Classroom Applications
Check out what our team has been doing in the classroom!
#Myerstigers listened to a retelling of “The 3 Billy Goats Gruff,” then built bridges- complete with 3 goats and a troll under the bridge!
Map skills with a map of our classroom using Google Drawings!
Students excited about the new set of KEVA blocks! So many challenges!
3D Printing
Librarians Therese Coyne (Vassar) and Jennifer Lindner (Sheafe Rd) developed a 3D printing project that incorporates all components of ST(r)EAM. Third grade students researched Snowflake Bentley, a photographer who studied snowflakes, as well as the science behind how snow crystals are formed. Students completed various activities to better understand symmetry and then applied their new knowledge to the design process. They had a chance to use 3D design software to create a snowflake that was printed for students to bring home.
If interested in learning more about this project or how you can implement with your students, please email a technology integration specialist.
Interactive Display using Makey Makey
Librarian Aileen Basuljevic (Van Wyck) has created a quilt to celebrate Black History month every year since a project nearly 8 years ago. The original quilt included work from three grade levels and still hangs in the lobby of the school. It is a nice remembrance of a project’s origination. However, with growing interests in adding ST(r)EAM activities to the library, she and I knew this year was the perfect time to reinvent the project and together we created an interactive quilt using a Makey Makey, a device that turns everyday objects into touchpads.
Students of Mrs. Santos and Ms. Walsh researched constellations, famous conductors, and secret codes embedded in quilts that led fugitive slaves to the north using the underground railroad. They measured and cut felt to create quilt blocks with the secret codes and recorded their research about the conductor. Students used Scratch to code the recordings to work with a Makey Makey so when touching the quilt, it becomes interactive.
If you are interested in learning more about this project or how you can create a project choice that involves a level of interactivity using a Makey Makey while teaching students about circuits and conductivity, please email a technology integration specialist.
Breakout EDU
Have you heard about Breakout EDU? Breakout EDU kits can turn your classroom into an escape room where players use teamwork and critical thinking to solve academically-focused puzzles in order to open a locked box. These escape-room type experiences can also be created digitally using Google Sites and Forms. Cherylynn Said (5th grade, Oak Grove) used a digital Breakout to teach the C3 Inquiry Unit on the Declaration of Independence. Students worked through a series of puzzles to unlock different locks and achieve the objectives of the unit.
Librarians at each school have access to the Breakout EDU kits for a physical escape room or you can contact a technology integration specialist to create your own virtual Breakout experience for your students.
Writing for a Wider Audience
The past few years, the WCSD technology integration team offered an inservice called Blogging in the Classroom. After the course, a few teachers decided to work on implementing a blogging requirement with their students. Christine Furnia (7th grade, VW), Nicole Cuadrado (8th grade, VW), and Kathleen Licari (2nd grade, Vassar) are among those teachers. When asked about their experience blogging, Christine Furnia had nothing but positives to say. Ms. Furnia said, “I was in awe of the wide variety of interests the students have and the activities they are involved in at such a young age. The amazing talents and skills the students possess was impressive and inspiring, to me, and to their peers. Blogging gives them an outlet to share their passions.” I had a chance to interview a few students about their thoughts regarding the requirement. The maturity and metacognition they expressed during this brief interview is something I never would have suspected would come about from this requirement. I was particularly moved by the parent-student relationship that evolved as a result of the students’ blogs.
My goal in supporting teachers with having students blog was to motivate students to write, but I never imagined the true impact it has had on Ms. Furnia’s students. I applaud Ms. Furnia and the other WCSD teachers who have begun blogging with their students. Their commitment to providing authentic experiences for students to reach a wider audience is to be recognized.
If interested in implementing student blogs with your class, reach out to a technology integration specialist.
Virtual Reality/ Augmented Reality
Virtual and Augmented Reality has grown in popularity in the past few years. With Google Expeditions becoming widely accessible in K-12 schools, some teachers in Wappingers have designed lessons to enhance the learning experience of their students. Monica Schor (Art, Evans), Renae Vena and Paula Boshart (6th grade, Brinckerhoff), Kristine Hyland (5th grade, Brinckerhoff), and Kathleen Licari (2nd grade, Vassar) all have created lessons utilizing virtual reality to deepen students' understanding of concepts.
If interested in designing a learning experience utilizing virtual or augmented reality, please contact a technology integration specialist.
Coding in the Content Areas
Many of our WCSD teachers are working with technology integration specialists to infuse coding activities within their workshop models to provide students with first hand experience with writing algorithms, while at the same time, supporting the classroom curriculum. Lessons in CVC words, story sequencing, mapping skills, the water cycle, navigating the library, and coordinate graphing (to name a few) have been designed, and we are eager to share ideas with other teachers across the district who might also be interested in teaching your students to code. The benefits of teaching kids to code are countless. From problem-solving to sequential thinking to peer collaboration, the teachers who have been coding with their students are seeing benefits that far outreach what you would typically think of with coding. WCSD sees the benefits of learning to code at a young age and has purchased several devices to support their understanding of coding concepts.
If interested in learning how you can including coding lessons to support your curriculum, please contact your technology integration specialist.