Skeptical on what kindergarteners can do on iPads beyond apps?
Don't be! Kinders can TOTALLY do more on iPads than we can imagine. I mean, my attitude has completely changed over the course of this year, and I am sure I will continue to be surprised!
When I started teaching with two iPads last year, they were a way for me to reach students who were A) disengaged, B) bored, or C) in need of an extrinsic motivator.
Now, I can use each child's iPad to differentiate to ability level, in addition to using apps. Through the app Showbie, I can provide differentiated instruction, while using iPads. Don't tell my kids, but I am tricking them into learning by making it fun AND relevant.
I have already posted on Showbie here and here if you are interested - but this week I wanted to talk about how we are actually using it in the classroom.
One of which is during Read to Self. Oh. em. gee. Read to Self was a little painful for those non-readers for a bit. Enter the iPad... and not so much anymore! After my littles spend 5 minutes practicing their book in Read to Self, I let them take out their iPad and record a video of themselves reading. And BAM, reading is fun again.
After they record, my littles upload to Showbie so that I can see what they did, I have a record of what they are reading, and I can provide differentiation based on their comprehension, fluency, etc.
Here is a PERFECT example - a child who is very shy and talks little to adults in class. And look at all these uploads!
It is also absolutely hilarious to see what is going on in the background and the conversations I am having with other students. Want a good laugh? Subscribe to my Showbie account, I wish you could. Hilarious. But then again, you know that because you also teach primary - I am assuming. :o)
Anyways, I digress.
One of which is during Read to Self. Oh. em. gee. Read to Self was a little painful for those non-readers for a bit. Enter the iPad... and not so much anymore! After my littles spend 5 minutes practicing their book in Read to Self, I let them take out their iPad and record a video of themselves reading. And BAM, reading is fun again.
After they record, my littles upload to Showbie so that I can see what they did, I have a record of what they are reading, and I can provide differentiation based on their comprehension, fluency, etc.
Here is a PERFECT example - a child who is very shy and talks little to adults in class. And look at all these uploads!
It is also absolutely hilarious to see what is going on in the background and the conversations I am having with other students. Want a good laugh? Subscribe to my Showbie account, I wish you could. Hilarious. But then again, you know that because you also teach primary - I am assuming. :o)
Anyways, I digress.
Another great daily Showbie routine is morning calendar. Each morning, the kids have a choice to do either the calendar app, or their Showbie calendar. Credit goes completely to our bilingual teacher, Lily, here for coming up with this idea.
In Showbie, there are three pages which the kids can use to tell us the date, day, number of the day, weather, sight word, etc. I usually then project one of my lil volunteers on the SmartBoard to keep engagement high.
Next post I will give out some more Showbie ideas and maybe talk about parental involvement? We shall see, there is just SO MUCH you can do!
Thanks for stopping by, leave me a comment or two!
Thanks for stopping by, leave me a comment or two!
This is AWESOME!! How neat! We are going 1:1 K-2 in our entire district this year. I am going to be sharing this with our staff next week!
ReplyDeleteHi Donna!
ReplyDeleteWhat an exciting year for you guys as you transition 1:1! I love it. There's a lot of work involved but you can do so much with the technology when you have it!
I also read your two other comments and was trying to reply on my phone but my fat fingers hit delete instead of comment! I'd love to chat more with you and feel HORRIBLE! I'm so sorry. Please either comment again or email me at hiphoorayink@gmail.com
Thanks!!
I am so excited to try Showbie!! Can you tell me what other calendar app you use?
ReplyDeleteHi Nicole!
DeleteThose are actually PDFs that my teammate made that we then uploaded to use on Showbie. We also use the What's Today app for daily calendar practice! I LOVE Showbie, hope you do too! :o)
Kirstin
Hi Kristin,
ReplyDeleteI really liked reading about the app you use with your kindergarten students. I often have my students record their reading using a voice recorder but video recording is such a great idea and then uploading it to Showbie! I will have to check out that app! I always like to see how other kindergarten teachers use devices in their classroom. It must take a great deal of front work to get them to independently use their devices. Do you use small group instruction when teaching the children a new app? Do you have help in your room when you use technology for projects? Thank you for any tips!
Sue
Hi Susan!
DeleteThanks, my kiddos do love seeing themselves as they record. Uploading the video to Showbie helps me give feedback and helps them create a portfolio of work.
It does take a lot of front loading to make sure my kiddos are technology literate (read more here: http://bit.ly/2gyHccK
I usually do the inital introduction whole grpup so that the students can modle for each other how they are using the app/teaching point and problem solve with each other. Then, I will release the kids to practice the new skill independently while I keep a small group of students who need further practice before they are ready to try independently. There is no other help in my room, just me! :o)
I would read my post on technology literacy that I linked above, because that really gives us a strong foundation and makes everything easier!
Thanks for reading!