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Students created accounts on the class blog site and submitted project proposals using the class dicussion board. I responded to each post with suggestions and comments. This replaced the traditional paper submission approach I normally take and built in a tech component instantly. This encouraged many students to utilize tech in their projects.
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Using whiteboards to have students illustrate their understanding of Protein Synthesis and Codon Translation. The whiteboards turned out to be an amazing success as students could all work simultaneously without fear of making a mistake or ruining the final result. Trial and error proved to be the approach students took instead of wait and see.
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Students were assigned an Evolution Project where they could take any approach to the topic and create a project in any format. Many chose to use the laptops and create tech based projects. Many used Prezzi, PowerPoint, Keynote, while others chose to create videos, a few podcasts and some chose the more traditional poster or essay.
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Students were introduced to 3 free online concept mapping sites and given 2 classes to complete a concept map on Microbiology: Viruses, Bacteria and Protists. This was a summation assignment. The results were remarkable and helped students link some difficult concepts together and put 3 separate groups of organisms into a common evolutionary perspective.
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A set of 15 iPad 2s from the VSB arrived on this date. The laptops were sent back and students now had access to a different technology. This provided an opportunity to compare the effectiveness of iPad vs. Laptop. I wrote a blog post on this seemingly equal face/off. At the end of the day the students found the iPads faster and more fun to work with despite the familiarity with the laptops.
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Example of a student assignment created on the iPad, summarizing Kingdom Fungi. The screenshot is taken from my computer and not from the iPad.
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Throughout February, March and April students continued to use the iPads for access to e-books and other online resources. The iPads were also used for assignments such as presentations, video assignments, taking pictures of dissections and viewing videos from Youtube and the Class Blog.
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Time with iPads completed and they move on to Kingsford-Smith Elementary to encourage any group of students to engage learning through the use of technology.
