A TPACK framework inquiry into animation technology for a Grade 1 project.
Primary Objective
This site will be used to attempt to address a specific problem of practice relevant to my teaching area, namely Elementary ICT. To make this an authentic exercise I have gone through my advance planning for the next academic year to find an example with sufficient background material available to produce a solution that I could potentially use.
Problem of Practice
As part of their Unit of Inquiry into living things, "Waterworks", the Grade 1 students use software applications to produce posters, Word documents and drawings for inclusion in their final Unit portfolio. In their integrated PYP planner for next year, the Grade 1 teachers have queried whether there is a software programme available that would allow the students to illustrate and animate the water cycle as a final assessment activity for the unit.
As part of an ongoing Language Arts project earlier in the year, the Grade 1 teachers had spent considerable lesson time guiding the students through both the making and narration of a PowerPoint storybook as an animation activity, but the amount of time needed was such they will not be repeating the project. An additional difficulty with this activity was that it required considerable adult intervention and had to be done as a whole class project rather than individual or small group work.
The aim of this inquiry therefore is to look at the possible alternative options for creating an animation project in terms of ease of use, appropriateness to grade level, and potential for independent work, while at the same time taking into consideration the learning objectives for the unit of inquiry within the PYP programme. Any decision will also have to take into account the needs of the learning support and EAL students in the classes involved in the activity.
As part of an ongoing Language Arts project earlier in the year, the Grade 1 teachers had spent considerable lesson time guiding the students through both the making and narration of a PowerPoint storybook as an animation activity, but the amount of time needed was such they will not be repeating the project. An additional difficulty with this activity was that it required considerable adult intervention and had to be done as a whole class project rather than individual or small group work.
The aim of this inquiry therefore is to look at the possible alternative options for creating an animation project in terms of ease of use, appropriateness to grade level, and potential for independent work, while at the same time taking into consideration the learning objectives for the unit of inquiry within the PYP programme. Any decision will also have to take into account the needs of the learning support and EAL students in the classes involved in the activity.
All images courtesy of St. John's International School Gallery
