Author: Hanna Knouf

Throughout this class, we have learned about a variety of technological tools that can be valuable for an interactive learning experience in the classroom. The majority of these tools I was unaware of, so I think it has been extremely useful to learn how to integrate these into our future lessons.

One great tool that we got to try is Toontastic. Toontastic allows students to create their own short, animated videos. This is a great resource for students to report on knowledge they have learned, whether it be on a book or on a science experiment, or to tell a short story. There are many options for students to customize their story on the app.

For our final project, we are proposing using Toontastic and screen casting in a science lesson. Ideally, this lesson would be done in a third or fourth grade classroom on their iPads. First there would be a lesson done on what the scientific method is. Then, we would do a screencast on how to use Toontastic. Finally, students would be able to create their own Toontastic video based off of a science project they have decided to do at home. Toontastic would work well for this because there is already a template available to make videos in the format of a science experiment. This would obviously be created for students to use, rather than a demonstration for teachers. I think that this would be a good introductory lesson if we decided to do a book including a variety of science lessons.

Last class, we got to have fun making videos on a variety of different apps including Adobe Spark, Toontastic, and Clips. I chose to mess around making videos on Toontastic, which actually ended up being really fun. I think Toontastic would be great to have students use to make book or science reports. Students get to make their own characters and are given clear instructions as well as information on the different parts of a story or science report. The app is free as well, so if students have access to iPads in the classroom it would be easy and cost efficient for teachers to download. Overall, I think Toontastic is a great tool to use to promote creativity in the classroom.

Here are some videos we made using Toontastic:

Hanna and Laura’s Padlet is a book genre board where students can find a variety of books to read. There is a list of multiple books in each genre, as well as a description of what the genre is. This would be a useful tool to have students use before going to the library so they can easily choose which book they are going to pick out.

See exactly where Hanna and Laura are from by looking at this interactive Sway presentation!

From videos, to pictures, to maps, you’ll know exactly where to go the next time you’re in the city! Portland has unique foods to try, many entertainment options, and there are never too many books to go read at Powell’s. San Jose’s greatest visit is any place that sells boba, according to Laura, but there are many great landmarks to visit as well.

By Dylan Hite, Hanna Knouf, and Laura Barros 

[embedit snippet=”apples-to-oregon-2″] 

 Title of Book: Apples to Oregon: Being the (Slightly) True Narrative of How a Brave Pioneer Father Brought Apples, Peaches, Pears, Plums, Grapes, and Cherries (and Children) Across the Plains

Author: Deborah Hopkinson

Illustrator: Nancy Carpenter

Year written: 2004

This story is about a family of farmers who travel  across the country from Iowa to Oregon in search of a new home and more land.  They take all of their crops in their wagon in order to start a new life out West, and the book tells some of the experiences that they have, and ones which many pioneers experienced on the Oregon Trail.

Excerpt from book: “So Daddy built two of the biggest boxes you could ever hope to see. He set them into a sturdy wagon and shoveled in good, wormy dirt. Then he filled every inch with little plants and trees. Hundreds of them! Daddy was ready for the most daring adventure in the history of fruit.”

This book could be used for a lesson on the Oregon Trail because it shows another perspective from the pioneers that is relate-able and easy to read. Students can use Google My Maps to create their own journey that the characters go on, where they write the descriptions, pick the pictures, and turn it into their own post. I think Google My Maps allows for a lot of creativity in the classroom and for students to get more engaged in what they are reading and studying! Teachers could also make this a collaborative effort like it was for us, so that ideas can be shared among many students.

Hanna and Laura’s lesson teaches students how to make nachos! Students can go through each slide to see different steps in the nacho making process. At the end, we ask students to order the pictures correctly in the comments section, allowing them to try using technology themselves. They also have an activity where they draw their own nachos, which we did since we are both in kindergarten classrooms.