DIGITAL REFRIGERATORS: NEW TECHNOLOGY IN THE ES
Sunday, November 26, 2006
Ask one of Dylan Meikle’s KGM students for a definition of the word blog, and the first answer will most likely follow a string of giggles: “A blog is a blue frog!” Other students, such as Jenny, will offer a more conventional response: “It’s something you think and something that you write on the computer.”
KGM students, like many of their WAB peers, are Web savvy. As digital natives in a global world, these five- and six-year olds are writing blogs and will soon be podcasting with their Grade Five buddy class.“
A lot of people ask me how kids are able to blog at such a young age,” Dylan said. “But it’s really quite amazing how much students learn from this activity, which is closely tied to the First Steps language learning resource that we use in the Elementary School.”
Blogging provides an opportunity for students to reflect and consolidate their learning, Dylan explained. “It fosters language development by providing students with a real audience for their reading and writing. That audience is their families - their Mums and Dads at home and also their extended families around the world. Parents can get online and read their child’s recollections of the learning activities that we covered in class. Hopefully, this is a tool that not only informs parents about what wedo in Kindergarten, but helps young children to remember and talk about their learning.”
Dylan is one of many ES teachers incorporating new forms of technology into the classroom. In fact, teachers at every grade level in the Elementary School are using IT tools in the classroom. Sheldon Bradshaw, ES Digital Literacy Coordinator, explains the trend: “Teachers are integrating technology in meaningful ways to enhance student learning. We’re getting to a point where students and teachers are no longer thinking about the technology itself because they’re focused on the product or outcome.”
He cites that some teachers use IT tools to support differentiation in their classroom and help individualize the learning process. “Teachers can use these tools to cater to different learning styles. Instead of being bound to one mode of expression, students can use IT tools to create, respond, produce and reflect on their learning. “It’s a meta-cognitive process. Students are actually learning about their own learning as they learn!”
Quick to point out that activities such as podcasting and blogging aren’t for everyone, Sheldon also stresses that IT tools aren’t always the best resources for certain types of learning: “One of the digital literacy skills we teach is developing a sense of when a creative or technical process demands the use of a pencil or pen and when a computer or other IT tool is the best medium for working.”
Sarah Harris, IBPYP Coordinator, and Julian Edwards, ES Assistant Principal, have recently discovered the power of podcasting. They’ll be broadcasting their first messages to parents and interested parties next week. Sarah enthused: “Julian and I are excited about the launch of the ES podcasts because we see them as a way to stay connected with our parent community. They could also be useful for people who are interested in learning more about the PYP and how children are learning in the Elementary School at WAB.”
Through podcasting, Grade 3 teacher Mark Marshall has found a whole new persona. For a PYP unit on ecosystems, he created an audio-visual show featuring the fictional character of Dr. Plankton, an adventurous scientist who travels the globe, sending back “live reports” to the class. In one episode, Dr. Plankton calls in from the coral reefs off the Australian coast to describe its amazing ecosystem. Mark’s students are now creating their own podcasts. “The process is very learner-centered,” he said. “Students write their scripts, edit, help each other and practice their public speaking skills.”
Many teachers are also reviewing options for introducing students to digital portfolios, or Web-based collections of student work. This year alone, ES IT expects to launch over 200 Web-based digital portfolios that are created, maintained and published by students. Grade 5 teacher Nicole Davidson has embraced this method of displaying student work: “We decided to use digital portfolios in 5D to allow students to develop their understanding of how they learn, and to share their learning across a wider audience. I believe the greatest benefit of the process so far is that students now see ICT as a tool for learning, not an isolated subject in and of itself.”
For Grade 1 teacher Reuben Bathgate, the digital portfolio is just an updated version of what he did as a child: “When I was a kid, I proudly displayed work I brought home from school on my refrigerator door for everyone to see. Now I look forward to creating a ‘Digital Refrigerator’ for the kids in my class.”For further information about IT in the Elementary School, please contact Sheldon Bradshaw, Digital Literacy Coordinator, at sbradshawATwab.edu.
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