Thinking About Learning

Mrs. Brown, a 4th grade teacher at my school, received a district Mac grant that provided her with a MacBook, 3iPods, an iTalk,  2 MacMinis, and a camera.  She has worked hard to integrate the technology in the midst of all the required elements of a language arts classroom.  Yes, her students spend time each day with a book actually in hand and also write with a pencil.  As a former elementary ELA teacher myself, I think there is great value in “hands on” reading and writing.  But as we work with students who are continuously more engaged with the digital world at home, it is imperative that we develop our classrooms into technology-infused environments.  Students are able to listen and focus better with an iPod than to listen to a teacher in whole group instruction.  I’m not discounting whole group instruction; I’m just saying that we need multiple instructional strategies to meet the needs of diverse learners.  Students who blog have the understanding that they are writing for a real audience, which makes their time spent writing more meaningful and authentic.  Most students spend lots of time playing video games, so instructional reading games on the computer are a natural fit for them.  Mrs. Brown does a great job of creating balance in her classroom and providing a variety of learning experiences for her students!

I’ve been off grid for about 2 weeks…never have time to write at school and had other obligations every night. Cool week at school though! I worked with 3rd grade students to create podcasts after they had researched Revolutionary War battles that took place in South Carolina. After completing the research, they worked in teams to write newscasts about each battle. This was a first podcasting experience for these students. They were very excited, and their teacher reported that she got much better effort with the writing because of their high motivation. In addition to all the Social Studies standards covered in this lesson, 14 state ELA standards were addressed through the course of the unit:

• Analyze informational texts to draw conclusions and make inferences.
• Create responses to informational texts through a variety of methods such as drawings, written works, and oral presentations.
• Carry out independent reading for extended periods of time to gain information.
• Use graphic features such as illustrations, graphs, charts, maps, diagrams, and graphic organizers as sources of information.
• The student will use word analysis and vocabulary strategies to read fluently.
• Use prewriting techniques such as creating lists, having discussions, using graphic organizers, and using literary models to organize written works.
• Use complete sentences (including compound sentences) in writing.
• The student will write for a variety of purposes and audiences.
• Create written descriptions about people, places, or events such as those important to South Carolina history.
• Use print sources such as books, magazines, charts, graphs, diagrams, dictionaries, encyclopedias, atlases, and thesauri and nonprint media to access information.
• Organize information by classifying or sequencing.
• Paraphrase research information accurately and meaningfully.
• Use the Internet as a source of information.
• Use vocabulary (including Standard American English) that is appropriate for the particular audience or purpose.

That’s the beauty of project-based learning! Multiple standards can be covered in relatively short chunks. Students spent 2 class periods researching and 2 class periods writing/revising/practicing for the podcasts. They also learned about social bookmarking as they used Diigo to locate bookmarked information. Check it out: Ms. Wayne’s Podcasts. Expressive voice was a positive, noticeable focus of student writing. To share my opinion of these student efforts, I will quote a student from the Battle of Camden newcast, “Yes, Sir-ee!”