a great opportunity to get the kids using their Macbooks to show off their technological skills and gain some new ones as well. The excitement grew in all of us when we realised we were the only school from outside the USA that was taking part!
We broke into 4 committees:
Within those committees I let them go. No joke. They were completely self-monitoring. Sure, I looked over their shoulders and gave guidance; we discussed what our school already does well and what's not worth altering. But basically, what they devised was 100% their own original ideas. They chose which technological tools best suited them in order to present these ideas- and in some cases, these were coloured pens, paper and a scanner. Some used iMovie, Garageband, Adobe Acrobat Pro, Photobooth... all apps they're highly skilled in. But they also experimented with Web 2.0 technologies that I wasn't familiar with, such as Sketchpad and some Architect design suites which they found on the net.
The outcome? A thoroughly interested and engaged class for the last 5 periods of Year 8 in 2011. They finished everything yesterday and today, I had a thorough look over what they created. I could not be prouder.
The lesson? Goddamn these kids get it. Technology gives my girls the opportunity to show their creativity, be excited by what their doing, and become highly skilled in using the tools they'll need throughout their schooling.
Attached is a short video the girls made of themselves working on Project PLN. We're all pretty excited about it being published on the Project PLN website later in December so look out for us!
Let it firstly be said that our school is already exceptionally well-resourced in terms of technology, learning spaces and facilities for staff and students. We've been a 1to1 Macbook school since 2010 and the kids love them. As a teacher passionate about technology, I saw this as a great opportunity to get the kids using their Macbooks to show off their technological skills and gain some new ones as well. The excitement grew in all of us when we realised we were the only school from outside the USA that was taking part!
We broke into 4 committees:
- Facilities- gym, pool, bathrooms & change rooms, common rooms, lockers
- Landscape- grassy areas, sporting fields etc
- Classroom Redesign
- Indoor/ Outdoor Areas
Within those committees I let them go. No joke. They were completely self-monitoring. Sure, I looked over their shoulders and gave guidance; we discussed what our school already does well and what's not worth altering. But basically, what they devised was 100% their own original ideas. They chose which technological tools best suited them in order to present these ideas- and in some cases, these were coloured pens, paper and a scanner. Some used iMovie, Garageband, Adobe Acrobat Pro, Photobooth... all apps they're highly skilled in. But they also experimented with Web 2.0 technologies that I wasn't familiar with, such as Sketchpad and some Architect design suites which they found on the net.
The outcome? A thoroughly interested and engaged class for the last 5 periods of Year 8 in 2011. They finished everything yesterday and today, I had a thorough look over what they created. I could not be prouder.
The lesson? Goddamn these kids get it. Technology gives my girls the opportunity to show their creativity, be excited by what their doing, and become highly skilled in using the tools they'll need throughout their schooling.
Attached is a short video the girls made of themselves working on Project PLN. We're all pretty excited about it being published on the Project PLN website later in December so look out for us!
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