Using Technology to Engage in Story Problems

The end of the year came and went!  It is so crazy how quickly one year goes.  Sometimes it feels like you are just getting to know your kiddos and then it is time to say goodbye.  Maybe it is just a side effect of getting older :)

Anyways...I wanted to share with you a side effect to being a part of this blogger world.  And I don't just mean blog writers.  I am talking about writers and readers.  This community is built of individuals sharing ideas, getting ideas, using ideas, changing ideas, and growing because of ideas.  It is a pretty special "world" to be a part of.

One example of this...

I had posted a little bit about the ShowMe app and how I was using it to work on sight words.  Well, throughout the year Natalie and I integrated this technology into our story problem solving.  After our firsties wrote their story problems, we took pictures of their work (with the app), asked them to record themselves solving their problem.

Then...I sent the little "ShowMe" videos to some blog-world friends.  And they sent some problems back!!! Now...they sent them through little videos, word documents, and pictures!  We did not all use this app.  Our kids were so excited to see others solving their problems and to get some problems in return.  It was like having story problem pen pals!

But it was because of these ideas that all of this learning occurred.  I read about the app through a blog, shared was I was doing, got comments from readers, asked them share problems with me, and ta-da!! Some great learning occurred.

I am so thankful.

---------------------------------------------------------------------

 Just a little more about how we used the ShowMe app:

Here is an example of a ShowMe video that I created (I get too nervous about their voice and stuff being on my blog).  Click on the image and it will take you to the video.

 Waring: this video has the incorrect answer and here is why: I used this video mid-year.  There were three different ones and my math group had to decide if I solved the problem correctly or incorrectly.  Then they had to show me the correct solution.

At the end of the year, they made their own video.  We projected and watched them as a whole class.  BUT I paused the video before the problem was solved.  ALL the students had to solve the problem on their sheet.  Then we watched the author solve the problem and we discussed if individual students solved it the same way or in different ways.

I love, love, LOVED this activity.  They were so engaged, so motivated, so EXCITED to share their problems in this manner.

I hope to do more of this.