Mystery Skype

            Mystery skype is just as exciting as it sounds! It is possible through the Skype technologies and allows your students to interview and talk to important people relevant to their curriculum. The mystery skype is similar to Guess Who, the students ask yes or no questions to figure out where the Skyper is located and who they are. The students can Skype authors of their favorite books, people across the world, and even other classrooms. The teacher sets up the mystery skype and knows who and where they are, but does not share this information with the class. For example, she might choose someone from a country or region that they have been learning about. The guest might talk about their culture and weather as the students determine where they are.

            While a Mystery Skype is happening it is crucial for the teacher to have strict classroom management or the situation could easily get out of control. In order for this to happen, she must have created jobs for each cooperative group. These groups will collaborate with one another, as well as in their own groups, to complete their tasks. One group might be in charge of the map. They would take in the information about the location of the Skyper, and feed questions about the next possible location. Students must collaborate with one another for this to run smoothly. While reading the map, the students must work together to determine the next move as one. They must agree and work well together.

            Mystery Skype is all about communication! Students are able to communicate with people they never imagined they would be talking to. They are able to experience cultures and teach others about their culture. If a language barrier is a problem, the students are challenged to continue communication by critically thinking and problem solving about how to talk to one another. The students are being challenged on both ends of the Skype to achieve the ultimate goal of communicating! They are being asked to figure out and use the answers given to them by the other side to determine their next move. They are processing and thinking critically about what to ask next. One experience with this tool is enough to change the student’s thinking! They are going to be quicker on their feet, better with their map skills, and better at collaborating with their peers!

            Students can be creative with mystery skype. While asking questions, they must be creative and stop thinking generically. Generic questions get the students nowhere in a Mystery Skype. Questions must feed from one another and stem from the one before it. Creativity is key when planning these questions as well. Students must prepare for the next question as the current question is being asked and answered. Creativity and quickness are important with this! Mystery Skype opens a world of opportunities for the students to discover. They are challenged to communicate and think quickly with people they do not know. They are immersed in the culture and learning!

Augmented Reality

Augmented reality is the altering of the reality we are living in. This is different from virtual reality because augmented reality actually uses the environment you are currently in. Virtual reality creates a whole new world for the learner while augmented reality shows them changes to their own reality. For example, Snapchat is augmented reality. When we are able to see ourselves in the photo but it adds things to our faces and environment that is augmented reality. We are not transported to a different reality, our reality is simply changed. For the classroom, this could be helpful for diagrams and research information for the student. The student could pull up an augmented reality interactive photograph of a growing plant. The plant could have bullets shown with information for the student. This makes it interactive and adds factors that are not really there.

Students can be creative with augmented reality. Think about how excited we get about a new Snapchat filter. How great could that technology be in a classroom? Imagine the possibilities! The student could create an augmented reality of their classroom to show the effects of flooding or some force of nature. The room is still there, the students have just created a “filter” to show the effects. This brings learning to a whole new level. The students have now been immersed in the new reality, while still being able to connect to the real scene.

Students have to communicate while creating and viewing an augmented reality photo or video. The students will feed off of one another’s discussion points and talk to one another as they are viewing the photo and learning from it. They begin to learn not only from the augmented reality, but from one another also.

Critical thinking is key with augmented reality. The students must think all the way around the photo and explore all of its factors in order to get all of the information needed to succeed. This requires them to think critically about what questions to ask and where to look. When creating an augmented reality, the students must problem solve to be successful. They are to determine what information is important enough to include in the photo or video while creating it to be educational. Critical thinking requires the students to create and come up with a solution on their own. They are in charge of this project and must ensure that they are thinking all the way through it critically.

Students collaborate while working with augmented reality. While viewing the photo or video, they are working with their groups to look at all factors of the photo. They are working with one another to get the vital information from the source. Collaboration is key!

iPads for Students with Dyslexia

Students with Dyslexia are at a disadvantage in the classroom. They can often feel alone and not want to participate in the things going on in the classroom. Things look differently to our friends who have this disorder. They see thing jumbled, omitted, and even backwards. This can make reading, writing, and completing tasks in the classroom difficult and frustrating! iPads can be exactly what they need to make them successful in the classroom environment. iPads have built in accommodations waiting for the student to tap into them. There are speak to text apps and apps that read things to them. Some of these functions are already on the iPad, without having to download them!

iPads for the dyslexic student provide opportunities for communication because of the accommodations they provide. The students with this disorder may be reluctant to write for their assessments or assessments. When provided with an iPad, these students are given the opportunity to speak their text. They can speak into the iPad and it will provide a text for what the student is saying. This prevents the frustration of the student trying to communicate their answers using paper and pencil. Students will be more likely to communicate their ideas when they are given a platform that is comfortable for them.

Collaboration is encouraged through the confidence that the student will feel in his or her work when given the accommodation of the iPad. These students are usually the last to want to participate in group work, but when given the iPad loaded with apps and special settings, they become more confident and willing to collaborate. The students can work with the group as if nothing is different about their ways of completion. Students with dyslexia immediately become confident in their answers and want to share what they have learned!

It is difficult to think critically when there is a barrier in the learning. These students are struggling to do the bare minimum because it takes them longer to process things. They are self conscious about taking too much time so they rush through the assignment hoping to get finished. When given the iPad for an accommodation, the student is able to use his or her time differently. The student is able to use their critical thinking skills to solve the problem or answer the question instead of stressing about their disorder and its effects.

Students who are comfortable and accommodated for are more likely to be creative. As mentioned before, these students have low self confidence in the classroom and only do what is absolutely necessary for their assignments. After this is free from them, they are much more likely to show creativity in their work and push themselves to be more creative! Dyslexia effects more than just words for the students, everything is effected for them making life itself difficult. When we allow these students the same opportunities as the typical students, we are helping them to be successful. iPads could be the change in the dyslexic students in our classrooms, we must discover the many uses and ways that these can be helpful for our students.