Skype with Jennifer Nielsen

On Monday, January 25, the Boone Middle School seventh graders listened to the final chapter of the book, A NIGHT DIVIDED.  This would seem to be an ordinary reading class activity, however this was far from ordinary.  It was extraordinary.  The author, Jennifer Nielsen,  actually read the final chapter of the book to the seventh graders via Skype while sitting in her office in Utah. After reading, the students had a chance to ask Jennifer questions about her book and her writing process.  What a great way to show students how we can connect to others all over the country.

Digital ABC Presentations

Elementary students in Boone are using Google apps to enhance learning in many ways.  These third graders demonstrated their learning about agriculture by creating Google Slides presentations. Similar to a traditional ABC book, their presentations had 26 slides representing the letters of the alphabet. Each slide displayed an agricultural term and related fact.

One advantage of digital presentations is the ability to share with a wider audience than traditional paper and pencil projects. These students were excited about presenting their learning this way!

Presentation tools in Math Class

At the end of the first semester, the 8th graders created a presentation to show their learning in math class.  They had to make a list of the Top 10 most important concepts learned over the course of the semester.  The students could choose any presentation tool they wished.

Math Project Weebly

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Do You Want to Build a Snowman? Engaging Tools in Geometry

One of the many great benefits of technology in schools is the way it can support and increase student engagement. Students in Andrea Gansen's geometry classes have recently had opportunities to use their Chromebooks in class to get them engaged and interacting both with the material and with each other.

First, students often begin class by answering a question on Formative, a site that teachers can use to quickly and efficiently gather information on student understanding. Students can respond to multiple choice and open-ended questions, but in geometry they have been taking advantage of Formative's capability for responses in the form of drawings. Once students submit their responses, Mrs. Gansen can post them (with or without names) for the class to see. Students can view solutions from everyone and compare how their method might be different from their classmates'. Mrs. Gansen also gets a quick snapshot of each of her students' understanding, which she can then use to design further instruction.

Another engaging tool students use in geometry is GeoGebra, an interactive program where students can construct and manipulate geometric elements like points, segments, lines, polygons, etc. According to its website, "Teachers and students can use GeoGebra to make conjectures and to understand how to prove geometric theorems." Mrs. Gansen's students first explored the tool and its functions by using it to create snowmen drawings. Once they were familiar with how GeoGebra works, they used it to examine the concepts of congruence and transformation.

Chromebooks in orchestra

Can Chromebooks be used in Orchestra?  At Boone Middle School, the 7th and 8th graders are doing just that. The students use the practice files that the teacher created with a music notation program. The teacher shared the practice files through the students' Google Drive.