Tool 9

Why do you think it is important to tie the technology to the objective?
It is important to tie technology to the objective because students are engaged and motivated by content because of the technolgy.

Why should we hold students accountable for the stations/centers?
Stations and centers can easily become a distraction for children if they are not given a focus for how to think or key points to consider during their center work. This is extremely critical and distinguishes play from more purposeful learning.

Visit 2 of the applicable links to interactive websites for your content/grade level. Which sites did you like. How could you use them as stations? How can you hold the students accountable for their time in these stations? Some of the websites I previewed included Learning Games for Kids, Thinkfinity, and PhET. I loved the concept of PhET for science, although, as stated in the description, the content is more appropriate for middle and high school students. It would be great to use as a station to review more complex science concepts and create a response about new learning related to that concept. Both Learning Games for Kids and Thinkfinity seemed similar in what content they offered and how it was presented. Students could participate in open-ended use of the activities with a response, but because there is so much to navigate, it would be better to create a station that directs students to a few of the choices available.

List two to three apps you found for the iPod Touch/iPad that you can use in your classroom. What do you see that station looking like? How can you hold the students accountable for their time in these stations?
When looking through the variety of grade specific apps I noticed Banner Fans, which could be used for a book club response center or perhaps as a way to summarize a unit of study in any curriculum area. I also thought the concept for Audio Pal was intriguing. It would be fun to set up a center where students could embed an audio response to a new science concept or maybe discuss the key points of fractions or decimals during those unit studies.

What about other ways to use the iPod Touch/iPad? Share another way you can see your students using the device as a station.
I would like to further investigate how to use the iPad and iPod touch as a communication device for students in different parts of the world or in other parts of the country.