Wednesday, March 14, 2012
iBird research in Early Childhood: I experienced another reason to support iPad use for my young students this morning. Two young girls put their heads together over an iPad trying to identify a tiny plastic bird model. They spent 40 minutes poring over the hundreds of bird photos in iBird north. They found one bird that looked quite similar to the model but was lacking certain details. I explained that toy manufacturers sometimes don't paint their toys "correctly " and that it might not be possible to identify this model for sure. They listened respectfully to my explanation but then elected to continue their search. They spent another 30 minutes and found another bird that seemed to be an even closer match for their model. At this point they felt that they had gotten as close as they could to identifying their bird. But still not satisfied, they asked if they could repaint the bird model to supply the missing details. They were able to identify the deficient areas of detail on the model and specify the colors they needed to correct the model. Then they did it! This little bird toy is less than an imch square. I was able to capture some of their process on film. Wow. Every day I discover another reason to LOVE the power this iPad allows my students. Thank you Apple and thank you Page!
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Hi Gretchen -
ReplyDeleteI smiled when I read this. Not only because I am happy to see this success (because I certainly am) but because this was one of the areas that I did not expect to see such success (Early Childhood). It has taken me by surprise. The more I think about it the more I can see that the EC use of the iPad is very similar to the iPad use of the TLC team. They experiment and play with the iPad and, given the time, they make great discoveries and projects. I think in order to really see how the iPad and other technologies can work in the classroom we have to be willing to experiment and devote the time. Bravo!
I think that for kids the experimentation is part of the excitement. They LOVE being set free to create their own knowledge, identify their own interests and to seek out their own solutions. They ALL DESERVE to be in charge of their learning.
DeleteFantastic! I love that you are studying birds...and this is a great example of the way that technology can connect students to nature!
ReplyDeleteHow does Pat's schedule look? Did I hear some talk about a bird banding project?
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