In October, some 4th and 5th graders were showing classmates and teachers the Sprites they had created in Scratch. This inspired several of these students to independently begin learning Scratch. Their interest and excitement inspired me to incorporate Scratch into my work with students this year. In December, Debbie Smith, fellow Ed Tech at Eanes Elementary, told me about the Hour of Code. I immediately thought about this group of students. When I sent information out to my teachers about this, I got an unexpected overwhelming response from many of them wanting their students to participate. The students in this picture are scanning the QR code to the Hour of Code Learn website in order to participate with their iPads. TechCrunch.com, one of many online technology news services that covered this phenomenal event, explains the Hour of Code: "On December 9, Code.org kicked off a new, nationwide campaign called the “Hour of Code,” which asked teachers across the U.S. to help introduce their students to the basics of computer science through the organization’s coding programs and tutorials. Timed in conjunction with Computer Science Education Week, the campaign has sought to change the perception of Computer Science in the American education system — chief of which is the fact that, today, 9 out of 10 schools in the U.S. do not offer computer science classes." As a result of many of our VVE students successfully getting that Angry Bird to wipe out the pig, we have a lot of students excited about coding now. I worked with many classes during Computer Science Education Week, and I continue to work with classes this first week back after our Winter Vacation. As a 36 year educator, I have had opportunities to hear from past students about how their time with me has influenced them. Gazing off into the future, I'm looking forward to hearing how our Hour of Code inspired these students.
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The Second Graders in Mrs. Tucci's and Mrs. Stueve's classes have been estimating and measuring to get an idea of how short an inch really is; and how long a foot really is. Their task was to take photos of 12 objects, from 1 inch long to 12 inches long, with a measure showing the length. The great part about the task is that it called for students to think critically in order to estimate which objects would be specific lengths, then measure to check their estimate, before recording their measured objects by photographing each one. Once they had photographed 12 objects with their measurement tool next to each one, they used the StoryKit app to create a book with a page for each measurement. They also used the audio recording feature of StoryKit to record themselves explaining each object they measured. The great thing about StoryKit is that each student can email their story. Before iPads, students would use rulers to measure and record on paper. Their audience for this would be themselves or the teacher. With iPads, the audience is larger and more personal, thus adding authenticity and relevance to sharing their learning. Mrs. Stueve and Mrs. Tucci had the students email the story to themselves for checking, and then had them email their story to their parents. This was a wonderfully engaging, and collaborative activity. |
Hi, I'm Margie Brown, an Educational Technologist at Valley View Elementary School in Eanes ISD. I love working with students and teachers and discovering new digital tips and tricks everyday! Archives
August 2016
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