As part of our Innovative Learning Designs inquiry, our focus for the past school term has been on using digital storytelling across the curriculum. Students have confidently and successfully demonstrated their learning, with emphasis on: choice, collaboration, and experimentation. With increased opportunities for 'choice' in a student-centered learning environment, it is evident that there is greater student involvement, ownership for learning, and increased motivation. This is exactly what Shelley Wright @wrightsroom focused on at the second Engaging the Digital learner series presentation.
Digital storytelling experiences have enabled our students to work on fluency skills, develop confidence, improve speaking and writing skills, and to innovatively represent their learning. As part of their learning and inquiry, students were able to create and share their thinking through multi-media apps. Whether it was iMovie, Popplet, Educreations, Keynote, Class Weebly webpage, Explain Everything,... all students embraced learning using technology at their level. WIth greater choice and selection on how to represent their learning, individual differences were automatically accommodated, and learning was to an extent becoming personalized.
Student Reflections and a Cross-Section of Technology in Action: In the video clip below, students reflect on the use of technology and share their thoughts about their learning.
Digital storytelling experiences have enabled our students to work on fluency skills, develop confidence, improve speaking and writing skills, and to innovatively represent their learning. As part of their learning and inquiry, students were able to create and share their thinking through multi-media apps. Whether it was iMovie, Popplet, Educreations, Keynote, Class Weebly webpage, Explain Everything,... all students embraced learning using technology at their level. WIth greater choice and selection on how to represent their learning, individual differences were automatically accommodated, and learning was to an extent becoming personalized.
Student Reflections and a Cross-Section of Technology in Action: In the video clip below, students reflect on the use of technology and share their thoughts about their learning.
Digital Storytelling: Using a key sentence and a visual, students worked in teams to create a digitized version of the main events from the novel, Snow Treasure.
Constructing our Christmas crafts - focusing on process from beginning to completed product.
Genius Hour: After having the privilege of attending the second Engaging the Digital Learner series, our ILD team members were inspired by colleagues @gallit_z and @hughtheteacher's presentation on Genius Hour. We decided to give it a try. After our first session, it was clearly evident that students had topics they were really interested and curious about. Genius Hour sessions activated learning in our classrooms at Panorama, by providing students with opportunities to access information online, explore, interact with their learning, and learn about their interests and passions.
In addition, this type of learning opens the doors for students to critically question and think about: how they are going to learn, what they are going to learn, and how will they show/share their learning. We were very impressed with the level of engagement, commitment, and how quickly students embraced this type of learning. Impressive learning in a short period of time!
Sumeet, a student in grade 7, looked further into the concept of Matter and Density by meshing science, technology, and Genius Hour.
From our ILD team's perspective, it has been a very productive term for all of us as we are now more confident with integrating wireless technology into daily learning in the classroom. Also, using the AppleTV as a seamless way to share learning, adding to our PLN on twitter - amazing source of information, and creating classroom Weebly webpages that allow teachers and students to co-share and learn together. For the second school term, in addition to continuing to work with digital storytelling, we look forward to exploring about Web 2.0 apps including: Weebly student webpages, blogging - Kidblog, Prezi, Google Docs, sharing work on YouTube,...
Our regularly scheduled formal monthly meetings have been a great way to collaborate, reflect, and share our learning - the challenges/frustrations/successes, what worked/what didn't work/what next/the how's and the why's? Further, we discovered that as we became more comfortable with using wireless technology, the informal conversations at lunch, recess, after school, or in the hallways....ongoing communication... were all instrumental in helping us continue our learning journey by reflecting, asking questions, creating a sense of synergy, and looking forward to new challenges.
It has been inspiring...knowing that on this journey, we are trying to make a difference for our students, exploring, having fun experimenting, and learning along the way!
Lucky Kalair
Grade 6/7 Teacher@Panorama