I am now seven weeks into my second year as a Technology Specialist. One aspect that I am really enjoying is having many of the same students returning to my lab. They often come in asking, "What are we going to do today?" They also ask if they can repeat some of the activities from last year, citing iMovie, Scratch and other applications. As I only teach each student for nine weeks each year, I want to expose them to as wide a variety of projects/applications as possible, which I explain to them.
I am also finding out some of their favorite websites that they can go to during Academic Choice time. Some of the most requested are Kerpoof, Manga High and ABCya.
I described our use of Kerpoof in my March 14th, 2012 post. My third graders used it to create a picture book or movie last year. Now, as fourth-graders, they are going back to their accounts during Academic Choice time.
Manga High is another free website in which teachers create classes and student accounts. It offers a wide variety of math skills games and challenges. Returning 5th and 6th graders are enthusiastically challenging students from other countries when they have completed their daily assignment.
My youngest returnees are now in 1st grade. They can't wait until Academic Choice time to revisit their favorite games and activities. One of their favorites is ABCya, where they play with letters, numbers, shapes, art, keyboarding and more! It is really rewarding to know that students enjoy the learning experiences I have introduced them to.
