The most useful app on classroom iPads is the camera.
As the children were conducting basic experiments on water – melting and evaporating.
They collected data – taking pictures and video for later. The beauty of this data is that it can be slowed down, sped up, re-watched and zoomed in to pick up on details that the children might otherwise miss with the naked eye. Seeing a time-lapse of a melting cube ice enabled the children to also see the water rising – giving an excited ‘woah’ at a detail they missed.
Seeing a time-lapse of a melting cube ice enabled the children to also see the water rising – giving an excited ‘woah’ at a detail they missed.
Likewise, convection can be slowed down and re-seen multiple times.
What might not be apparent to the children are all the ‘soft skills’ they are using. Collecting data, cooperating, managing risks. Those behaviours need to be observed and reflected on for later.
As the children were busy watching water heat I was also collecting data – on them! The beauty of having two teachers in the room is that we can take on two roles. While I was documenting the children’s learning the other teacher was leading instructional side of the lesson.
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