“It's about engaging students with technology and using technology as a tool to teach.”
In order to consolidate our class' understanding of x-y planes and provide genuine learning experiences, we played co-ordinate plane battleship via Skype with Mrs. Durnin's grade 8 class. As an icebreaker each class asked and answered 10 questions from their counterparts more than 600 km away. What was immediately evident was the common experiences and concerns the students shared including high school, dress code and sports. There was also a some friendly competition as student cheered hits and enjoyed calling out,"You sank my battleship". While my class was excited by the opportunity to video conference with another class, they were also intimidated with the prospect of having their image full sized on another class' Smartboard. I believe it was an educational experience both for the students and myself, and have no question that Skype will be a tool I use to help students gain a greater appreciation and perspective of the world they live in. What do you think are the benefits of Skype in the class? How does technology improve learning?
In order to consolidate our class' understanding of x-y planes and provide genuine learning experiences, we played co-ordinate plane battleship via Skype with Mrs. Durnin's grade 8 class. As an icebreaker each class asked and answered 10 questions from their counterparts more than 600 km away. What was immediately evident was the common experiences and concerns the students shared including high school, dress code and sports. There was also a some friendly competition as student cheered hits and enjoyed calling out,"You sank my battleship". While my class was excited by the opportunity to video conference with another class, they were also intimidated with the prospect of having their image full sized on another class' Smartboard. I believe it was an educational experience both for the students and myself, and have no question that Skype will be a tool I use to help students gain a greater appreciation and perspective of the world they live in. What do you think are the benefits of Skype in the class? How does technology improve learning?