In the last post I shared how I would engage 3rd graders in activating their prior knowledge about the ocean by creating, posting, and responding to videos on Flipgrid. Today I am going to continue deeper into the 3rd grade Ocean Unit and share how I would use the multimedia tool of Google Expeditions to engage learners. Google Expeditions is an app that can be downloaded on Android or Apple devices. Information about the expeditions including a spreadsheet of all the Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality content can be found on this site: https://edu.google.com/products/vr-ar/expeditions/?modal_active=none
Students can explore the various expeditions with a Virtual Reality headset or simply with their phone or tablet. Virtual Reality allows students to go places they would be unable to go and engages them through a multi-sensory approach. The references below share additional reasons for using Virtual Reality and ways to use this approach to support learning.
Higgin, T. (2018). Five Research-Based Ways to Use VR for Learning. Retrieved from https://www.commonsense.org/education/articles/what-the-research-says-about-vr-in-classrooms
McCann, A. (2018). 10 Reasons to Use Virtual Reality in the Classroom. Retrieved fromhttps://www.teachthought.com/technology/10-reasons-use-virtual-reality-classroom/
In the ocean unit the students will read about the ecosystem of the ocean including the text “Giant Squid” by Mary M. Cerullo and Clyde F. E. Roper which shares information about the Giant Squid and other related sea creatures as well as how scientists learned about this mollusk. There is a Google Virtual Reality Expedition entitled Giants of the Sea that allows students to gain information and see a model of both the Giant Squid and its only predator the Sperm Whale. This interactive visual experience will give students some initial information about the Giant Squid prior to reading the text. There is a guide that comes with each expedition that includes an overview and guiding questions that the teacher can use to support student thinking as they engage in the experience. Prior to starting the Expedition, I would share the introductory paragraph both on the interactive whiteboard and aloud. I would then post the three guiding questions on the interactive whiteboard and in Google classroom for students to respond to as they participate in this activity.
As part of this unit I will have students research a sea creature so I plan to model how to gather information from the text to create an infographic about the Giant Squid. We will use both the information from the Expedition and the information from reading the text to create the Giant Squid infographic together using the Piktochart application. Infographics are a great way to break down complex information into smaller pieces with visual support. They can be used by the teacher as a way to share information with students and by the students as a way to share their learning. More information about using infographics to support instruction can be found through the references below.
Stoermer, C. (2015). Using Infographics in the Classroom. Retrieved fromhttps://www.wright.edu/center-for-teaching-and-learning/blog/article/using-infographics-in-the- classroom
Vogelsinger, B. (2014). Inventing Infographics: Visual Literacy Meets Written Content. Retrieved from https://www.edutopia.org/blog/infographics-visual-literacy-written-content-brett-vogelsinger
I decided to use an infographic as it can be easily formatted as a note-catcher type tool to support student research and writing. I decided to use a Piktochart because you can sign in through Google which allows for easy access for both the teacher and his/her students. The link for the Piktochart application is https://piktochart.com/
This application is also very easy to use even in the free option. The user chooses a background and then adds a title, pictures, and text boxes which is very similar to how you might create a PowerPoint Slide. This format also mimics what students would see in an information text like the text we would be reading in this unit. The titles, subtitles, pictures, and potential captions are all text features that the students would be learning about. By creating a Piktochart together, I am guiding students through both the use of these features and how to structure information gleaned from the text. I have attached a copy of the Sea Creature Infographic Piktochart which describes the necessary information that will be part of each infographic. I have also attached a Giant Squid Piktochart which is a sample of what the students and I would be creating together using the information they learned about Giant Squids.
After we have created our group Piktochart then students will work in groups of two to research another sea creature. Students would be assigned a Google Expedition based on the creature they are researching. Some example Augmented Reality Expeditions are The Ocean Floor, A Closer Look at Sharks, and the Ecosystem of a Coral Reef. Students would also read various text in hard copy and online to learn more about their sea creatures. They would then create a Piktochart for their creature using the same format we used for the Giant Squid infographic. Each pair of students would share their Piktochart in Google classroom to gain feedback from their classmates and their teacher. After the Piktocharts are revised and finalized, each student would upload them in their ePortfolo for their parents to see and give feedback as well. We would also print them to display visually in the classroom.
The use of Virtual and Augmented Reality through Google Expeditions engages the student visually and emerges them in the environment of their chosen sea creature. Allowing students to determine the sea creature they will study from a list of options gives them choice based on their interests. I would also strategically group the students to ensure that at least one student in each pair has a strength in linguistic intelligence and one has a strength in spatial intelligence. This will be important as they work to research their animal and create the Piktochart. The visual nature of the Piktochart as well as the ability to chunk the assignment into small pieces based on the components of the graphic will support struggling learners. All of these examples address the learner as an individual with various strengths and needs which is why this approach to learning is very student centered.
Please share how you utilize multi-media tools and graphic/visual organizers to support student learning.
