Week 3- rollout 1:1ipads- interactive notebooks

Week 1- experiment

Week 2- establish workflow

Week 3-create

 The transition to a 1:1 digital classroom has become a means for lessons designed around common goals and outcomes set by both students and teachers. Cram cards are a strategy for organization and are just one example of a classroom practice that digital technology can't replace. Students requested an opportunity to create a cram card for the midterms so I saved the remnants of some; it fascinates me to look at the details and differences all have with one goal in common.  Each card above is an individual work, not copied, not shared representing the needs and abilities of each learner.  By responding to student requests for cram cards I saw how effort and review help assuage exam anxieties.  

Student evaluation does not necessarily have to happen only in a digital classroom.  But an evaluation application that yields instant compilation of answers makes response immediate and therefore infinitely of greater value. Student surveys yielded requests for CLOZE activities and word bank study guides. iPads and Notability allow me to set these up as a folder and as an interactive notebook. Students can refer to their gathered research in order to compare and contrast or critique or synthesize their knowledge (address standards of the Common Core). 

Mid term results confirmed that students were confused about how governments develop over time. Starting the new semester with this area of content allowed me to take one step backwards address misconstrued ideas about the rise of parliament in Stuart England. I balanced teaching content that I deemed important with content that they could choose to invest interest in.  Wondering aloud about models of leadership and legacy helped students develop perspectives of Absolute rule as compared to current media views of heads of state.  One thing that the internet is abundant in is perspective.

With student "buy in" and input acknowledged I could turn attentions to creation applications.  new iPad applications that synthesize their findings in a creative way.  And they express their analysis through the design of playing cards, baseball cards. A manipulated image on the front and stats on the back. They copy and paste an image but use applications to manipulate and change the image. First, it's a lesson in copyright violations. We can't copy anything and call it our own. To change the image I introduced the simple screen capture technique of holding down the power button and the home button at the same time. Then editing, cropping etc can be done from the camera.  Most students are familiar with Picollage but hadn't considered using Sketchpad, drawing tools in Notabilty and Pages.  I showed them a simple example of a drawing I had made in Sketchpad. 10 minutes 

For obvious reason's my lack of artistic ability inspired them.

 My husband, the visionary school leader behind the rollout, confirmed  that giving students choices for applications and time to experiment is why students are happy and therefore, working quickly. When each card is complete it will be added to their Notability subject folder and they will have a great example of an interactive notebook that is organized, colorful and creative. Some students did create fantastic works on paper which will be great for the hall display. I plan on adding QR codes to the hall for access to the digital works as well. Already students are discussing how they will create a similar interactive notebooks for their independent self studies