My class has had mixed success with Explain Everything. Sometimes it has impeded student engagement. My wondering is why. Unsuccessful uses have usually been in math to explain their thinking. Maybe the technology competed with their thinking; having to think about how to use the technology AND the math? Maybe their accountability decreased their risk-taking? Maybe they simply were not able to articulate their thinking? Maybe accountable talk just looks more productive from a distance and without evidence?
However, our newest success involved using Explain Everything to tell a narrative. What do I attribute to this success? We have been explicitly working with narratives in reading and writing all year. We were inspired by storyteller Dan Yavinsky who visited our school and asked the students to tell a story from their personal life. We immediately returned to class and used our familiar narrative planner; using pictures and/or words to plan. Knowing that completion of their planner allowed them to record on the ipad definitely sped up the planning stage. All students proudly completed their organizer and recorded their personal (or fictitious) story using Explain Everything within 110 minutes. The voice clarity was excellent:)
Next, we are going to create narratives using Sock Puppets or Toontastic. Any suggestions or tips?
No comments:
Post a Comment