What a semester this has been! I cannot remember a time in my life where I have been this busy, stressed, tired, and happy all at the same time. I have had to push myself in many different areas, and technology was one of them. I went into this new year with a very small amount knowledge, and while my knowledge isn't very large, I no longer feel like I live in a cave. I was forced to use Voice Thread this semester, and the majority of the time I found it to be nothing but an enormous pain, it ended up being useful. My students found Voice Thread to be entertaining and enjoyed getting to be on the computer.
What worked well?
Overall, I found that my lesson went well and the technology was as cooperative as possible. I am very pleased that the students were learning the material and I was able to add in Voice Thread in a way that enhanced their learning. I think my favorite part of Voice Thread is the doodle tool. I love that the children are able to practice their handwriting and it is more interactive than just the typing .Typing takes a long time for them, while the writing is a bit quicker for them. It is less frustrating for them and for me.
What would I do different next time?
I would have had more computers up and working that way they wouldn't have had to wait so long to work on it.
There is still much for me to learn, but I am sure some of you could help me out!
What would you need to do to make sure that you could have more than one computer working on the same Voice Thread?
This is a great tool for visual and auditory learners. What might be a way to engage the tactile learners better?
I think that Voice Thread is a good tool to do a lesson with, but would it be an appropriate way to take an assessment?
I went and checked out some other people's blogs. You should go check them out!
Jena Mooney Carey Brysch Megan Evans
Great Voicethread! Loved the mnemonics! I'll have to remeber that one. ; ) I'm with you, I don't know how I'd get more kids on the computer. They were all ansy to do their part and made classroom management difficult, but they sure did love doodling!
ReplyDeleteGreat job, Carrie! I think that it'd be easiest for a VoiceThread lesson to be done in a computer lab. My classroom only has 3 computers, but they are only to be used for AR reading tests, so this was a difficult task for me, but it's been accomplished! I think this is a great way to take an assessment. Not a formal assessment, but an informal assessment.
ReplyDeleteGreat mnemonic to help remember the planets. To answer your question on modifying this lesson to include tactile learners, I would have models of the planets and have the students take each model and place it in the correct order in relation to the sun. You could video their hands as they are placing the models in the correct order.
ReplyDeleteLove love love love this! Using a mnemonic to help remember the planets is a great idea! It can be used for anything to help kids remember things. As for an assessment, It could work just to see where they are. Allow most to all of your students to participate even if you do not publish their work! Give them a chance to use voicethread when assessing each student. Great job!
ReplyDeleteWonderful VoiceThread!! It looks like it was a fun lesson and the kids were engaged. I don't think many of us had enough time or resources to involve all students but my whole class was so excited to see what their peers were doing. I think it would be fun if everyone could contribute.
ReplyDeleteYou had a great Bloom's/MI chart. I didn't see your higher level thinking questions in your VoiceThread, however. Those questions would have used the power of the VoiceThread tool. As you have used it, it is an informal assessment tool, but not a HOTS tool.
ReplyDeleteYou did complete all the technology components well! You have shown great progress and skill development!