Integrating Technology, Speaking, and Listening, Oh My!

A couple of weeks ago we wrapped up our October theme topic unit in which we delved into the concept of FEAR.  My students read small group historical fiction novels that dealt with fear and they read self-selected nonfiction books related to something they feared.  The ending project was for them to find an article, video clip, and infographic related to some type of fear.  We had discussions and answered fear questions throughout the month.  It was a great October theme to discover.

As the end of the month drew near, kids were emailing me their videos, articles and infographics.  On the day of presentations, I paired them with two other students and all three had to present to each other.  The day before, I modeled what an effective presentation should look like.  I showed the kids the rubric, which included a summary of what was presented, a response to the presentation from the reviewer, and a 4/3/2/1 system of grading things such as eye contact, relevance to fear, volume, and knowledge of type of literacy (in other words, did the presenter know what he/she was talking about and showing the group).

On the day of presentations, excitement was in the air.  The kids couldn't wait to share with each other their finds.  Most were technology based, and fortunately, we're right next to the computer lab, so they could pop over and pull up what they needed.  Some students had printed out article or infographics for their peers to view while they shared their knowledge.  One student even brought in her IPad to share her information.  How cool is that?

As I floated around the room listening in on presentations, I thought to myself, "Yep.  This is what education in 2013 should look like."  These kids were resourceful, tech savvy, interested, engaged, and happy.  They were working on something that was meaningful to them and they were excited to share that information with others.  Isn't that the kind of enthusiasm we want our young people to embrace to make sense of the world?  They will be ever increasingly responsible for finding and presenting information.  This was a great display of how well they can do it!

Presenting an infographic about storms.

This one is so scared of spiders she couldn't even watch her own video while she showed it to her group.  She knew her stuff, though!

Technology is always challenging in a 75 year old building.  We could only get this video to work on my computer.

To end it all, the students used the same rubric and evaluated themselves.  They were honest and critical.  And best of all, they asked when we could do it again.  Success!