Lesson 2
Making the Digital Learning Farm Work for You
Learning Outcome
Participants will become familiar with a model of technology integration, and will learn how to apply the model to the first grade classroom.
Are you looking for a practical, encompassing, technology implementation "take away" from this mini-course that you can implement in your classroom? If so, then you may want to create your own Mini Digital Learning Farm in your classroom. The Digital Learning Farm model is the work of Alan November, and you can learn in depth about it in November's 2012 book, Who Owns the Learning?
For a synopsis of the Digital Learning Farm, please read this article from the author's website.
As you can see, students are given unique roles in the classroom, giving students ownership of the classroom while using technology in a way that makes sense. In a first grade classroom, I think three of these student roles could be used to create a Mini-Digital Learning Farm. We all have student jobs in our rooms-Line Leader, Messenger, Pencil Sharpener, etc., why not add three more!
Students as Tutorial Designers
Take a moment to explore mathtrain.tv
As you can see, this website is full of student made math tutorials. Imagine the valuable learning experiences these kids had in the making of their tutorials. They had to learn about how to film and upload the videos and they had to come up with plans of what to say, but more importantly, they had to learn how to do the math well before they could begin to teach it to others. Although most of these kids are older than first grade, there is no reason younger kids couldn't be tutorial designers as well.
Use the Tutorial Designer role as an incentive to work hard in your class. After every major math topic you teach, choose two students who have worked hard, and allow them to create a tutorial for a math problem from the unit. Share your tutorials on your class webpage, blog or Twitter!
Students as Scribes
In November's book, the role of the scribe is to create a class set of notes to share. This would be difficult in first grade, so I would adjust this role a bit. The Scribe could be a weekly classroom job, who's duties could include writing things on the board for the teacher, making additions about classroom happenings to the classroom webpage or blog, and posting to the class Twitter account. This student would need to be a student who has pretty high reading and writing capabilities, but some of the scribe's work could be a collaborative effort with the class.
Have the scribe come up with a brief posting, either about a classroom happening, a fun riddle for others to solve, or a math problem for others to solve. The scribe will write their Tweet on the board (before Tweeting), and as a group, the class will work to correct any errors in punctuation, spelling, syntax and grammar. Forget about Daily Oral Language! You have Tweets to correct! Much more meaningful and fun for students! This simple, engaging activity hits several first grade Common Core standards for writing.
After correcting, the Scribe posts his/her Tweet to Twitter! Similar grammar and writing lessons could take place with classroom blog postings. Check out Kidblog for a classroom friendly blogging platform.
Further resources about using Twitter in the classroom:
Students as Researchers
Many more Common Core standards require first graders to research. The classroom role of the Researcher would be to search online from teacher-vetted websites, or to ask "Siri" whenever a question comes up in class that students want more information about. Students who have higher spelling abilities could search websites, while those students who aren't there yet could use a digital device with a voice activated search, like Siri.
Some things to keep in mind:
Reflection
Post a comment to this page about your thoughts of using the Digital Learning Farm Model in your classroom. What might work for you? What would be difficult? Can you think of more duties for any of the roles? Look back at November's website. Could you adapt some of his additional roles for use in your classroom?
Scoring:
- 2 pts.- Comment addressees all reflection questions in a thoughtful and thorough manner
- 1 pts.-Comment only partially adresses the prompt, or is vague in nature
- 0 pts.-Comment is off topic, or shows little understanding
References for Lesson 2
November, Alan. (2012). Who Owns the Learning" Preparing Students for Success in the Digital Age. Bloomington, IN: Solution Tree Press.
November Learning. (2012, May). Students as Contributors: The Digital Learning Farm. Retrieved from: http://novemberlearning.com/educational-resources-for-educators/teaching-and-learning-articles/students-as-contributors-the-digital-learning-farm/
DeLoatch, Pamela. (2015, April). 30 Innovative Ways to Use Twitter in the Classroom. Retrieved from: http://www.edudemic.com/the-30-newest-ways-to-use-twitter-in-the-classroom/
Baskhar, Santosh, (2013, September). Tips for Teachers Who Wish to Use Twitter in their Elementary Classrooms, Retrieved from: http://edtechreview.in/trends-insights/insights/578-tips-for-teachers-to-use-twitter-in-elementary-classrooms
Author Unknown. (2012, December). 7 Pros and Cons of Using Siri for Learning. Retrieved from:http://www.teachthought.com/uncategorized/7-pros-and-cons-of-using-siri-for-learning/
Kellogg, Kimberly. (2015, August). 6 Ways Students Can Use Siri. Retrieved from: http://www.simplek12.com/ipads-mobile-learning/6-ways-students-can-use-siri/
Image Credits:
Top image-hands and tech: <http://cdn2.hubspot.net/hub/80068/file-225061725-jpg/images/mobile_devices_2.jpg>
Image of book: <http://t2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQEnzSKv__r7MOLSSAagsLcRumTYTFHYNMHFejQ08CbYpjYgwsx>
Image of boy: image belongs to me.
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