Using Technology to Capture Thinking

An Otonga Junior School teacher (Delanie Fisher) confidently utilises the power of recorded voice to capture and share her students thinking (which is in turn shared on their class blog)

 

The same teacher above users Wallwisher to share the children's thinking.
Wallwisher can be used 

• before a discussion (unit/concept/learning opportunity) to gather prior knowledge, or to share questions, personal experiences or wonderings.
• during a discussion (unit/concept/learning opportunity) to share children's thinking, "I want to find out......" "I need to find out more about........."
• After a discussion (unit/concept/learning opportunity) e.g. I use to think, now I think.

Created with Wallwisher

Using animation to make thinking visible is a fun and memorable way to make the learning stick!



A Year One class at Kawaha Point School used Youblisher to present the children's thinking and this was then shared via their class blog.

  Click on the cover below to be taken to the book 

Using the online tool Pizap to share the learners discoveries. The teacher may have chosen to (obviously this would depend on how 'child centred' or teacher driven the activity was (this is the key.......whose thinking is it?)

• Show the class/group a photo of her pantry
• Walked the group over to the staffroom/canteen pantry
• Shown a photo from an online source (via the data projector/ipad etc)
• Asked the children to take a photo of their own pantry at home

Many teachers and classrooms I work in use software programmes such as 'Comic Life' to show understanding (often after an activity using photographs - see below, used to support procedural text). 

What about using it 

• To Predict (What will happen when.....if.....)
• To sequence (eg What do you think we will have to do first.......then?)
• To show thinking across a group (this is especially easy using the iPad App and great for supporting the Key Competencies too. I have had children use a Drawing App, take a screenshot of it then use this instead of a 'photo').

Using green screening is a popular way to place our learners into an environment they may not necessarily have been (eg On the Moon, In a Lion's mouth! etc). This is a great way to support creative writing as well as learning a raft of computer skills. Until recent years Mac users were at a distinct advantage with the option of 'Instant Alpha' but now with the advent of VERY simple to use online tools such as Pizap (add a cutout option) even 5 year olds can green screen fluently in very little time (as can be seen below). Imagine the thinking taking place for each one of these learners, the rich language (discussing Weather, Rainbow's, Colours, Cause and Effect). The next step for this class was to add voice to their project with the children sharing their thinking (I was just there a little too soon).