This week, I chose to develop a few lessons about the United States. I didn't choose this topic because thought it was the most interesting I could teach, but to demonstrate there is more to America than hot dogs and Donald Trump.
I use to be shocked how aware these 11 and 12 year olds were about the US government's decisions. A week later, I've seen President Trump on the news, here in NZ, almost nightly...my shock turned into just more eye rolls.
Good thing I'm a pro at turning heavier topics into fun engaging lessons with the help of technology!
I began by surveying who had heard of QR codes (almost everyone) versus Plickers (*cricket cricket*). Many of you know QR codes (or could recognize by the picture below), but maybe only 2 of your know how to use Plickers. Thankfully, you're in luck! I have some videos and pictures to go along with my lesson to help demonstrate how I effectively enhanced my social studies lesson with technology!
Breaking the class into two groups, I was able to work directly with a smaller group using Plickers, while the digital natives dispersed and checked out the different QR Codes I hid around the room. This allowed me to introduce this tech tool to a smaller group of students and also keep an eye on the others as they worked independently with the QR Codes.
Plickers
Introduced to me a few years ago, Plickers is the new, quick way of taking a survey.
Each student is given a card with a unique visual code specifically with a number assigned to their name (generated through the computer to record student accuracy). The code is labeled by its 4 sides, each side lettered A, B, C, or D.
Then, I present a question, where each student holds the card so that the letter they choose as the right answer is at the top of their card.
To record their answers, I use the Plickers app on my iPhone to scan each of the student's visual codes. The app recognizes the correct answer, records which "numbers" (or students) were correct or incorrect, and displays the data in chart form.
Therefore, instead of using the curriculum-provided powerpoint, I used the same exact questions to input into my Plickers app and ask the students using their Plicker cards. This created a sense of competition and deeper engagement in not only basing your decision on when majority of the students raise their hand for the correct answer, but requires a more autonomous choice.
While I was surprised by the drastic change in the lack of correct answers, it made me reflect how truly affective this tool is in the classroom. One week students are relying on each other for the right answers, and now, by the implementation on this single tool, students need to rely on themselves to choose the correct answer.
QR Codes
For all my not-as-tech-savvy readers, here's a reminder of what a QR code look like and is used for. You've probably seen them around grocery stores, your local library, schools,
and even your office. A QR code allows for a single click of the camera button instead of typing in 438420 characters to access a website. However, in education, teachers love QR codes because it can include an element of surprise, making the classroom fun!
That being said, QR codes were a simple way I could integrate technology into my own lesson of teaching my students about the United States. With only 28 students, I linked about 35 states to QR codes I then posted around the room. The students were instructed to "travel to" as many states as they could and think about which two they wanted to learn more about. New York, California, and Hawaii being the obvious popular choices, I decided to challenge the students to choose states they've never heard of (or couldn't even pronounce).
"Miss Tessarolo, where's Las Vegas? I don't see that state?"
"Wait, aren't there 52 states?"
"Miss, how do you say the really long...Mastachewstets?"
"Where can I eat the best pizza?"
Once the students decided which state they wanted to learn more about, each student stuck the state QR code on the white board with their signature so I could record which states my lovely kiwi kids would be ~traveling~ to this next month.
While I wasn't able to snap many pictures since I was facilitating the Plickers, I witnessed these students become genuinely curious about the different fifty states without focusing on President Trump or what was in an "American" hot dog. I was extremely pleased with how the beginning of this unit had played out and it was only lesson one!
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