iPad Blog

For one of my classes, I was assigned a child at Montlieu Elementary School to work with on a project to create a stop-motion video telling a story on the iPad app MyCreate. Students learn to integrate technology, write stories and use scientific processes.

First Visit- October 2, 2013

The first visit went really well. I met with my student, Cameron, and got to know him a little. I found out that he was a new student this year and got switched to this school because of a bus route. The first day, he got to just play with MyCreate and we went around the school and took different pictures of whatever he wanted. We then watched the 25 picture video together and I told him next time we would think of a story to put together so to start thinking about what he would want to write a story about within the next week. I told him that we would be working with three other 3rd graders to tell another story and using lego's to make a video of it. He seemed to have a lot of fun during this visit and I could tell he was excited about the project. 

Second Visit- October 9, 2013

On the second visit, we made up a story together using the stuffed animals in the room. We using the Cat in the Hat stuffed animal, Dora stuffed doll and a stuffed Spiderman doll. I wrote out a story and he wrote out a story and we read them to each other and combined our stories together. We placed the stuffed animals in different positions to tell the story and moved them around about 15 times to tell the story. I would take some pictures and let him take some as well but made sure they were perfect so they would look good in the video. I explained why they had to be perfect so that it would look like they were actually moving in the video. Now, I asked Cameron if he used the writing process when he was

writing his story. I told him that when we meet with the group we would be using it to put our story together. At the end we watched the movie in slow motion together and I told him the next time we would come together we would be with everyone else to try to come up with a story together.

Third Visit- October 23, 2013

On the third visit, we met all together with all the other groups. Here is where the other HPU students and I explained what StoryStarters were and how we would be using it with this project. This meeting was basically to get them to know each other and start thinking of ideas of what they would want to make a story about.  Some of the time they were fooling around but for the most part we got to talk about inventions and ideas they had for their stories and told them what an invention is defined as and what they would want to invent for the story. They all seemed very excited and I can’t wait for what they think of for the next time we visit.

Fourth Visit- October 30, 2013
On the fourth visit, we all met together as a group and started coming up with ideas about what invention we wanted to make using the legos and continue the drafting process. The students had some great idea's. One little girl came up with a candy building and another little girl had the idea of a cotton candy machine. My student came up with a candy microwave where you press a button the candy comes out and another little boy came up with a talking building. We voted and decided we would put Cameron's idea and the other little boys idea together to make a talking building and a candy microwave. We started a rough draft of the story by making a beginning, middle and end of a story that could take place. They all took notes on what we could possibly tell in the story. At the end, they were all very excited about putting the story together with the lego's the next few weeks.

Fifth Visit- November 6, 2013
On the fifth visit, we all met and let them try to make what they think a candy microwave and a talking building would look like. At one point two of them were working on the candy microwave and the other two were working on the talking building but towards the end they were all working on both of the inventions together. They each used their own base plate to create each invention they wanted to

create. One boy came up with the idea of having a person being lost and the talking building would give them directions of where to go.  They were able to come up with these ideas as they were building the lego creations. Then, we all came up with having the talking building telling the person lost how to get to the store with the candy microwave and wrote that in the story boxes.

Last Visit- November 15, 2013
We tried going to the school another week to work on putting the story together with the lego's but they had an assembly going on so we weren't able to do that, but the last visit went really well when they came to us at High Point. It was so funny trying to record the story but at the end it came out great. We spent the first hour or so building the building and story with the candy microwave. We decided to add in some special features like a park and a person working in the candy microwave store to help him get what the person needed when he found his way to the store. When we did the recording it worked out because only three of the students from our group came to the last visit so one person was the talking building, one was the person that was lost and the other was the person working in the candy store. Before we did the recording, we positioned the person lost in the MyCreate app to take the pictures of what is going on in the story to make the stop motion video and it came out really well. We made sure to leave time and slow it down between the person stopping at the building and moving on to the candy store to fit the conversation in while recording it. When it came time to record it was hard for them to know when to say their lines in the right part of the story so as I played the story, recording it at the same time, I pointed at Mel when she should tap each student to say their lines in the story. It took us a couple tries but it finally worked and we successfully recorded the dialogue at the same time as when the story was going on. It looked awesome!

