[IAEP] Notes from GPA 7-21

[Caroline Meeks]

2nd Grade working with turtle art and a community map.

The goal of the class was to add a photo from a field trip to their
existing turtle art maps

Demoed
-entering the neighborhood
-clicking on shared browse activity
-opening  bookmark
-choose an image
- right clicking to download photo
-going to turtle art
- using show block to get the photos into a show block (this task they
had done before)

Kids then tried it: Here were the issues at each stage.

Entering the neighborhood.

Kids had trouble getting to the frame. I had not introduced the
keyboard shortcuts.  We are thinking of getting stickers and putting
them on the F keys in the computer lab.

TODO Make and buy stickers

Clicking on the shared browse activity

Someone went to the home and clicked on browse rather then to
neighborhood.  For someone this reopened a shared browse from last
time. However, the url bookmarked in the old activity required login
so it didn't work. Thus some kids opened the wrong browse and
everything appeared the same but twhen they clicked on the bookmark
thumbnail it didn't work. very confusing.

TODO: Create a lesson that introduces the neighborhood and shared
activities and the difference between resumed and new activities.

-Choose an image
We had too many choices. We should have narrowed it down to about 5 or
10 choices.  The kids did have a very good time looking at their
photos and everyone did eventually pick one or more so maybe its ok.
But I would recommend fewer next time.

We also had them click to the big view to download. Given we want them
small on the map we could have them download the thumbnail instead.

Right click to download image
This was very hard for the kids. They weren't aware of two buttons and
didn't know their right from their left.

The also have a hard time with the count down and the ok. They miss it.

As mentioned in previous report we need a way to share files directly
into student journals.

Going to turtle art
Hadn't gotten the concept of different activities yet. Hard time
getting to the frame. hard time remembering they needed to click on
the single dot.

Buttons and a lesson that introduces the concept of activities will be helpful.

Using the show block to get the image into turtle art

The file name picasso downloaded is long and nonuseful. Having a
better way to get the images into the journal would help with this.
Sometimes they click on a turtle art icon rather then an image, this
results in a picture of the turtle art activity being displayed. So it
sort of works.  We need to teach more about what activities are and
how the journal works.

BUG: journal does not show a preview of the downloaded image.

The kids are also still struggling with X and Y. Now that we have
collaboration working we can give them a turtle art instance with an X
and Y coordinate and practice explicitly with that skill.

Our plans are:
- Thursday we are working with a turtle art clock program
- Tuesday we will create a turtle art with a coordinate system in it
and share it with the class and work with that and printing out the X
and Y.  Then we will do another pass of putting more pictures on the
map.

Overall its going well and the teachers are pleased. We are
challenging the kids but they are staying engaged and learning. They
are picking up on the culture of helping each other.  The novelty of
the computers and turtle has worn off a bit but they are still very
engaged in what they are trying to do and create.  Everyone stayed
engaged and made progress.

They really enjoyed seeing their pictures.  The joy we take for
granted, getting to look at your pictures all on your own screen,
switching between pictures whenever you are ready, completely under
your control, I think that isn't something these 7 year olds get very
often.

I see evidence for the theory of action that using computers to create
artifacts that are relevant to their life and that they are proud of
will engage children and result in them continuing to try when they
might otherwise give up and that continued effort and engagement, even
when confronted with initial difficulties, will result in increased
learning.

-- 
Caroline Meeks
Solution Grove
Caroline at SolutionGrove.com

617-500-3488 - Office
505-213-3268 - Fax