21 Lessons - 21 Tools
Presenters: Chad Lehman and Dennis Grice
Description:
What do you do when reading the book and completing the worksheet doesn't work? It's time to get creative! Integrating technology does not need to add more to your already busy day, but can replace something you’re currently doing with something better. Discover twenty-one (or more) technology-infused lessons for elementary and middle school students as well as activities that not only help students meet learning goals, but also enable them to express their creativity, innovation, and critical thinking. Be sure to bring your own ideas as well for a rapid-fire tool-sharing activity.
GET CREATIVE | |
Elementary & Middle School - Writing Designed for elementary and middle school teachers who want to provide each student with their own, unique blog. Allows students to publish posts and participate in discussions within a secure classroom blogging community. Teachers maintain complete control over student blogs. EXAMPLE: Mr. Coley’s Room 34 Book Blog | |
Elementary - Writing Rapid fire progressive stories. Students start at one computer, select a set of art and create the first page depicting the setting of the story. After 5 minutes, SWITCH! Students move to the computer next to them and add a page to their classmates story introducing the main character. SWITCH! Give the main character a problem. SWITCH! Explain how the main character solved the problem. SWITCH! Come up with an ending for the story. EXAMPLE Middle School - Spanish Students practice language and vocabulary skills by using Storybird to write stories in Spanish. NOTE: Storybird also lets you create classes and individual student logins - and it doesn’t require students to have e-mail addresses! This is also FREE! Using this feature you can have students pair up and take turns working on a collaborative story. It can be students in the same class or students in two different classes across the country or the world! | |
Elementary - Social Studies Native American Posters EXAMPLE Middle School - Language Arts Book reports. Add information about theme, setting, character study where students dress up a character and use web cam to let character explain about themselves. Middle School - History Renaissance. Make a glog about a specific invention/innovation, artist, scientist. EXAMPLE
| |
Primary - Reading/Writing/Art Hungry Caterpillar Book. Students draw their own page for the book. Pages scanned/imported to Voicethread. Students add their voice narrating their page of the book. EXAMPLE Elementary - Science/Writing Animal Riddles. Students create animal riddles with PhotoStory3. (Tutorial) Then teacher uploads each riddle to Voicethread for online sharing and comment. EXAMPLE | |
BigHugeLabs allows you to create several different projects using your own photos. Students can create magazine covers, trading cards, posters, and more. Once a teacher account is created, you can upload your student names and BHL will create User ID’s and passwords for your students to use. No email addresses are needed. EXAMPLE | |
LITTLE OR NO PREP | |
Immediate class feedback on a discussion topic. Students post thoughts and see immediately what others are saying. Brainstorming ideas on a topic. How to Use WallWisher (a VIDEO explanation) Need ideas? Here are 21 Ways to use Wallwisher in the Classroom. | |
Elementary - Language Arts Students practice parts of speech using this tool to create “Mad Lib” type stories. | |
Primary - Math Students use the money mat to play “Money Hungry Pigs” Take a dice and replace the numbers with letters P, N, D, Q, H, & S for Penny, Nickel, Dime, Quarter, Half Dollar and Sweep. Students open blank money mat and stand at their computer. Roll dice. Stamp the coin for the symbol rolled. If an S is rolled, the students must sweep their maps and start over. Money Hungry Pigs Score Sheets (PDF document) | |
Spelling & Vocabulary No Prep - Students type in their spelling words and can then play games with spelling and word definitions. A Little Prep - Register as a teacher. Enter your word lists for students to choose from. Just enter the words, spelling city finds definitions and sentences for you. | |
Elementary & Middle School Students can create their avatar and use it to share an idea. One example would be for students to record their voice explaining a math concept or a book summary. EXAMPLE | |
GAMES & SIMULATIONS | |
Primary & Elementary Is 15 or 20 minutes, once a week in a computer lab really enough time for students to truly learn keyboarding skills? If they’re going to pick it up they need to practice at home too. Here’s a list of fun Fun FREE web tools for keyboarding practice. | |
Middle School Math (Pre-Algebra) This is an interactive adventure game where students must use logic and solve problems that require Algebraic thinking. Teachers can setup a class, track how many puzzles students have solved, how many attempts it took them to solve it, and how long students have spent playing the game. | |
Elementary Science This is a FREE download. Developed at New Mexico State University through a grant from the USDA, this game is designed to teach middle elementary kids about the scientific method and food safety. All the pirates on the ship are sick with something the game calls “the curse of Brownbeard”. Students must explore the island searching for the cause of the ailment. | |
US History - Revolutionary War This is a role playing simulation. Students take on the role of a printing apprentice and as meet people and learn about the causes leading up to the Revolutionary War. Students can play online or the game can be downloaded and installed if you have limited bandwidth. (Internet connection still required to access saved games.) | |
National Geographic has put together this site to get kids using maps to learn geography, science, and problem-solving. | |
POTPOURRI | |
Elementary - Math Students use this tool to learn parts and types of graph by creating their own graph. | |
Upper Elementary & Middle School Students can take a picture of an animal or person and “make it talk.” Would be great for an animal report or a biography project. EXAMPLE | |
Map-A-List / Google Forms | Elementary - Social Studies State Reports. Create a Google form (EXAMPLE) and have students complete the information for their state. Use Map-A-List to create a collaborative map of all the students’ state information. EXAMPLE Elementary - Math/Social Studies Have a class work together to create a survey using Google Forms including location information. Send that survey out via Twitter, e-mail, word of mouth. Use Google Forms to study results of the survey. Use Map-A-List to see results based on location. EXAMPLE Discuss results and look for relationships between answers and geographic location. How to make a collaborative map using Google Forms & Map-A-List. |
Primary - Phonics/Reading High frequency words, Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day Elementary - Reading/Lang. Arts Copy & paste Book Report. Print and post. See if students can guess your book. Same thing for President reports. Middle School Literature/History Copy and paste sections of text into wordle. See which words are empahsized. For History examine presidential speeches. For literature copy poems or selections from books to examine the voacbulary and writing styles. RESOURCES: | |
Elementary & Middle School Prepare your kids for a world of social networking with this “walled-garden” Twitter/Facebook designed for use in schools and classrooms. NEW! Just added Parent accounts. | |
BONUS RESOURCES | |
Elementary/Middle School - Multiple Subjects Help students learn by making them the teacher. Students put in groups of 3-4 and given a concept to teach using paper slides (pre-historic PowerPoint) and FlipCams. Videos are then uploaded and posted online for other student to use for study and review. How to make a paper slide video. - By Dr. Lodge McCammon EXAMPLES: Multiplying By 11 - By St. John’s Teachers Student Examples: Mr. Fisher’s Class, Boca Raton, FL |
Oh! And for those of you who asked for it, here is the Jeopardy Template for PowerPoint.