Student-led Sharing Through Interactive Whiteboard Apps
Part of the AP Spanish Language Exam involves students being able to compare and contrast their own culture with that of a Spanish-speaking culture. In order to help prepare students for this task and this test, Mrs. Laura Shepin, created an assignment for the students that I was fortunate enough to observe in action last week.
As part of class, students often discuss various aspects of Spanish-language culture, including celebrations. For this particular assignment, the students were asked to think about a celebration that is important to their family and then use the free app, Educreations, to illustrate their celebration. The students used images and the writing tool to create visual elements while using the recording tool to create audio, in Spanish, about their families' celebrations.
When students finished their projects, they were able to share with both Mrs. Shepin (via email) and their peers. In class the following day, the students split into small groups and shared their mini-lessons about their family with each other. As a result students began to have organic conversations, in Spanish, about their families and their important celebrations.
This activity was a success and a great lead-in for future conversations (and writing samples) that directly connect to the AP Spanish Language and Culture goals. It was also a great way for students to connect with one another on a personal level and offer their own knowledge in a comfortable environment.
After observing this lesson, I had a chance to reflect with my Honors Spanish 4 PLT member, Mrs. Kelly Tobecksen. She pointed out that using an app like Educreations was great for any kind of student-led teaching (or reteaching) and sharing. This could even be used in small group settings when each group is in charge of making an educational video to teach the class about a topic.
Here are a few examples we discussed (keep in mind we're Spanish teachers):
Mrs. Shepin discussing the project with her students
As part of class, students often discuss various aspects of Spanish-language culture, including celebrations. For this particular assignment, the students were asked to think about a celebration that is important to their family and then use the free app, Educreations, to illustrate their celebration. The students used images and the writing tool to create visual elements while using the recording tool to create audio, in Spanish, about their families' celebrations.
Students watching each other's videos
When students finished their projects, they were able to share with both Mrs. Shepin (via email) and their peers. In class the following day, the students split into small groups and shared their mini-lessons about their family with each other. As a result students began to have organic conversations, in Spanish, about their families and their important celebrations.
Students discussing topics from their videos
This activity was a success and a great lead-in for future conversations (and writing samples) that directly connect to the AP Spanish Language and Culture goals. It was also a great way for students to connect with one another on a personal level and offer their own knowledge in a comfortable environment.
After observing this lesson, I had a chance to reflect with my Honors Spanish 4 PLT member, Mrs. Kelly Tobecksen. She pointed out that using an app like Educreations was great for any kind of student-led teaching (or reteaching) and sharing. This could even be used in small group settings when each group is in charge of making an educational video to teach the class about a topic.
Here are a few examples we discussed (keep in mind we're Spanish teachers):
- a student in Biology could have a picture of a cell and describe the different parts
- a music student could demonstrate knowledge of how to read sheet music
- a student reading a novel could illustrate a scene while describing its importance
In Mrs. Shepin's class, the students used Educreations. While describing my experience to Mrs. Dawn Bodden, she mentioned that one drawback of Educreations is that the user gets one free use and then in order to use it again the student needs to delete the app and redownload it (or pay for the upgraded option, but we'll consider that a non-option). There are a number of free and paid interactive whiteboard apps that all have slightly different features that may be suitable for some subject areas that others. Some of these apps are: ShowMe, Doceri, Baiboard, and GroupBoard.
Have you used any of these or have similar ideas? Post them in the comments section!
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