For the past two days my classes have been involved in a project over the Industrial Revolution. We are doing some of the usuals such as discussion, notes, and even a foldable over the major inventions. However, this year, I've added a new element to the mix. The students are using our iTouch lab and an app for Audioboo to create "boo's". Boo's are simply a recording that the students make using the iTouch.
Check out this short video on Audioboo.
The process is so stinkin' simple! We had already downloaded the free app on each iTouch. I also made sure that every teacher in my department had created an Audioboo account. The students then pull up the app in class, make sure they are logged into my account on Audioboo, and simply record their thoughts. They next publish, title, and upload their "Boo".
I had a prepared set of questions that students answered on their iTouch. For example: "How did the cotton gin actually lead to an increase in slavery?" or "How was the telegraph significant to American life?".
I had a student ask, "why don't we just stand up and tell the class our answers"? There are several answers that I gave him. For one, I wanted the students to practice using the iTouch for a future major project. I also told the students that I would play their responses to other classes. So it was like they had a partner helping them from every class. Plus it was just a nice way to get all students to answer questions rather than those same three kids that always raise their hands.
I would highly recommend getting whoever controls your technology budget to look into buying at least a few iTouches. There are so many apps out there, and it is a way to bring the computer lab to you.
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Oh yeah, and apologies for any punctuation errors in this post. I can't ever remember if the question mark goes inside or outside of the quotation marks.