Our 3rd grade students spent this afternoon reviewing for tomorrow’s math TAKS test, but not by taking practice tests on paper. Instead, they were utilizing a program that came with their textbooks called “QuizShow” in conjunction with Smartboards to test their knowledge. This great idea by their teachers proved to be a fun and effective way to prepare for their exam…you could hear students cheering for their teammates down the hallway!
In addition to helping our students find books in the library, our librarian Ms. Dalton instructs classes on how to access an array of online resources for reseach. In the picture, you can see Ms. Dalton utilizling an interactive whiteboard (a.k.a. Smartboard) to test some kindergartners knowledge of animals that they recently researched.
Graphing is a critical skill that students start learning in Kindergarten, and continue to work on throughout their education. Our first grade students now only have the opportunity create their own polling questions to create their own custom graphs, but also learn how spreadsheet programs like Microsoft Excel can help them automatically generate graphs with their results. This student from Ms. Shepherd’s first grade class surveyed the students in his class to find out which bear was their favorite.
Digital imaging systems are very useful when you want to display something on a screen for a large audience. Document cameras are starting to replace overhead projectors in schools, as they can show any item on a projector or TV without the need to make that item into a transparency. Digital microscopes, like the one pictured, are capable of displaying microscopic images onto screens for all to see, so that every student doesn’t need to have their own microscope or take turns looking into one device. These fourth grade students have invited an expert in to talk to them about photosynthesis. 
Before the Internet was invented we used to have rely on books and other printed materials to find information. But what do must of us do now when we want to find something out quickly? We Google it! In order for today’s students to hone their own skills using the Internet, they need exposure to online research (in a safe-search environment) and instruction and practice on how to effectively sift through all of the sites that are in cyberspace to find what they are looking for. Webquests are a great way to create a lesson that gives them that exposure. “A WebQuest is an inquiry-oriented lesson format in which most or all the information that learners work with comes from the web.” These 4th grade students from Ms. Gray’s and Ms. Barrett’s classes are participating in a webquest to find out about metamorphosis.
Along with the bound copies of the RRISD adopted math books, teachers and students now have access to that same material and much more online. All students (and/or parents) have to do is go to the Fern Bluff homepage, and under “Student Resources” select “Pearson/Envision” [their username and password are provided by their teacher]. Besides the exact same content as the textbook, the online version also has a premium section that teachers can assign that walks students through concepts with guided pratice and follow-up assessments. In addition, students also have access to virtual manipulatives in both the standard and premium sections to help them out. In the picture is a student from Ms. Barrett’s 4th grade class learning about capacity/measurement.
These second grade students in Ms. Sweet’s class are customizing and publishing their poems using Microsoft Word. While this may seem like a simple use of technology integration, it requires our younger students to learn and exercise many basic, yet critical, technological skills. Just to personalize and publish a poem, these students must know how to: log-on to a computer, choose the appropriate application, enter text, edit/format text (font type, color, and size), print, save to their network folder and be able to retrieve a file from that folder. All of these are required in the technology section of the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills or TEKS for grades K – 2 as stepping stones to more advanced technologic applications.
Student Response Devices are hand-held electronic polling devices that not only give teachers instant feedback on their students’ levels of understanding, but in a fashion that engages the students and excites them about finding out their own levels of readiness. In a traditional classroom environment a teacher has two options (more or less) for finding out their students’ levels of understanding: 1) Choosing one student to answer a question verbally (which gives instant feedback, but only tests that one student), or 2) Giving the students a test/quiz on paper (which evaluates every student on every question, but the students and teacher do not know how they did until they have been graded. With the Student Response Devices, each student has a unit on which they key in their answers, and receive immediate (anonymous) feedback on each question. Teachers can also print out reports at the end of a session to find out exactly how each student performed. The best part is that our students are genuinely excited about the opportunity to test their knowledge in an interactive and innovative mode. If you don’t believe me, just ask these students from Ms. Templeton’s third grade class!
Blogs are great tools for educators to utilize, as they can be used to facilitate communication between teachers and students, teachers and parents, and even students and other students. Blogging is another example of meeting students in their digital worlds, utilizing the technological skills they are already using in their personal lives, and also allowing them to continue dialogue about learning outside of the classroom. Second grade teacher Mr. Clint Tidwell, has one blog on his website that provides information more effectively to his parents, and allows them to post comments and questions. He has also setup a blog section for his students called the “Camp Fire Connection” where students can gather around the virtual campsite and share their ideas.
Ms. Yvonne Sanchez (Special Ed.) and Mr. Kania are working with the special education department to implement iPods into the classroom. iPods are a fantastic way to get students excited about learning as they take learning into the digital realm that today’s youth live in, and away from the more tradition lecture environment. Unlike instruction that takes place in the classroom and ends when the students leave the building, iPods can be utilized to provide on-demand learning at anytime, anywhere. Currently the iPods are helping selected students improve their reading skills, and are engaging them in the joy of reading, which previously often frustrated them. We are also in the process of developing our own custom podcasts and vodcasts, so that students can continue to practice the skills that they are learning in the classroom on their own during non-school hours.
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