Learning About Butterflies, Pumpkins and Bats with Technology

Wow, it is hard to believe that it is already the end of October. Where did September go? Being busy learning about life cycle with technology has been at the top of our list in my classroom. We have been using chromebooks, ipads, QR codes, Discovery Education, Blendspace and nonfiction text to increase our knowledge. Students have worked really hard to use their technologically skills to research about the life cycles of butterflies, pumpkins and bats.

Students enjoy using chromebooks with Google Classroom with a Blendspace lesson. Using Blendspace has been a great way to add STEM activities. Here is a picture of students fully engaged in STEM learning.

Here you will see them working and sharing their excitement about seeing a butterfly coming out of its chrysalis. Seeing the butterflies in action taught the students more than just seeing an image in a text. 

Students would learn songs about the life cycle of a butterfly to learn each stage. Then they applied their new understanding to create an Appsmashing activity with Piccollage and Popplet with Chatterpix to tell about the life cycle stages.

Students loved using their new findings to create using ipads. We love using Appsmashing techniques to show what we learned.

Students also work with STEM in Technology Stations. This is a time that students can focus in on one area of content that we are working on. Students use technology to acquire new information that can then be applied in their writing. Students also record their new information in a class blog post.

Below you will see that students still love to use post-it notes to record their new learning. Here is a picture of their information on our classroom bat.

We discussed the new finding with a class discussion with their work buddy. Students learn from each other by sharing their new understanding as a class. We talk to our buddy and share out to class what their buddy learned. 

Come back soon and see more of how we use technology in our classroom.

Gettin' Techie

We have begun our new school year with a great start. I was lucky this summer to win 5 Chromebooks for my classroom to go along with my 12 ipads. My new group of students this year are learning how to use the ipads and the Chromebooks. We have been using many apps in our App-smashing activities.

This past week we used one of the Chromebook carts that we have at our school. You will see in the image below that my students are fully engaged in learning about plants. They are using a lesson that I created on Blendspace. 

Chromebooks

 

Blendspace is a great way to enhance learning with technology and Science. My students are guided through several activities, video segments or images that give them information about plants.

Students using Chromebooks

Students had to complete all activities in Blendspace then login to Discovery Education and create a board about the parts of plants. They may included images, video segments and text boxes.

The students really enjoyed getting to use the Chromebooks along with Blendspace to learn about Plants.

If you have never heard about Blendspace, then I recommend that you must try it out for yourself. Wishing you success this school year with your students.