The Assignment
In our EDCI 336 class, our professor (Tim Hopper) put us in groups of 3 to help support and teach the use of a technology innovation to a class. In my group, which included myself along with Shelby Conner and Bree Keen, we were assigned to a grade 1/2 class at Frank Hobbs Elementary and we were to introduce the students to an app called Book Creator.
Book Creator is a great tool to use for students of all ages! The app (made for iPads) allows the students to create their own digital book. Book Creator can be used in many subject areas and is quite easy to navigate, making it a worthwhile tool to have in the classroom. You can make your digital personal and customize/edit the book however you want. In preparation for teaching this class, my group got together outside of class to meet with the teacher and discuss our lesson possibilities.
The Preparation
We met with the teacher of the grade 1/2 class at Frank Hobbs to discuss how to go about the lesson. She told us that the app was relatively new to their school and that they've only briefly used it in the previous year. There were a few things that she wanted to achieve through this lesson which include:
- Introduce the basic functions of Book Creator
- Give us an opportunity to interact with the students as a support
- Create our own book in Book Creator to use as a demo
In order to achieve these tasks, we had to down Book Creator ourselves and become familiar with all the navigations. Once we have mastered these skills, we went onto writing our demo book. Since the class was working on the topic of spiders and were collecting spider facts, we decided that it would be best to create a Spider Book of our own for the demo and that together, as a class, we would create one page in our Spider Book to help the students visually see how to navigate through Book Creator. We had to make sure that we sequenced all the task as smooth as possible to make an effective lesson. We also developed a lead/support teaching system that worked in our favour during the lesson. Since Shelby was great at navigating and explaining the tools of Book Creator, we decided that it would be best for her to lead that section on teaching while Bree and I supported her. We decided that I could introduce the lesson and hook the students attention toward the demo and that Bree could help and support the students when we created a page with the students during the demo.
Our Presentation About Teaching at Frank Hobbs (Grade 1/2)
In EDCI 336, we were also required to present how our lesson went and reflect upon it. This is the slideshow my group created to help my peers understand the app itself and how to use it in the classrooms.
Me Helping a Student with the Navigations
How the Lesson Went (What Went Well and the Challenges)
Our preparation for this lesson worked in our favour, however, not everything went to plan. Though we had a set part in which section we'd be leading the lesson, there were many times when all 3 of us had the chance to expand on a certain topic. For example, when Shelby was navigating through Book Creator with the students, there were times when Bree and I were given the opportunity to expand on the topic. Though it did not go to a complete step-by-step sequence in that sense, the lesson still went very well and smoothly!
The students were very familiar with the iPad so the navigations were easier for them to understand. We had paired the class off in twos and had them create their own Spider Book with their own facts. Because iPads were introduced in this lesson, many students were eager to be in control of the iPad. This proved to have some challenges because some students were irritated because their partner was hogging the iPad. The teacher, my peers, and I noticed this right away and had to keep reminded the students to share the iPad. What also proved to be a challenge was when students discover the Emoji option. A few of the students became somewhat distracted by the Emojis and their attention veered away from the initial task. The students also tended to be "grabby" of the iPad, which can result in a safety hazard or breaking of the iPad. All of these proved to be challenges for us, but our group was on top of it. We made sure to keep reminding students of their task and to be safe in handling the iPad.
Overall, the students did enjoy their time with us and the lesson was smooth sailing. Many of the students finished their Spider Book and proved to be very engaged with the app!
Reflection
Through this assignment, I've learned that not all lessons go as planned. Much of being a teacher is about thinking on the spot and I think my group was exposed to this. I've also learned that having technology in the classroom proves to be beneficial for present day learning. Technology is continuously changing and this assignment shows the importance of having it in the classroom. Technology is highly accessible in the schools and can make an activity exciting and engaging. I, personally, have never been very good at using technology but having assignments like this helped me become more knowledgeable of it. I can definitely see myself using Book Creator on practicum or in future use when I become a certified educator. I had a lovely group to work with and their drive to create effective lessons helped me become more motivated and passionate about technology.
