This spring I introduced newcomers in grades 3-5 to the Google Earth app. They were instantly enthralled. We began exploring the app with a simple search for our school. Found it, flew around it, found the neighboring lake, streets and businesses. Using the street view feature they walked around the school grounds, seeing all the…
Author: heidi swanson
Publishing Q&A Books using Book Creator
For the past couple of weeks, newcomers in grades 3, 4 and 5 have been diligently publishing Q&A animal books using Book Creator. As an extension of the English Now! Animals unit, they studied animal names and habitats then drafted Q&A flip books, publishing final versions on Book Creator. Students then shared their video books on our class Seesaw journal. I…
Shared Google Docs for Small Group Work
This year I’ve been using Google Docs for reading group meeting notes with my more advanced language learners. It started out of necessity (I had limited white board space and needed a place for visual support) and soon became an integral tool for conducting the business of small group literacy work. I created a doc for each small group then…
Three Easy-to-Use Apps for Labeling
Skitch Originally designed to mark up images, Skitch offers users a simple set of tools and colors for easy labeling. Recently, our newcomers tried out Skitch to label photos of real-life objects found in the classroom. After introducing new school-themed vocabulary with picture/word cards from our English Now! curriculum, I arranged a couple of scenes displaying classroom objects — pencils,…
“I can retell a story”…using Adobe Voice
For the past few days students have been using Adobe Voice to retell stories. With super simple record, playback and re-record features, Adobe Voice creates an easy way for students to independently practice speaking a language, at any grade or level. This lesson was done with level 2/3* students in grade four. We read Henry and Mudge get…
Past Project: Pre-K Self-Portrait Art Exhibit
Last spring, as a Tech Integrationist, I worked with a Pre-K class to create digital self-portraits on iPads. We used a free drawing app called Sketches to make the portraits, then Adobe Voice to assemble a whole-class slide show display of their art. The slide show revealed a photo of each artist alongside the digitally drawn self-portrait with…
How to Make a Snowman (with MOMA Art Lab)
Many of our newcomers are now experiencing snow and winter cold for the first time in their lives. Along with it, they’re learning the rituals of a Midwestern winter — how to bundle up, how to go sledding, and how to make a snowman. Their new fascination with snowmen prompted a language lesson around procedural writing…
Adobe Voice and the Language Experience Approach*
One of my top five favorite apps is Adobe Voice. It offers an easy way for students to create beautiful slideshow videos using mainly their voice, short texts and simple images. Students can easily change themes and set videos to music, choosing from a selection of songs in the app’s music library or their own music collection…
Building Community with Pic Collage for Kids
Kids love this app. It’s a simple collage-making app that can be used for many projects or publications. Users create visually striking posters with varied layouts, interesting backgrounds, web pictures or photos, and text with fun fonts. It has endless uses in education. Earlier this year we used it to build community as 4th and 5th graders…
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