Term 3

Term 3 has flown by and so has my research. With my dissertation coming to an end five areas of discussion became apparent when using a 1 to 1 digital device in the form of an iPad:

Reading and iPads

Going into each class weekly allows me not only the affordance of knowing the learner but also supporting and personalising their learning needs for that session. This usually looks like me adding on to an already made activity with more specific learning which I get the students to create while with me at the teaching table. The learner is continuing to use the tools on Explain Everything to  complete the reading activity and add new creations at the end of the existing activity. Discussion with the teachers allows me to share what I think may work further or for me to test run their new activity designs. These conversations are so inspiring ... the thought and time that goes in to preparing these activities, to support the learners, is amazing. In one class the learners were having difficulty reading the instructions so the teacher added a sound bite to each activity. A small amount of scaffolding was required to remind the learner to play the sound bite back whenever was required.

Week 2...slow and steady wins the race!

The end of week 2 and the end of the first 'real week' facilitating. Last week each class learnt how to take a photo on their iPad. This week our focus was on how to take a photo in Explain Everything. I used icons to map each stage for every class and every step was done slowly and pedantically. Year 1 hadn't attempted this at all and so was a whole new learning adventure. Year 2 & 3 had given it ago with their teacher but some learners hadn't quite understood the whole process. For these learners, I went over the process again, adding in the pencil tool and either voice recording or locking the photo down depending on the ability of the class. With each class now knowing how to take a photo in Explain Everything it opens the door for the teachers to begin using this activity in a wide range of creative opportunities for the learners.