More than six inches of rain fell in Ashland over the past seven days! While outside may have been wet and gloomy, HCES and JGES students have been excited to learn with technology.
iPads and Writing
Kindergarten students are learning iPad basics during small group rotations. In addition to practicing how to properly hold and turn on an iPad, students are learning how to use the home button and to search for an app. Students are using the app "Chalk Draw" to practice writing their names and alphabet.
A student practices writing her name
First grade students have been building their number sense by exploring number combinations. For example 4 can be made by combining 0 and 4, 1 and 3, 2 and 2, etc. Using counters or cubes, students represented different combinations for a particular number. With the help of the app "Pic Collage", students documented their representations.
A PicCollage Example: Number combinations for 8
Students making their representations and creating photo collages
Since students were already familiar with the app ChatterKid, some completed an "App Smash" that allowed them to verbalize what combinations they discovered. Collages they created in PicCollage were used as the picture in ChatterKid. Students then recorded themselves listing the number combinations that were displayed in their representations.
A student communicates the number combinations modeled with counters
Sharing What We Learned
One class of first grade students learned how to use the app ChatterKid this week. After a short introduction to the app, they then shared what they learned about a specific US symbol. Students used a drawing and made it "talk" with facts they learned during reading groups.
A student works to create a Washington Monument ChatterKid
Fifth graders across Hanover County engage in a series of nine Digital Citizenship lessons throughout the course of the school year. This week I began the series with the introductory "Acceptable Use Policy" lesson. We focused on how our actions can impact our friends, family, and larger community.
The goal of this Digital Citizenship course is to help students become "Digital Citizens". This means helping students fully engage in modern advancements like apps, games, social media, cloud computing, and smart devices all while maintaining safe, responsible, and respectful behaviors. In addition, when you become a digital citizen, you will know how to use technology critically and pro-actively to contribute to society. Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digital_citizen
The Digital Citizen course sounds wonderful! Thanks for teaching the kids how to be safe and responsible on the internet!
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