In visiting classrooms I ended my day watching students respond to the book reviews of other students by logging into their blogs. Talk about engagement. In our Design Team meeting yesterday we reviewed a technology survey that we are going to give to the students. I have decided that we are going to give the survey on the internet..anyway, I digressed....I started talking to the kids about their pages and what they were reading. They were eager to share with me their responses as well as some of the comments their classmates made about the books they were reading. Way to go Short!
Now how about editting projects online? Who will take the challenge?
The Teacher's Internet Companion gives very practical suggestions for integrating the internet into classroom instruction. What middle school child does not have a myspacepage? They may not recognize it as being their own blogpage or webpage but they have a site. I am looking for innovative ways that you are engaging our children using technology....maybe I should say the internet. Short is leading the pack right now!!!
Not only did I see internet usage though, I also saw differentiation. The students were taking responsibility for their learning. Differentiated Instruction is not just a thing of the present. I remember being a kindergartners having to go from center to center. Today my 8th grade students were engaged in technology activities and completing tasks cards to help organize their learning. The task cards included reading, writing and internet integrated activities. Did I mention that the students were highly engaged?
While I am on a roll, the webquest for the Civil Rights Unit was a powerful learning tool for the students. Great work Tierney. and company. Webquests become another way to allow students to have some responsibility for their learning. Middle Schoolers...the "tweeners"...also want to be engaged.
3 comments:
Thanks for the pat on the back. My kids love their blogs (although I am still working to get them to make more than just summaries!) My kids in all three classes absolutely loved working with freerice.com. They begged me to let them do it some more next week, and several mentioned that they knew a word today because they had missed it yesterday, and remembered the correct synonym! A couple of my kids don't like their task cards, because they feel it gives them too much latitude. For those kids, we talk each day about what they will do from the task card, and they feel more secure.
Katrina
You never really know what they will like and what they won't, that's why constant change is important. You are still however giving them options in their learning even though you are helping to guide them through the process. Even though they have task cards they still need interaction and support from their teacher. Way to go!!!
Freerice has been a HUGE HIT at Chets Creek. It's great to see that an internet site can go across all levels to all children and adults.
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