by Joe Teft, EdTech Coach (Pre-K – Grade 3) –
One of the key objectives as an EdTech coach is to help students and teachers integrate technology into everyday learning. An example of how this comes into practice is in Grades 1 and 2, where students are sharing and demonstrating knowledge through the use of images and media.
In their “healthy habits” unit, Grade 1 students have been using two key applications, picture collage and iMovie, to document and showcase what they have learnt (through the unit) about healthy lifestyle habits. Students will document their learning using image journals as they progress through the unit. Open ended activities were used to generate a variety of answers to some key questions around the unit topic. These activities stimulate discussion amongst the students as they share what they already know, while allowing teachers to “scaffold” learning, as they introduce new concepts and information. This helps students create deeper learning connections, and expand their knowledge, all while having fun!
In Grade 2, students have been using the “book creator” application to “talk” about what they are learning in all areas of the curriculum, and in the process are starting to create their own mini portfolios. This process involves students taking a picture of something they are proud of in their learning. Some students have chose recent math work, others went to their language journal for inspiration, while others showed their UOI creations. Although there was variety in the selection of work to showcase, each student went through the same sharing process, as they created a voice recording via book creator to explain what the selected (learning) picture is all about. Students start to think both critically and creatively as they demonstrate their learning in a variety of ways.
In both instances, at each grade level, we are developing an understanding of digital literacy – and the importance of creating digital content and then using it appropriately. Students have learnt that by signing our names, we show ownership of the work, and in order to use someone else’s work, we must ask permission. This is just like when we use search engines to find information for projects and tasks – we need to either ask permission or say where we sourced the information from. This early learning develops in students ethical research skills, that will serve them well through their academic life.