Be Safe, Be Respectful and Be Responsible with PicCollage (and Educreations!)

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Here at Coonley students follow a simple code of conduct:  be responsible, be respectful and be safe. Sounds simple, right?  As adults we all know what this means but for students sometimes it takes a bit more detail.  In 4th grade Ms. Malhiot's class decided to dig deeper.

Setting the Stage

Still getting to know each other,  Ms. Malhiot's students discussed their various learning styles.  As the picture suggests this class is "off the chart" (pun intended!) when it comes to being visual learners.  Having that knowledge helps the teacher determine what types of activities students might respond to best.

Even though the Cougar Code is displayed in the classroom Ms. Malhiot decided to take the concept and give students a chance to visually represent it.  This not only reinforces the notion that this is an important set of rules but gives students specific examples of what someone might mean when they walk in and say "Be Responsible!", "Be Respectful!" and "Be Safe!"

The Lesson

Room 301 began by using their SmartBoard to have a discussion about what it means to be responsible, respectful and safe.  Students listed specific examples for each. After, it was time to storyboard what this would look like.  Students worked in groups to fill out a graphic organizer. 
 

The Technology

Once the students had a sense of visual ways they could demonstrate the three codes of conduct it was time to complete the actual artifacts.  I came in and used the document camera to demonstrate how to create a collage using the iPad app PicCollage which was already installed on the school iPads.  Students were already familiar with the app and eager to get started.  They worked cooperatively in small groups to take pictures both in the classroom and around the school to demonstrate their specific code of conduct.  They did a great job!  





But Wait!  There's More!

Here is an example of a 2nd grade class focusing on the same Code of Conduct.  I assisted the class in using Educreations to generate a video presentation of their work.  They did great!





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