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How I use Technology to Teach

...with tasks that can be fun and engaging.

CAVEAT

None of these tools are new. You have probably used them or heard of them.The question is, have they been used to create authentic learning or are they forced? Can they be improved upon?

This particular group of students have taken to IT like fish to water. Dr Sugata Mitra's project "Hole in the Wall" addresses this innate ability of children to learn on their own! I  hardly set up my classroom blog and the kids are already posting comments, commenting on their friends' posts and embedding pictures. I taught them nothing. Just gave them their passwords. "Hey kids! Slow down will ya? I need to TEACH you bloggin' rules first!:" :)

"Nah", they probably mutter under their breaths..."Just show us what to do and we'll figure out how."
Activity one : Hero Hunting

How do we show recognition of heroes? What do we do to remember their deeds and celebrate them?
On Heroes of Hyderabad , a link on google map, look for streets, buildings, parks, hospitals,colleges that have been named after heroic personalities. Save each place on the map so that others  have to find new ones.

View Heroes of Hyderabad in a larger map
Activity two: Data Collection


Fill up the form and analyse the data received as a whole class.




I asked the students to fill up the form. I extended the invitation to the school community and have had a wonderful response so far. I plan to post the link of the the twitter column  #commentsforkids and see if we get some feedback from there.

The whole class can then analyse the data and appreciate how different people have diferent heroes because of what they value and believe. A direct link to the central idea.

This I have been doing during the holidays to while away the hours in my hotel room.(yes, not a very inspiring place to be in.) It dawned on me that I could do this with the kids too:

Activity three: Create a cartoon

Use Toondo. Find three most important quotes of your hero that identifies who s/he is and what  s/he stands for.




Heroes

Any suggestions for improvement are welcome.


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Comments

  1. AnonymousSeptember 8, 2011 at 8:03 AM

    Great to see you've made such a wonderful impact so soon!

    ReplyDelete

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