Tikatook and Big Universe were very interesting. Again, I am faced with the same dilemma about how appropriate it would be to use technology that wasn't present during a particular time period a project might be devoted to. I honestly don't know how much that truly matters if the kids are completely engaged in what they are doing. However, it is already so difficult to try to get them to imagine how things were before all of our present day technology. That being said, I don't know if having them draw a picture with colored pencils conveys the message any clearer than having them create the scene digitally. Clearly, I am ready to be convinced that it is worth it! And, again, I like that each child would have their own copy. I do wish there was a way to create an audience to view these outside of our classroom. Just knowing that a few people in this class read what I write changes the way I approach it. It makes me strive for a higher standard of quality. After all, I don't want to look like a fool in front of my colleagues and friends!
The ReadWriteThink tool would be fun for dialouge or even to create a story map before writing. It didn't have a very wide variety of images to use, and there was very little to offer in terms of controlling the view of them. But I think that makes it more valuable in a way. The focus can remain on the writing skill as opposed to the design.
The other tools all looked fantastic. I think they could be used in a variety of ways from writing instruction to an assessment tool. Having the kids create a comic to reflect a scenario or event from a particular time period makes them tranfer their knowledge in a different way than it was presented to them. That would make me feel more comfortable about assessing how much they actually got out of the unit.
I look forward to using these!
Whew
13 years ago
Good job of summarizing the tools and the dilema. These are valid questions but my question to you is, if we were still using quills and a ball point pen came out, would you make you students use it because that was how they wrote in that historic period? Are the ways we do something more important than doing something that is engaging? Would you insist your kids use only printed Kodak or Poloroid photos because they were of that vintage or filmstrips or anything else. Kids can't learn unless they are engaged! And being there is better than reading, writing or anything else. It's not the tool, it's the learning.
ReplyDeleteRight on, Sandy! Well-said!
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