Yes! It CAN be done!! Mrs. Harrison and Mrs. Stancil’s classes geocached for the four seasons, and had a blast! Here are a few really adorable pictures of the event:
Fourth Graders Skype with Kansas Students
The best way to learn about a different place is to visit it, but often field trips aren’t possible. The second best way to learn about a place is to talk to an expert–someone who lives there. Fourth graders in Mrs. Barger’s Class at Glenvar Elementary had the opportunity to do just that as they read the book, Sarah Plain and Tall by Patricia MacLachlin.
http://photopeach.com/public/swf/story.swf
To learn more about the setting of the book (a prairie), they talked with other students in Kansas who live near the Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve in the United States. They used a program called Skype, a free video conferencing tool, and were able to see and talk with students at Turning Point Learning Center in Emporia, Kansas. Students prepared questions to ask the students ahead of time, and were able to ask those questions virtually. They were able to see the class in Kansas, and showed pictures and artifacts from our mountainous area. Students from Kansas shared pictures of the prairie they took for the class on a recent field trip. Students had a blast, and learned all sorts of facts about Kansas.
If this kind of project sparks your interest, let me know. We can skype about all sorts of topics!
Need a Class?
The Virginia Western Classes for the spring are now posted online. I’ve had a lot of requests for a list of what’s being offered, so here it is:
VWCC Technology Classes for Spring 2010
There are tons of choices!! Hope you find something interesting. 🙂
Sending Oliver K. (Geobug) on his way
Our 2nd grade students ihave been reading the book, The Journey of Oliver K. Woodman by Darcy Pattison. It’s a story about a wooden man, Oliver K. Woodman, that is sent from an Uncle in Rock Hill, SC to his niece in Redcrest, CA. Oliver moves from place to place in the book through the kindness of strangers who pick him and and help him travel all the way across the United States.
After reading the book, following his travels on google earth, and learning about communities we decided it would be fun for the students to send their own Oliver on a journey. Since students have also been learning about geocaching, we decided to tie the two things together and create a traveling Oliver K. Woodman geobug. We planted him at a local tourist spot, and hope to map him as he makes his way across the United States to Redcrest, CA. Just like in the book, we are counting on the kindness of strangers to move him from one geocache to another. If you run across him, please help us by moving him along. The students would also love to see pictures of his travels!
As he moves, the classes will use their mapping skills to follow him, and hopefully learn a little of geography. We’ll also be interested in what types of communities he move through (urban, suburban, or rural).
You can learn more about this project on our wiki: http://oliverkwoodman.wikispaces.com.
2nd Grade Batty Facts Voicethread
Mrs. Vest’s class create a Voicethread on Batty Facts to go with their lesson on facts and opinions. Creating voicethreads on a specific topic gives students a chance to write, practicing reading, and listen back to information, which helps them learn and remember it better. They are also a great way to practice fluency and oral speaking skills. Students are always amazed the first time they hear themselves read, and I always give them the option to redo their reading if they don’t like it. It’s neat to see how quickly their reading changes when they can hear themselves! Take a look at their project (and feel free to leave them some comments).
http://voicethread.com/book.swf?b=698489
Teaching with Technology 