Nursery 1 is in the process of making individual student books. For this activity some children decided to choose images from the Internet to complement their drawings. Miss Sofi brought her laptop and worked on the books with students as part of center work.
In N2, students used the computer to find their ideal setting for a new story. They are practicing literacy by typing in the correct letter on the keyboard, and then deciding which photo represents their idea best.
On April 29th we found out that one of the children in our classroom relapsed in his fight against cancer. In order to maintain social-emotional ties with this child that receives treatment in New York, technology became an integral and authentic communicative tool. From learning how to make a music video (we filmed a music video to Taylor Swift’s “Shake it Off” based on elementary’s recent music video- thanks for the inspiration!) to learning how to use Photobooth (picking a theme, learning how to speak directly to the camera, and understanding how the 3, 2, 1 function works before speaking), we included our far-away friend in classroom experiences we were living. This child also sent us videos and photos and voice recordings via WhatsApp. Technology transcended time and space and we are very thankful to have access to such great tools!
See one of our videos to Julio shared via WhatsApp below.
See one of our videos to Julio shared via WhatsApp below.
| N4 students created stories by inventing characters on the SmartBoard and then decided to either draw or take a photo for their story’s setting. Students also recorded an audio clip to accompany their story. |
Students in PK5 reviewed concepts such as letter sounds and numbers 1 to 10 using the iPad. In addition, they have been using the app Louie's Letter Challenge to sound out CVC words.
Children in K6 made electronic invites for parents to join us in celebrating Father's Day. Teachers were in charge of videotaping, but children asked if they could also record, so they did. They found a friend and videotaped each other. We sent the invitation via Whatsapp! | |
For her senior project, Maribel Silva created a story with PK7 students that complimented our study of ants. We were able to share the book with parents through the following link, which allows parents to download the book to their devices.
In PK-K8, we decided to make our own I Spy books. Using the classroom camera students chose objects, placed them on a big piece of colored paper, and took photos of this collage. They also chose and photographed their favorite item from the collage. These favorite items are the ones the reader is invited to search for.
The students in PK-K9 were given a homework assignment to create stories and share with their classmates. We asked the students, “Cómo puedes compartir tu cuento con los demás?” These were some of the responses from our students:
| Alex: Se lo puedes poner en Internet o en la computadora. Tali: Leyéndola a tus amigos Camille: Lo puedes poner en la computadora. Andrés: Le puedes sacar copias en una copiadora. Tali: Tambien en Internet. |
Maria: Enseñado los dibujo o puedes ver un libro en la tele. El Internet es lo que hace funcionar el iPad y se puede mandar fotos de los cuentos o dibujos y mensajes.
We then decided to start recording our stories in different ways to share with our friends.
We then decided to start recording our stories in different ways to share with our friends.
Kinder 10 students explored a typewriter. It was a free exploration, they played with it and then they were asked questions to explain how it works and what it created. Students reflected on the differences between this machine and moderns ones. | |
Kinder students in Spanish class are:
- Using the iPads to draw individually or with a friend with the app “Together”.
- Using the app “Mini Doodle” to create stories and learn about what it means to be an author and the process of making stories.
- Looking at the iBook “El libro de la vida en kinder” which was created based on what kinder students told us was important about kinder.