Student Documentation

Sometimes it is just about putting the right tools in their hands.

This year I wanted to focus on having the children start to document their own work. We now have three ipads as well as a classroom camera. I have noticed such a huge change in the way the children have been using the tools. I made them available to them but did not prompt them to use them, prefering instead to just observe and see what they did.

At first the children were very interested in taking photos with the iPads. Not only do they take pictures but without a suggestion from me are deleting ones that are blurry or ones they don't like. We can all learn a lesson from that move! They were mostly using them to capture light images in science at first. They then experimented with video, again mostly in science, recording phenomena that they noticed or had questions about.

Recently, this has changed. The class just compeleted individual or small group projects investigating a science concept of their own interest. Two groups decided to share their work through the creation of a video. They spent time figuring out how to keep the camera still, how to get the best shots and how to keep the audience interested. When shared, the class loved them.

During this sharing two other children decided, on their own to document all the presentations. Holding the camera still is still an issue but they are thinking hard about lighting, positioning and what to capture. They asked permission of their classmates to document before starting to film.

I am seeing all these things that I had intended to teach, yet they are already beyond the basics. They easily use the equipment as tools, with respect to both their classmates and the machines.

This week we re-embarked on our project about the trash in Richmond. We took a field trip off campus armed with about 4 cameras and two iPads. One student filmed us while we walked, capturing snippets of talking as well as the walk and the litter itself.  Lots of pictures were taken. When we returned the class, the children uploaded their pictures, chose and edited them to their satisfaction. Discovering by themselves how to crop and style the pictures.

  

During discussions I usually am the notetaker. As Susan and Anna had been with us on the walk, Anna led, and Susan documented the discussion. One of the students had an ipad with them and was also taking notes on the discussion. Thus encouraged, another student started writing the main points of the discussion on the board. It is still up there for us all to refer to.

I am so amazed at how the simple addtion of new, yet simple tools have so encourgaged the children to take charge in documenting their own learning.