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Creating Inclusive Classrooms Using Multiple Intelligences and iPads
Mme Isaac and Mrs. Millar from École Charleswood School in Winnipeg, Manitoba are working with their grade 7 students to create inclusive classrooms that are strength-based and welcoming to ALL students. Please read Mme Isaac's description below:
An inclusive classroom is such an important factor in creating an atmosphere that is welcoming to ALL students. We, as a class, felt that it was crucial to take action and make sure that all lessons and all activities were accessible to our students, regardless of the way that they learn, or their strengths or challenges. We want our classroom to be a model for all teachers in our school. We want to be recognized as a diverse and welcoming community of learners where everyone is valued.
We know that technology can play a huge role in scaffolding and in making learning accessible to all, so we decided to explore the applications available to use on the iPad. Our students created a website that will serve as a bank of resources for apps that could be used to access all multiple intelligences. They created a page for each of the multiple intelligences where they provided a little bit of detail about the app, and then followed the information with some student based reviews of the app.
This website will become more and more detailed as the year goes on. Two classes compiled this information, and these two classes (one core English class and one French immersion class) will be responsible for the continuation of the project. Ideally, by September a full list of apps will be ready to unveil to the rest of the staff to use as a resource for all classes in the school. Our students wanted to make a change, and they are well on their way with their interest in making their classrooms more diverse and welcoming to all.
You can view their website at: www.multipleintelligencesandtheipad.weebly.com
Okodakchiyapi: First Steps to Friendship through Technology
Mrs. Caldwell and her Junior and Senior Kindergarten classes (from Oak Lake Community School in Oak Lake, Manitoba) have been collaborating with the Sioux Valley School Kindergarten class to get to know one another, become friends, and learn from each other. They created a video to share what they have been doing. Please see Mrs. Caldwell’s description of the video below:
Told in the words of the kindergarten students themselves, this simple video describes a two-year collaborative kindergarten project between Sioux Valley School and Oak Lake Community School. In addition to curricular outcomes and LwICT descriptors, tolerance, understanding, and Dakota language and culture were targeted in this friendship project.
You can view the video at: http://youtu.be/sQwE6jm56_w
Allez technologie!
Mme Lebrun and her grade 2/3 class at École Macneill in Dauphin, Manitoba are excited about how they are using technology to support and enhance their learning. They have written a song in both English and French and share their song with the students at their school.
Hero Home - Local to Global
Mrs. MacKay and her grade 4/5 class at Stevenson-Britannia school in Winnipeg, Manitoba are fundraising to support the building of Hero Home, a school in Tanzania. Please see Mrs. MacKay’s description below:
With our partnership with GO! (Global Opportunities International), we started talking about what we want the world to be like and then we made a video of the local and global initiatives we are working on to accompany the song - It Starts With Me!
Hero Home is a school in Tanzania that we are helping to fundraise money to support. We hope our video brings a lot of exposure about Hero Home and encourages others to be the "spark that starts it all"!
You can view the video at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rAW80VRm6tg&feature=youtu.be
Social Justice and Environmental Issues
M. Couture and his grade 8 students at École Golden Gate School in Winnipeg, Manitoba have been busy learning about and getting involved in social justice and environmental issues. The students were given a selection of topics to pick from to create a project that they would share with their classmates at their school. They researched their topics and created presentations to share their learning. They decided to share their presentations on Digital We to get their messages of change and hope to a wider audience. Please find each group’s description of their presentation below.
Child labour – by Chantal, Danielle & Haydn
“We made this video because we think that all children around the world should be treated equally and shouldn’t be forced to work. When we heard that children under 15 most work instead of going to school, we wanted to make a difference. We thought that if we were forced to work to live it would feel like adults don’t value us. Adults use their children and their family and order them to work.
Some children younger than us are making the toys or even the clothes that we are wearing! How can you buy goods when you know that little children were forced to make them? After viewing our film, I hope that you will think twice before shopping for what you need in the stores we are talking about. They also use children for farming or even prostitution, they take students even younger than 10 for prostitution.
How can adults destroy such a young student’s life? If you think that we need to stop child labour, tell all your friends and family so that everyone knows what is going on everywhere around the world, everyday.”
The New Golden Gate - by Mary-Clare and Tabitha
The New Golden Gate - by Mary-Clare and Tabitha
"We decided to create a video about ways we can change/help the world because we feel that lots of people are inconsistent in their attempts to try to help the world. We thought if we made a video and posted it on your blog, maybe people would think before they do something that’s bad for the environment."
Poverty – by Meryll and Val
“We did our project on poverty because there is lots of people whom are greedy and don’t think that other people don’t have the means to buy things that we can such as food, clothes, appropriate medication and clean water.”
IPads & iPods vs Books & Magazines: Trash Can vs Recycling Bin – by Chayse & Tylen
“We made this video because there are people who throw out their water bottles in a trash can instead of the recycling bin. Another reason why we made this video is that after a person is done reading books, he or she throws them out in the trash can instead of keeping them or a good way to not waste them - give them to a friend to read. After reading books we want people to buy iPad or iPod to read books because they don’t waste paper this way.”
Recycling game – by Thomas & Chris
“We made a game to show that not all things should go in a trash can and that you should put garbage where it belongs.
We decided on the subject of recycling because we wanted to make a video game and we thought of a game like this one. It was difficult to start the game since we knew very little about this program. After a few classes we had discovered a lot about the program. It was a fun game to make and a fun game to play.”
