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:

Room 25 Blogs

Today Room 25 are going to post their very first Blog! That was our title to Kick start and celebrate Day 1 of independent Blogging! Great day in Room 25... http://pesmisseadie.blogspot.co.nz/

Ryders new way to write...

Today in Room 16 we tried a new way to remember our story for writing. In a small group we talked about a picture of a little dog surfing. The learners came up with some rich vocabulary which we used in our own story. Once the stories were memorised each learner audio recorded their own on their iPad in Explain Everything. The learner then had to type their story referring back to their recording when they were unable to remember what came next. Rhyder did a great job and even came up with the word 'frothy.' Although not captured on the video, the learners also had to draw the little dog surfing!

Ryders little surfing dog from Team 1 PES on Vimeo.

Reading, reading and more reading!

What have I noticed lately... there is no need for a reading tumble when working with Explain Everything on the iPads. The learners work throughout the whole session on activities created around the book they are reading and their learning needs. As a 'fly on the wall,' moving around Year 1 and 2 classes, the learners are engaged in activities that are more personalised, interesting, rewindable and recordable. Can't beat that!!

Same reading level vs different age

Even though a 5 year old may be reading at the same level as some 9 year olds it doesn't mean the post reading activities should be the same. When designing, or adding on to an Explain Everything (EE), it's an important thing to consider. The older learner may enjoy and cope well with the lower levelled activities but in reality they can be pushed, questioned and potentially think at a higher level.
So, let's add on pages to our  EE's for those older learners and get them moving towards 'higher order thinking'!

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.

PLC

This week my PLC research group met. It was so heartening to hear the reflections and changes that have taken place through their discussions not to mention the improvement in reading of those focus learners. Linking design and innovation with the curriculum and student achievement gives a wonderful hook to hang your hat on!!