Sometimes classroom technology integration is a byproduct of research, planning, and hard work; other times, it happens unexpectedly
I picked up the new iPod Touch with plans on integrating multimedia lab reports into my
9th grade biology class. The still/video camera on the new Touch is great! There was another application for the touch that I had not considered, however.
On Friday, while reviewing with my Anatomy & Physiology class on the fairly complex topic of muscle stimulation, I drew a diagram on the board to help them remember the process. One of the students commented that it would be nice to have a copy of the diagram to use over the weekend to study with. Normally, I would have to create a digital copy using a drawing program, or take a picture, print them out and give it to the students the next school day. This is when inspiration struck.
I quickly took out my iPod touch, opened my Facebook app, took a picture of the whiteboard and posted it on my wall. I later went back and tagged the students in the picture. This took me literally 15 seconds.
Sometimes technology integration comes as a byproduct of hard work and carefully planning and sometimes it emerges in a flash of inspiration.
I actually do the same thing - except I created a facebook "page" for my 9th grade bio class and I just post the pictures to the page. The kids have all "liked" the page and get the updates in their newsfeed or on their phones. I've found it works pretty well and they usually ask me to post stuff to it.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the comment, Adrianne. What is the policy re: teachers on Facebook in your district? I know that many school/districts have banned teachers from communicating with students via facebook. I like your setup; using pages instead of personal profiles is a better way to communicate with students.
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