E-book successes from the classroom
By Joanna
As a teacher, I have enjoyed using technology in my classroom whenever possible, and this includes e-book technology.
I try to make it an organic part of learning—we’re not using computers just for the sake of using them; rather, we’re using them to actually do something, for a specific reason. When I plan technology units, I always try to integrate them with what the children are learning in their other subjects.
Awesome Animals
For example, I recently did an Awesome Animals unit with my Grade 1 class to tie into a science unit they were already doing. We used Google Images to find pictures of animals for their research project, used Kid Pix (screenshot from vendor) to write about the animals and illustrate our stories, and used a National Geographic Web site to learn more about different animals and make silly pictures with them.
And does the e-book have a place in my digital arsenal? Absolutely! While some of the ideas I outline below might not be the conventional “download a file and read it” type of e-book you might be used to, they are ways of working with text and language that have helped my students learn. Here are two case studies showing what I mean.
Case #1: Promoting language fluency
My primary role in the school is as its French teacher, so using computers to develop literacy and language skills is a high priority of mine. The curriculum I use is called A.I.M. (Accelerated Integrated Method) and it uses drama and stories to teach language. Stories place vocabulary into a context for children that helps then retain and learn new vocabulary. Gestures, music, video and puppets enhance the experience, but at its heart, AIM is about the stories, and I have found this program to be easily enhanced by e-technology.
I try and avoid direct translation when I teach new vocabulary to students. The gesture method used in A.I.M. is a big help, but some words are a better fit than others for this technique. I can open my hands to show the students the gesture for ‘open’ and they get it, but how about animal words like the pig, sheep and horse which feature in my Grade 1 story, La Petite Poule Rouge?
My solution has been to present the story in Powerpoint, one line of text per page. It’s easier, especially for younger children, to deal with text in smaller chunks like this, and I can augment the actual words with images. I can also draw on the slides to make sure my point gets across—I’ve used arrows, for example, to ensure that students link the picture to the actual, printed word it represents.
The results have been amazing. My Grade 2 students can fluently read every word in the story. I have assessed them using both electronic and standard paper flash cards, and no matter how you mix up the words, they can pick out the one you ask them for, and they can match English to French with confidence. The “triple threat” of hearing the word, seeing it printed and seeing it reinforced with a picture has made students who are still beginning to read in their native language capable readers in their second language too!
I suppose the downside for me is that they are spoiled now, and when I bring in a new activity without the Powerpoint, they indignantly demand where is the movie. So, that’s more prep for me—I dare not show up without an e-version now! These discriminating little learners know what works for them.
Case #2: Extending and enriching children at different levels
In one of my classes, I have a very unusual situation. This small five-student class consists of students at three different grade levels who have very different social and learning challenges. Several of the children do not get along and are unable to work together. Two of them need to be constantly occupied, or they misbehave. One of them is older than the other children and works at a much higher level than the others.
In a situation like this, it is necessary to split the children into different groups and work with them separately. The challenge is always, ‘What is group B doing while I work with group A?” One has to come up with activities that will hold the children’s interest, be educational and enhance their learning, and be self-directed enough that the children can do it with little to no supervision while the teacher is occupied with the other kids.
I’ve pulled out every e-tool I own for this one, and after a rocky start to the year, I am finally seeing progress with this group. Some of what we do on their independent days:
- They use a program on the Nintendo DS called “My French Coach” which has vocabulary-based activities to expand their word base and refine their reading skills. Among the activities in this game, they must choose an appropriate word to complete a sentence, match a given French word to its English translation and find as many words as they can in a word search grid during the allotted time.
- I’ve loaded up on iPod with French music, audio recordings of some of the stories we’ve read, French learning podcasts and short videos. Right now, the students are especially enjoying “karaoke” versions of some of our songs: the words flash on the screen and they can sing along with them. I also have them reading their drama scripts while they listen to recorded versions. Many of them need help with pronunciation, so having a tool where they can hear and see the word together has been a big help.
- I created a website for the kids with links to on-line texts they can read, podcasts and music videos they can listen to and games which will help them refine their vocabulary. They can happily spend a classroom period clicking away at all of the different choices!
For next term, I am looking into setting up my old Palm m125 for their use. They can read electronic versions of the stories we have learned, and perhaps play flashcard-based learning games.
One you get a text into the computer, there is so much you can do with it! I hope other teachers will comment and share some of the ways they have, or might, use e-stuff in the classroom.
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