The Year End

Wow! I can't believe that the year is almost over. It has been a roller-coaster ride to say the least. All 64 of our students were issued an iPod Touch and we also had 16 ASUS mini-computers for the students to use. Having one-to-one mobile devices allowed each student the ability to access the Internet at any time (barring any Internet connection problems) to search for information. It allowed them the opportunity to listen to some Podcasts that were down-loaded and some of our students conducted some of the simple experiments for kids at home. I found several video-podcasts for them to watch that walked them through some of the experiments. I do think that the students learning was impacted in a number of ways. Students began to learn about many of the features in Google Apps, as well as appropriate ways to respond to blogs and share information. Our students created a number of projects using the technology, such as, Flipcharts, Slide shows, trading cards, advertisements, as well as taking on-line quizzes, Students were also able to hone skills learned in class as they practiced flashcards and a variety of Apps that help them better understand theory of continental drift, metric conversions, and even stay organized through posting reminders, assignments and agendas in Awesome Notes. It was also fun playing the on-line word game "Words with Friends" with my students (a great way to build vocabulary skills). This year was an exceptionally busy year for both the students and us. Some things we already knew and others we learned with the students as we progressed through the year.

I am already looking forward to next fall. Our experiences this year have taught me some of the things that worked and some that didn't. Now that I am more familiar with using the minis and many of the apps, I will be much better prepared. I felt behind much of the time, so I am starting early this summer and will begin creating some podcasts to go with each of the units. I am also going to work on developing additional project-based and problem-based learning activities for Science units. Janet and I are planning on working together this summer to develop some more integrated math and science units.

Our team feels blessed to have had this experience. It was a lot of work and frustrating at times, but having the opportunity to see how much technology can enhance student learning was truly a learning experience for me. Thanks, Spring Branch ISD for awarding us the funding to see our vision in actions!