Lack of Education Opportunities – by Dru & Sarah
“We made a movie to give information about the lack of opportunity for basic education to children in the world to our class and our school. We chose this topic because we think that it’s not fair that children cannot go to school or do not have an appropriate school. We want to try to make a difference in the lives of children around the world. We hope that in a few years all children can go to school like us.”
Saving water – by Jesse and Graham
“In this short movie, J. and G. show how the world can save water in a funny way. J. is Sargent Olinyk and G. is Sargent Lalonde. We offer two easy steps so people from every age can start saving water.”
Starving children – by Nerisse & Jacquelyn
“We are presenting a video about the starving children. Starvation has been a problem for hundreds of years and no one has ever changed this huge problem during all this time, so, can we? There are 1.02 billion people starving and 27% of them are children younger than five and do you know that one out of three persons die from malnutrition? Now, you can see that the situation is really serious and dangerous and that is why we picked this subject. We know we could make a difference in the World if we pass this message.”
The children without a voice – by Hope & Ava
“In our movie, we talk about the children without a voice. We chose to talk about this social injustice because we were inspired by the We Day presentation. We thought that if we create a movie that we can make a difference by showing our film to lots of people.
We want to put this film on the school TV screen, Youtube (if we are granted the permission J) and through the Digital We website. Our movie shows different ways to help the children who don’t have freedom to tell what is happening to them. We created the scenarios for this very important cause.
The websites we used are:
Running water - by Coral
“I decided to create a video about the shortage of running water on the reserves because it is a problem here, now. If there is a big problem with a simple solution in our country, there is more motivation to solve it.
I was made aware of this problem learning about Métis. When I researched the subject, I discovered that on many reserves, there is a great shortage of water and that clean water is only available through a very long daily walk. I was shocked when I discovered this. It is so unfair! It is horrible and there is no reason.
That is why I created this video that explains everything one should know to help. There is also three ways to help stop this problem. I hope that upon viewing, you become more aware of the things around you.”
Earth’s Hero – by Noah, Josh & Liam
“We created a game about recycling and what you should recycle. You have to save your primary character from the trash can or the recycling. And if you put the wrong thing into the wrong place, they continue to chase you. The goal of the game is to teach to people to recycle things correctly and that not all things should go in the trash can. We already put the game on the Scratch website so that everyone can play. They can play on the website or they can download the game on their computer.”
Global Warming – by Sophie and Renée
“We picked this subject because it is an interesting subject. We saw that there is not a lot of snow, we want to do something for this problem. We created a video so that people can see and realize that it is a big problem. Our video is about global warming. It starts with a video of the normal life of animals. The video continues, there is a comparison of the two lives of animals and how humans can help global warming.”
The Labour of Children – by Natalie & Claire
“We made a video on the labour of children. The labour of children, it’s a big problem in the World and if we don’t help, it will affect a lot more than just children.
In the video, we made a news show for the CBC. We made a video about the labour of children because we heard lots of stories on TV and around the World and we want to change this problem.
We Can Stop Climate Change!
Ms. Bees and her grade 7 students at École Golden Gate School in Winnipeg, Manitoba are teaching their classmates and parents about climate change. Please see Ms. Bees’s description below:
The students of 7E1 were given the job of teaching others about climate change using digital media. The presentations they created will be displayed at a parent's night and around the school to teach people about the effects of climate change and what people can do to address climate change.
Bullying Inquiry Project
Mr. Alcock and his grade 5 students at Linden Meadows School in Winnipeg, Manitoba are working to promote a safer and friendlier school environment and world. Please see Mr. Alcock’s description of their inquiry project below:
“For the past two months, our class has been involved in an intensive inquiry unit about bullying. We started with a class novel study using the book, The Revealers by Doug Wilhelm. We explored the theme of bullies through questioning, research, class discussions, literature responses and finally through our inquiry "action" projects. On our Anti-Bullying wiki you will find our digital projects that showcase what we have learned and the various messages of anti-bullying we are promoting throughout our school. We are sharing these messages with the students at our school to promote a better world and a safer, friendlier school environment!”
You can visit their Anti-Bullying Wiki at: http://5abullyinginquiryproject.pbworks.com/w/page/53122499/5a%20Bullying%20Project
A Timeline of Help
Ms. Drzystek and her Humanitarian Club students at East Selkirk Middle School in Selkirk, Manitoba have been spending a lot of time and energy this year helping others locally and globally . Please see their presentation description below:
“Our presentation tells the story of what our school has done in the past and present and what we still want to do to help people both locally and globally.”
You can view their presentation at: http://prezi.com/0hw4bo73gtpi/copy-of-digital-we/?auth_key=58f35db6c2472c08b7edaf278d10fe38b09a0d55
Bully Busters
Ms. Wyant and her grade 5 students at Linden Meadows School in Winnipeg, Manitoba are sharing their bully busting messages with their school. Please see Mr. Alcock’s description of their inquiry project below:
“Our class has been doing an intensive inquiry project on the theme of bullying for the past two months. We read a class novel study called The Revealers by Doug Wilhelm. We also did literature circles with picture books on the theme of bullying. After lots of reading, writing, discussing and researching, we created our own digital projects to promote the message of "anti-bullying" in our school. We have compiled our projects in the form of a wiki! Please enjoy!”
