A Change In Thinking

Using Many Different Tools: Choice Is Important

Yesterday, two teachers visited the classroom to see how my students use the Livescribe Pen, or at least this was their initial purpose for coming. As we were talking though before the students arrived, something became clear: it’s not just about the use of one tool in the classroom. Students have the use of multiple tools, many of which perform similar functions, and giving them the choice of what tool to use to best meet their learning needs is so much more important!

When these teachers left yesterday, I know that they saw a variety of ways to use the Livescribe Pen, including, writing notes while recording audio too, to using it as a podcasting tool, to listening and reflecting on previous thoughts. They saw more than this though:

1) They saw students engaging in meaningful writing on the computers by blogging about their communities and encouraging others to share about their communities as well.

2) They saw students working in partners on the SMART Board to reply to comments on previous blog posts about communities, and engage in conversations about the similarities and differences between these communities.

3) They saw students working on iPod Touches to reflect on their learning in science by creating postcards to share their thinking with others.

4) They saw students working on the iPad to record their reading, and even share these recordings with previous teachers to celebrate in their successes too.

5) They saw students working on the iPad to write  about books they read: asking questions, making connections, and really sharing their thinking with me and others too.

6) They saw students writing using pens, pencils, markers, and paper. They saw guided reading, and they saw me doing running records just as other teachers would do them too.

They saw that it’s not just about technology, but when these are the tools of choice, they are being used to help students learn. I think that this is the most important point, regardless of the tool. When Zoe Branigan-Pipe (@zbpipe) first asked me to be a part of this TLLP Project, I was so excited to try out a new tool in the classroom, and all I wanted to think about was exciting and creative ways to use the Livescribe Pen with my students. Over time, my thinking has slowly changed. I’ve shown my students many different ways to use this tool, and now I want them to figure out the best way to use it to help them learn. Best of all, they are not just figuring out how to use this tool, but when to use it too, and now I feel like the learning is really in their hands. Has anyone else gone through this transformation as well? How have things changed for you? I would love to hear what you have to say!

Aviva