iPads in Grade 5 French Immersion

I was very fortunate this fall to receive 5 iPADS to use in my classroom. The greatest learning and exploration has occurred not only for my students but for their teacher as well! We have worked as a team, enjoying new APPS and discovering informative ways to enrich our learning.

Students have learned about new APPS through guided groups. This strategy has worked well and has allowed deeper conversations and learning in a small group setting. Students have been supportive of each other and this setting has also allowed for individual support for students. For some of my students, this was the first time that they had used an iPAD and it was wonderful to see their eyes widen as they discovered this great technology!

I have already observed the influence of having technology in the classroom to support oral communication in a second language. My students have used Explain Everything to describe their art projects. It is evident that students listened to their own voices and were able to assess their pronunciation and correct usage of vocabulary. Not only have the iPADS improved the students’ use of correct vocabulary, the iPADS have also improved confidence and engagement in speaking a second language.

The iPADS have had an influence on not only student engagement in learning but on parent engagement in learning taking place at school. One of my students taught his father how to use Explain Everything at home and his father liked the APP so much he purchased it and will now be using it in his business! Now that’s engagement!