iPad Application

The iPad app that I have chosen is called 2nd Grade. This app helps 2nd graders with different aspects of what they will have to learn in 2nd grade. When you open the app the title is 2 grade math. It has ten different pages to choose from. The first four pages are addition, subtraction, multiplication and division but they call addition "connection". You can still tell it is addition though because it has an addition sign below the word and the other pages have their symbols as well. Each one of these pages has a problem and different choices you can choose as the answer. When you get it wrong the answer turns red but when you get it right it blinks and you can press a button that appears to do another problem on that page or go back to another page. The next page is called compare and it gives you a two numbers, two equations or a number and an equation and you have to press the equal to sign, the greater than sign or the less than sign. When you get it right the box will turn green and you can press the button above to do another compare problem. The next page is called connection problem and it gives you a word problem to do that has to do with addition. This has different answers for you to choose from as well. The next page is called subtraction problem and it is the same thing as the connection problem page but instead of word problems that have to do with addition, they have to do with subtraction. The next page has the word connection again but underneath it there's a picture of a car that's made out of puzzle pieces. When you click on that page it gives you a total of 18 boxes. The first 9 are numbers and the second 9 are addition problems. What you have to do for this page is drag the addition problem over the number that the answer is to that problem. When you get it right, it starts showing you a picture of what is behind the 9 boxes. At the end when you get all of them right, a picture will be shown and it will usually be a cool picture that the children would want to see. When you get the picture, all you have to do is click the screen and it will give you another board to complete. The next page is called subtraction but underneath is also the picture of a car with puzzle pieces. This page is the same idea as the last but it has subtraction problems instead. The last page is called multiplication table and it just has a picture of the multiplication table.

If I could use this application in a lesson, I would definitely use it with partners. I would have each pair share the iPad and do two problems from each page. So, first I would have them go to the connection page which is just addition problems. One of them will do one problem and the other will do another. I then will have each student write the problem on a piece of paper and work it out on their own. When they get their answer they must choose which answer matches their answer. If they get the problem wrong, they have to put an X through the problem they did on the paper and do the problem again. They will have to do that until they get the problem right by choosing the answer that blinks on the iPad. They will do this for the next three pages. For the compare problem, they will copy what is on the iPad onto their paper and draw it out until they get two numbers and then pick if they are equal, less than or more than. If they get it wrong the first time instead of crossing out the problem they can just put one small X next to whatever they chose. For the next two pages, for the word problems, instead of writing out they whole problem, they can just do their work on the paper. They will cross out each answer they get right until they get the right answer. For the next two pages, they will have to write out each problem they solve and if they get it right leave it but if they get it wrong put an X next to it each time they get one wrong. For the last page, since it is just the multiplication table, they can pick one number and write out each number 1-9 of what that number times the number 1-9 equals. Since there's no way to get it wrong, since its right there, they won't be graded on this part. When they are done they will hand me the piece of paper.

I will decide if this app has had a positive effect on my children in the classroom by collecting and grading all the worksheets they wrote on for each problem they did. If it seems like all the problems they did were done the right way and it was neatly drawn it would be a good method of teaching to use in the classroom. I will grade these problems by seeing how many X's they put on their paper. If they have two or more X's they will get the problem wrong, if they have one X they will get half credit and if they have no X's they will get the problem right. The sheet will be graded out of 25 since there are one problem to do from the first 7 pages and then 9 problems to do from the last two pages.

In conclusion, this app is a very educational math app that I think will help my future students with their math skills immensely. There are so many pages to choose from and to practice on, that there's so many different ways they can use it in the classroom or even for practice at home. I think the way I want to use it in the classroom is a great way for them to practice and also for me as a teacher to see where they are in their work. It's not only a fun, colorful app to use that they will have fun with, but it also helps them learn a lot of material.

Integration of Technology in Science

There has been a recent increase in usage of technology in the classroom. One subject where there has been a growth in technology in is science. Most teachers these days are asked to use as much technology as they can and incorporate it into their curriculum. There are also specific ways to use technology in the classroom that works the best. 

One type of practice that helps districts use technology in the classroom efficiently is with the Full Option Science System. "FOSS provides the district with a science program that matches state standards, promotes instructional practices consistent with district goals, and allows teachers to integrate technology and science instruction." (Lyon & Buckshaw, 2011) The FOSS helps the classroom the most by providing it with multiple resources. Some examples at the elementary level include: 

• a wired computer lab
• a wireless, mobile computer lab
• five student computers in each classroom grade 1-5
• cordless microscopes
• flex cam camera

There is also something called an imagination station in each classroom, which is a teacher computer with a lot of memory, a DVD player, and a large screen monitor that can project Internet sites, presentations, etc. A second- grade teacher at Parkland Elementary School used technology to make her Insects module come to life. She had the students use the flex cam to observe different insects in a way they never have before. During the experiment, students were able to analyze changes in the insects as they progressed through life-cycle stages and because of the use of the flex cam camera, their observations were filled with great details. What's awesome about this is that at the same time, the teacher worked with small groups of students to show them how the technology worked. By integrating this technology into the science classroom, there has been a large increase of students meeting or exceeding the state standard on the New York state science tests. 
"In former teacher T.J. Fletcher's honors chemistry class at Eagan High School, in Eagan, Minnesota, students worked in groups to conduct video interviews of local experts on a research topic of their choosing." (Bernard, 2013) He notes that even though the teacher provides the materials, the students still have to use their resources wisely. Another way he used technology in the class is that if there was a group that was confused on something, they would have another group go home and make a tutorial on how to do it. In reality, everything that the class is doing somehow relates to technology. He also shows the children movies to describe certain things they are talking about in class like the law of motion with the movie Transformers. By having the students work with camera's it gives them their own special power to be able to recall everything they learned about it because they were using it themselves. 
When I am a teacher I am going to use as much technology in my classroom as possible, especially within my science curriculum. I feel students learn a lot more with technology because when they have things that are hands on they remember more. In my classroom I plan on using resources such as computer labs for research and the flex cam for certain experiments. I feel with the whole internet at my children's fingertips, they can learn so much about what I am teaching. I also think with the new types of microscopes and cameras out my children will be able to really tell me what they are seeing and observing. Another useful piece of technology I will use is with the video cameras. I will have them do certain projects with them like have them record what happens when they do certain experiments or act out what they have learned so far in class. 
In conclusion, using all kinds of technology in the classroom can really help children learn easily and makes them more motivated to learn. 


