FTEdTech Kids
3rd Quarter 2017-2018: The Lifelong Learning Issue
In this issue you will find...
- Tools for Studying
- Basics that will help - Math and Language Arts
- Notes - apps that you can use for note taking and review
- Studying - apps and strategies
- Productivity - apps to keep organized
- Digital Citizenship Focus - Learning is at the Center
- Cool Things Happening - see examples from 4th grade at JES, 2nd and 3rd at WES and 4th at JES
Tools for Studying
In the last few months it has been exciting to see our students using their devices in ways that promote life-long learning. I have had a number of conversations with teachers, parents and students who have shared some excellent strategies for maximizing the use of our iPads as a learning tool.
Bringing that learning home can be a challenge. Something you might want to consider is to help your child establish good study routines at home. That might mean setting up a study center in your house with self-serve materials like paper, pencils and scissors, establishing a habit of reviewing challenging information a little each night, modeling how to create sketchnotes as an active review strategy, or encouraging students to create recordings of content in Garageband so they can listen to the playback as review or to keep track of their reading fluency or World Language practice.
Want more? Here are some ideas from Khan Academy for effective and efficient studying.
Basics that will help
Wonders: ConnectED
Everyday Math: ConnectED
Khan Academy: Video Help
Notes
iOS Notes
OneNote
Paper 53
Studying
Chegg Flashcards
Students should not create an account for Chegg because accounts are for students 13 and older, but they can use the app without signing in.
PowerPoint Study Decks
IPEVO Whiteboard
Productivity
Calendar
Reminders
iOS Clock
Digital Citizenship Focus: Learning is at the Center
When it comes to school iPad use, it would be good to periodically have a discussion about what students are using the iPads to do at home. To keep it simple, check in to see if students are creating more than consuming. Are they making videos, writing their own code, or creating digital art? You also want to check in to see if they are actively learning. Are they pausing videos to practice a skill or take notes, are they researching a topic they love and learning more to share?
If students are spending excessive time simply watching the latest popular video or playing games other people have made, it might be time to redirect them to another activity or to challenge them to create something.
An additional thought is that we can use media as a tool to model good behavior. In the article "How to Raise a Good Human in a Digital World", Sierra Filucci shares different ways you can use media to reinforce character and positive behavior. Use your own social media platforms like Instagram and Facebook to teach your children about good strategies for interacting online. Discuss social media posts that are positive or that share something beautiful and discuss the risks involved with oversharing or with sharing things that might be negative. Model perseverance and problem solving by playing video games together, or better yet create games together on platforms like ScratchJR, Hopscotch or Bloxels (note: students do not need a board to build the basics, but each school has a board they can use if they need to work with more).
Learning with Technology
Cool Things Happening
Coding Centers
First Lego League
MES students create Virtual Reality
App Smashing to Share Learning
3rd graders in Mrs. Hicks class at WES used Green Screen by DoInk, iMovie, and PicCollage to share important information about Martin Luther King, Jr. Through their work students demonstrated research skills, organization and the use of text features to help clarify their message.
4th graders in Mrs. Schoellman's class at JES shared why they believe their Wax Museum subject is a cultural hero for Kentucky using a variety of apps including: Toontastic 3D, DoInk by Green Screen, Pic Collage, iMovie, Clips and even Bloxels. Students did all of their planning in a digital notebook using PowerPoint. Check out the examples below.
Questions & Contact
~Heidi Neltner
Digital Learning Coach
Email: heidi.neltner@fortthomas.kyschools.us
Twitter: @heidinelt