Dollar Daze and Thrifty Finds

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

What an adventure! The CSLA Conference proved to be invigorating with many opportunities to network and grow professionally. This year celebrated the 100^th anniversary of the association. Delaine Eastin, Chair of Assembly Education Chair, and a strong advocate of school library program, shared her story of Miss Firth, a Teacher-Librarian, who instilled in her the wonderment of books and learning. A commemorative photo of the membership followed with a champagne toast and cake of course!

As mentioned, in my last post, I had a wonderful opportunity to present:

PostCards From the Edge: Learning and Memories in Small Bites
A Journey into Inquiry: Using Children’s Books to Teach Science Concepts

The focus of the workshops was authentic, experiential learning, creativity, collaboration and critical thinking facilitated by Web 2.0 Tools and Apps.

I am available for workshops. Drop me a note.

Shannon McClintock Miller’s Pre-Conference presentation shared with the audience a “Tool Box of Technology” to help students “collaborate, connect, create.

Below a selection of Tech Tools:

Bring another dimension to student learning.

Assessment:

https://www.plickers.com

Apps + Interactive Templates Critical Thinking/Writing:

http://www.readwritethink.org

Collaborate/Create: Padlet Wall

www.padlet.com

Compare/Contrast: Venn Diagrams

https://infograph.venngage.com/signin

Flyers

https://www.smore.com