It's great to have the opportunity to just observe in classrooms without being there to instigate, share, model something. I really enjoyed being in Sheenagh's class a couple of weeks ago as the kids all took the opportunity to show me something they had learnt through their classroom links page. I wish i had recorded the conversations they had with me - if kids are modelling to me, instead of the other way around then i know we are moving ahead :-)Today i followed the pods of laptops around the school just to see what's going on. The senior pod was fully booked and used amongst the 4 senior classes during the day - in all classes students were completing action learning inquiry projects on some key questions that had arisen from learning about Children in Africa. Some were still researching & others were using PowerPoint to publish their work.
Year 5 & 6's have 'preferential' access to the
other pod of laptops though this one is not booked out so heavily as the senior pod. Though it is kept in the info-centre and well used there when not in classrooms. In fact if the laptops are there forget about the older library desktops! Marlene was working with an extension group researching famous people, 'The laptops are great - you don't get held back - you just grab a couple and go!'Paul's Y5&6 class showed me how they have been using the laptops to create cartoons (PowerPoint animations) The kids first had to come up with a storyboard that had at least two key story features (i guess that means a plot) they then had to 'sell their story' to two other classmates before they went into production & then they created the story together. Paul's learning intentions were technology based (ie using drawtools & PowerPoint to create an animation) & also cooperative learning. Next steps - curricular alignment - language would fit in well here.
Love these laptops! Thanks Kelvin for making it happen :-)
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