The third thing that I wanted to mention that I use in my classroom is iPad.
We are very fortunate that we have a school..
Sorry, I divisional set of iPads. So we have about 30 iPads to use at the primary classes.
Again, the students obviously love taking videos of themselves
and making funny faces, taking videos of their friends.
But when we flipped it into documenting learning
and instead of me holding the iPad, documenting their learning,
they were able to self reflexive. So we did an inquiry for social justice math
and we read "if The World Was A Village" and we discussed wealth disparity
and poverty and then I gave the (?) to the students
and I said: "Now tell me what you think you've learned
or tell me what you want to learn." And videos that they came out with,
not what I was watching. I wasn't standing over them going
"make sure you say this" or "be sure to use this word".
They would go off into their own little quiet space in the classroom
and report their own meaningful, valuable thoughts.
I posted them on the blog. From the iPad I posted them into my blog.
And then people from around the world
who were involved in our social justice inquiry
were able to comment on them and validate those student' thoughts.
So it wasn't something that was originated from me
but it gave them that opportunity or that forum in which they could communicate
real meaningful personal thoughts.
Have it heard by a community that cares about that thought
and then have feedback given to them from that community.
And so it really broaden the classroom for us
and made the students feel like they were valued
and worthwhile. The things that they were learning worthwhile
and the things that they have to say are worthwhile.
And that's six and seven year olds.
This is an example of a collaborative inquiry we were doing with staff and
in the public and the catholic board together.
Also we involved teachers in Denmark and
teachers in the US.
One of the reasons we're posting is so they can comment on the stuff that we're doing in the classroom as well.
So this is a collaborative inquiry for teachers, and this is how it's realized in her specific class.
It's kind of neat. It's collaborative inquiry with the teachers
and that's a global collaborative inquiry
and how it materializes in a particular class.
And Miss Keenan, she's been very modest, because to build inquiry in class is difficult.
It's so hard. Like that first question.
What would you like to ask people?
Ok, I felt ridiculous. I was tweeting this out.
It was "Would you eat the snow?"
There was a picture of snow with sticks coming out of it.
And I tweeted it to my colleagues. This is my professional reputation.
But this is what they wanted to know: would you eat the snow?
And you would be surprised so many kids are like:
"Well I would eat the snow. How come everybody on Twitter wouldn't eat the dirty snow?"
So really, it's very difficult to build. Somehow,
although we have inquiry learning in kindergarten.
By the time they make it into a grade one or two class,
where is the inquiry?
I think they are expecting the teacher,
they're listening for you to give them that
indication that ok what I'm about to say is the right answer so make sure you regurgitate that in two days from now.
Like repeat what I'm about to say back to me in two days.
And so it's interesting to do the inquiry because
I was standing there: "I don't have any of the answers".
I actually have more questions than you do.
And so then the technology really allowed us to promote those questions to the greater world.
And the the students were, I think their confidence in inquiry
increased because they realized that Miss Howling is the principal of the school
and she's got questions that she didn't have answers to.
So it's okay. It's actually a good thing to have, these questions.