Students in Mrs. Schlosser’s class used QR codes, iPads, and videos to explore Jamestown! It was an adaptation of the geocaching activity I did with students last year. This time, instead of finding boxes in the school yard with questions in them (it was way too cold), students scanned QR codes placed in the halls of the school. The QR codes asked questions, and students used videos loaded on the iPads from HistoryIsFun.org to answer them. We did learn it was important to spread the QR codes far enough a part so that student groups didn’t feel crowded by other groups. They all had fun and learned about Jamestown too!
Archives: iTunes U
Great Ready-to-Go K-5 iPad Units on iTunes U!
Have you checked out the courses lately in iTunes University? The teachers at Boyne City Schools have been busy. They have created a wide variety of iTunes U Courses on subjects that are suitable for elementary schools. If you haven’t taken a look, make sure you do! These courses contain activities using video, audio, ibooks, and apps. They also include project based activities. You do need an iPad or iPod Touch to really use these courses. Here are a few of my favorite:
- Penguins
- Bats! Bats! Bats!
- Balto
- Energy
- Poetry
- Exploring Nonfiction
- Solar System
- Ecosystem
- The One and Only Ivan
- Underground Railroad
- Indian in the Cupboard
- Fantastic Fungus
- Creative Writing
- Tuck Everlasting
- Regions of the United States
And I love their course for teachers and principals on Flipping Professional Development!
Take a look at the news article about students using these courses in class. But don’t worry, you don’t need your students to have their very own iPads (thought it would be SO nice if they did). These lessons would still work great with the carts we have.
Boyne City is in Michigan, so they are using Common Core Standards. That means that some of these units might work for other grade levels in Virginia than indicated.
If you are a teacher at one of my schools and would like to use any part of these courses with your students, let me know. I’ll make sure the course is loaded on the iPads at your school!