Tuesday, November 15, 2016

I'm in love with "its" (and I'm not ashamed to say it!)

Soooo, I spoke of my newfound love in my last blog post, and my forsaking of all others for itsLearning.  I'm glad to report that the love affair continues.  As of this post, my students are currently embedding videos of their interpretations of Macbeth into a page I created for them.  Not exactly a new concept, the idea of having students interpret a portion of a play, create a video, and then present the idea to the class, but a solid one that pushes students to move beyond mere rote memorization of the characters and plot.  What is new, though, is the option they have to upload it to a central place where other students are able to view, critique (NOT criticize), and learn from their peers.  In addition to providing the kids with an authentic platform for their productions, I have an additional "evil plan", in that I intentionally created a group project for them to upload so that they may support each other in the technological arena.  This paves the way for future pedagogical projects in which the kids can research, formulate, produce and share lessons that teach their fellow students, all in the platform of itsLearning!  Finally, the best part of this affair is that it is seemingly boundless (well, maybe not literally - but there are still an incredible amount of things yet to be discovered in itsLearning, and I am excited about the opportunities, not just for me, but even more so for my kids!