My "aah ha" moment: current IT tools being maximised, can I have more please?

Ok, so it's been too long since my last posting and if I want this to become a habit I need to keep at it. However I have been in China and ended up teaching a group of Chinese Teachers at an English school.  That's what happens when you rock up and knock on a school's door gifting them a free English picture dictionary I guess.  Anyway that's another story which I will post later.

I love to dabble with IT.  Yes it can be frustrating at times but I find myself pushing through and my skills and competency in this area keeps growing.  I'm continually reflecting on new ways of doing things and what would work better and easier.

This week I have had a "aah ha" moment.  Already my Year 2's can use tools like Pic Collage, Explain Everything and now iMovie.  They use these tools to share either new learning or a message with others.

Two children share their facts learnt after reading

Children created posters for their mothers using co-constructed criteria.

We blend activities and learning in so it is motivating and purposeful.  Such as we spotted a praying mantis outside our class last week, we videoed it and took pictures then we wrote about it.  Some children chose to publish their writing by making a little iMovie with their storywriting.  One of my priority learners was motivated and asked to follow through with this but had only written a brief story so I explained that yes she could but I wanted her to revisit her writing. She added more information and then worked alongside another child who guided her, keeping her hands behind her back to ensure Te Aranga was doing the thinking and work.

Today I had a low writer, again priority learner who said yes to making a News report with his story writing about a lost police dog.  What evolved was the start of a news channel "Room 21 News". So watch this space.

   

So the shift is that I need more tools available, there is an increasing number of children skilled to independently now choose a tool on the iPad to create purposeful and meaningful products.

The Female Praying Mantis by Nathan

However I still have children that I want to have opportunities to solidify basic literacy skills, alphabet knowledge, reading mileage, listening to stories, and maths skills particularly basic facts. Now the trick is to maximise the use of what I have available at our fingertips.

I love learning.