Sunday, August 23, 2015

The Power of Apps –

My Mantra
mindful reinvention”, “working with what you have”,

nurtures and drives my creativity in the development of activities, lessons that challenge and develop critical thinking. 

When access to classroom technology is limited, utilize the power of your iphone and Apps to expand the classroom experience

The power of the iphone and its relative ease of access by both teachers and students is a valuable tool that can be utilized for the development of activities that help students communicate new learning/understanding..

This post will examine -- How?


iphone +  App = HAppy!


“You See but you do not Observe,” Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
Increasing your power of observation and learning…

Start small…

Pic Stitch at your command! A Free App…
Pictures have an emotional, intellectual impact and tell a story.

Task--
1.     Have students carefully select a pic from their photo roll, image from Instagram, or take a pic with a specific topic/intent determined by the subject being studied.  Teacher must have specific parameters eg. Find an image that evokes scientific curiosity.
2.     Have students combine carefully selected text to explain/elaborate/enhance the pic.

The result—“The Big Picture”. Utilizing the left brain and right brain allows students to create a memorable authentic experiences.

The App is…
  •  Easy to Use
  •  Interactive
  • Engaging

 Students…
  • Experience a variety of learning
  • Consolidate learning
  • Can revisit the app for personal adventures

Other activities can include:

Demonstrating –
Step by Step --An Experiment as illustrated below
Image from the Private Collection and Property of  J. Andreacchi

Brainstorming-
Group Assignment: "Olivia" Books by Ian Falconer
Who is Olivia? 
Create a Mind Map with 4 subtopics to answer the question.
Take a Pic of Topics and find 4 images that represent the subtopics.





Image from the Private Collection and Property of J. Andreacchi 

The Power of Observation

Planting Seeds

* Research—plant profile

* Track Growth using a ruler to measure growth
* Describe what you observe
* Create a timeline indicating details such as sprouting, appearance of leaves etc
* Photograph, assemble images using Pic Stitch

Image From the Private Collection and Property of J. Andreacchi

Tell a story
Assemble three images from your Photo Roll/Instagram to tell a story.

Image From the Private Collection and Property of J. Andreacchi

“Exit Card” -- 
Evaluate teaching, student understanding by having students send an image+text that will demonstrate acquisition of new knowledge and understanding


Environmental Issues/Awareness/Solutions
Image from the Private Collection and Property of J. Andreacchi

HAppy begins with one App.

How access to limited/readily available technology can be used to help students’ process new learning via a memorable authentic experience.

Resourcefully Yours, Julie Andreacchi © 2015

All Rights Reserved 
Photos Property of J. Andreacchi Unless otherwise indicated