Lyon, A., & Buckshaw, L. (2011, August 23). Education 
       world. Retrieved from
       http://www.educationworld.com/a_tech/tech/tech233.shtml

Bernard, S. (2013). Edutopia.
       Retrieved from
       http://www.edutopia.org/digital-generation-science-math-lessons

Technology and Math Comprehension

Using technology in the classroom is a great way to teach mathematics. Having technology like animations and different sources online really helps math come alive for the students and helps them visualize concepts a lot better. "At the end of year nine, more than 80 percent of the 426 students surveyed said they believed they could learn new things in mathematics more easily than at the start of year seven, with 71 percent of students reporting that they though it was easier to remember things when they used the interactive whiteboard." (Prabhu, 2010) 

It was researched that using technology in the classroom helps children do three things:

• Get motivated towards learning
• Helps them with classroom enjoyment 
• Helps with perceptions in mathematics

An example is using whiteboard technology. There are so many different things you can do with an interactive whiteboard to improve student learning. Especially when they can come up to the board and do things themselves using only the touch of their fingers on a board. Its not only useful to the students but also the teachers as well. Teachers have an easier approach to teaching materials with different technology like the interactive whiteboard. While teachers can make lessons that are interactive but educational by using the interactive whiteboard, students get to learn about mathematics and have fun while getting educated at the same time. For example, teachers can have a lesson about math and have children come up and click and drag certain shapes or problems to go with what they are learning about at the time. You can also do this with math as well. Maybe the teachers can put steps down of how to solve a problem and the student can come up and drag with their fingers the steps into order that they learned it. Teachers can also do jeopardy games to review for tests coming up. With children having fun while they learn, it makes it easier for them to understand what they are learning instead of just going in one ear and out the other. 

Tennessee Tech is also trying to engage students K-5 in the art of numbers. "Technology deployed in conjunction with manipulatives, such as pattern blocks and snap cubes that help students understand math concepts, is enhancing math lessons for K–5 students." (Zaino, 2011) The goal here is to have students be more familiar with using a mouse rather then pen and pencil.

There is a grant for multiple interactive tools to use in the states education department which include Macbooks, digital cameras and iPads. This grant also helps teachers in aiding them in how to use these tools which is just as important. We need schools with as much technology as we can get but at the same time we need teachers that know what they are doing with them. We can't just have teachers grabbing at every new piece of technology for their classroom just because they want it, but they need some instruction on how to use it too. By letting students use this type of technology in class helps them learn so easily. Maybe a teacher can be going over a subject for a test and the students can take notes on their laptop instead. They can also use the iPads in their free times to play educational games. 

I know when I integrate mathematics  into my teaching I will be using as much technology as I can for them to have as many ways to learn as possible. It's not only easier with technology but students are more interested in what they are learning. I know when I look back on my elementary school days, the classes I remember the most are the ones where technology was involved and was interactive. In my classroom, I want to use as many online educational games as I can with my children so they can have fun with what they are learning. In the future, I plan on incorporating the smart whiteboard into my lessons as much as possible because it will really help in teaching math. There are so many different activities to go along with those subjects that the the smart whiteboard will provide for me. For example, while I am teaching a lesson on the smart whiteboard, the students can be following along on their iPads. I could teach a lesson about shapes and when I have some children be interactive at their seats, they can also be interactie at their desks. I also plan to use the unifix linking cubes and pattern blocks as much as I can with my lessons because that will keep the children more engaged as well. I hope that the Tennessee Project will end up becoming something big so when I teach, I will be educated on how to use technology to the best of my abilities with my students.

In this day and age, education is changing rapidly. There are more and more ways to teach a subject every day and it's all coming down to technology. It really comes down to children being able to be interactive and engaged in what they are learning and if they have that, it will be a lot easier for them to learn. 

Prabhu, M. T. (2010, March 17). Technology adds to

students’ math comprehension. Retrieved from

http://www.eschoolnews.com/2010/03/17/technology-

adds-to-students-math-comprehension/

Zaino, J. (2011, September 24). How technology can

improve math comprehension. Retrieved from           

http://www.edtechmagazine.com/higher/article/2011/09/

making-math-magical