It has been a while since I have updated my blog, but the drought is now over! I took a bit of a hiatus after the completion of my first semester of grad school. New classes have since begun. They don't require me to update this blog anymore for class credit, yet I want to have a place where I can record new ideas that I discover throughout my educational journey. In the form of a blog, I always have access to the information but am able to share it with other enlightened educators out there as well. It seems that each day I learn about a different resource, and though I created a Note on my iPhone which includes a list of websites and other technology-related resources I have learned about, it lacks any detail or additional innovative ideas for how the items could be used in classroom instruction.
This week, as I worked on a strategic planning assignment that focuses on blended learning environments, I learned about an app called: ShowMe. With this application, teachers can create digital lessons and share them with students. Essentially, this app allows an iPad to act as an interactive whiteboard, but the lesson is recorded. Students can watch as changes are made on the whiteboard and can hear the audio explaining these changes.
In my experiences teaching mathematics in the elementary classroom, I realized there are multiple algorithms which can be used to solve problems. Yet, often when children take home assignments, their parents only know one strategy for solving and it is not the one we covered at school. This is no fault of their own but rather how many traditional classrooms of old were structured. Being able to record a lesson would be helpful for both students and parents alike. These lessons could also be shared with other teachers who might be looking for a new and innovative way to get students to understand a particular topic or concept. I used to teach lattice multiplication in a way that took students to the beach, so to speak. No, they didn't actually take a field trip to the beach, but when I learned how to do the algorithm myself, the boxes reminded me of beach towels laying across the sand. This strategy of teaching the concept resonated with the students, but it would have been useful for them to be able to review the lesson digitally if they were stuck on how to complete multiplication problems using lattice multiplication while at school or at home. I see a lot of potential for using the ShowMe app in the classroom. There are many instructional videos available through the app that have been created by other teachers as well and that can be downloaded for use. Personally, I think there is more significance if the tutorial is being posted by a child's own teacher.
Another resource that I discovered this week while working, actually, on the same project mentioned above, is a website called Bookshare. It is free for any United States citizens who have qualified print disabilities. Students with any kind of visual impairment automatically qualify, and children with physical or learning abilities that directly affect their use of print materials are also eligible. For students who do not have a print disability, an annual individual membership comes at a cost of fifty dollars with a twenty-five dollar set-up fee. This seems a relatively small price to pay for a student who really struggles in the area of reading but who may not have a qualifying diagnosis to access the resource otherwise. Bookshare books can be listened to aloud with the option of having the words highlighted on the screen as they are read. Fonts can also be enlarged and books can be put into digital or print braille forms. I do not know if there will ever be a reason for me to use or to recommend this resource, but I definitely thought it was worth remembering. In the past I have used TrueFlix, BookFlix, and TumbleBooks - each of which can be accessed for free through many local library systems. They are available to anyone, and provide authentic children's literature read aloud with the text highlighted. This helps to foster a love for books in a non-threatening way, particularly for students who may struggle with reading, and works to build fluency in all students.
That's all for now. Until next time...
