End of the Year Projects
Fran Mauney
By nature, the month of May is an exciting time for students, teachers, and administrators. It is a time to review the standards one last time, a time to analyze portfolios for signs of growth, and it is a time to reflect upon one’s own personal and professional experiences. In many schools, students have been creating End of the Year Projects that they will cherish for years to come. 5th grade students at Grove Elementary were able to create videos for the 4th grade class sharing tips about “How to Survive 5th Grade”. Students also made a “5th Grade Memories” video, “The Best Thing About 5th Grade” video, and “Diary of a 5th Grade Student” video for online sharing. Students were able to write their own scripts and practice public speaking skills by using the Flip Video Camera to record their ideas. Their videos are now posted on TeacherTube so they can share their ideas with others from all over the world!
Students at Armstrong Elementary have enjoyed reading Junie B. Jones books and The Magic Treehouse Books as they listened to the stories using MP3 Players and the Overdrive Console program. Students (and teachers) from Greenville County have free access to an online library at greenville.lib.overdrive.com. *Check with your media specialist to see how to download the software needed to listen to books using your interactive board, laptop computer or MP3 player.
The second graders at Armstrong were thrilled to be able to listen to an entire book as they followed along with their own copy of the book. They reported that “it really felt good to finish a whole book in one day.” They also stated that it “helped them with comprehension and vocabulary” as they listened and followed along in their books.
Students at Monaview Elementary have been reviewing standards using the Activexpressions and Activotes. They have presented their knowledge about the Civil War, Capacity, analog clocks, Fairy Tales and money using Promethean Board software and the student response systems. The level of excitement in the classes is sky high. The students can’t wait for their turn to use these devices. Several students stated that using the Activexpressions was the best thing that happened to them all year.
The reason that these students (over 600) have been able to engage, collaborate, problem solve and think imaginatively is because teachers have asked an experienced teacher, who specializes in technology projects, to come into their classrooms and model how to incorporate digital learning into their grade level standards. Teachers opened up their classrooms so they could see MP3 players used effectively, Promethean lessons that are interactive, Activexpressions and Activotes used for formative assessment, and Flip videos used for recording stories. Teachers, like their students, were willing to take the risk, dive in and learn a new set of skills and collaborate with an expert to make learning for the students the best it can be.
Teachers are hungry for help and are willing to try new technology if they can see it in action first. Colleges and universities can hardly keep up with the technology our schools are using, that is why it is imperative that we seek teachers who are willing to model lessons, that we attend conferences with the most up to date research, take risks and use the technology that motivates students to learn.
Enjoy the rest of May and dive into a technology filled summer!
