Digital+Collaboration+Page

** Comptines en Folie ** __Technology standards addressed__: 3.B.1.a and c 3: Technology for learning and collaboration B. collaboration 1. use and explain how technology tools encourage collaboration a. use technology tools to work collaboratively within the classroom c. participate as part of a class in online collaborative projects or information exchanges

4.A.1.b 4: Technology for communication and expression A. Communication 1. Use technology for communication b. Use technology tools identified by the teacher to communicate with various audiences

__Description__: The project started out as a language arts lesson. The objective was to compose a poem to express personal ideas using the strategies of an effective writer (prewriting, drafting, revising, and editing). The task required the students to pay attention to all aspects of language, from grammar and usage to spelling and handwriting. They also had to find rhyming words.

Then, I scanned the poems and uploaded them into VoiceThread, after which the students had the opportunity to review their peers' work and comment on it.

__Reflection__: The students enjoyed participating in the project, asking questions of, and giving their opinion and advice to their fellow poets.

VoiceThread seems best suited to an exchange of ideas with individuals or groups outside the classroom. Within a classroom, there are easier ways for students to exchange ideas and collaborate. An exchange with a class in a francophone country, for example, in the case of RGFIS, could be particularly fruitful: The children would be in contact with a different culture and educational system (possibly with different standards and objectives); they could get valuable comments about their French language skills. In this case, the students were able to see and comment on the work of students from other classes within our school because the third grade is departmentalized at RGFIS. They welcomed the opportunity to work with peers with whom they normally only interact at recess.

I welcome the chance to save my students' work as a living document to use as a model with future students.

On the other hand, the use of VoiceThread can be made difficult by the lack of in-class computers, the lack of time to use the computer lab, and the fact that the students cannot access it at home because they cannot have their own account.

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