Welcome to the "Eduporium Featured Educator” interview. Each month, we’re highlighting the work of an educator who is using EdTech to empower his or her students. We are so excited to share their stories and their work with you! We hope it will give teachers more encouragement to try something new in the classroom especially with all of the innovative technology that’s available. Whether in the classroom or the library, students need hands-on and future-focused learning experiences, which is exactly what this educator tries to deliver.
Mary Ledford
Teacher Librarian, Harvest Elementary School, Saline, MI
Q&A:
What is your favorite project or activity you've done with EdTech?
The advancement of technology has created so many opportunities for me to integrate tech fluidly into the curriculum! My favorite project (and challenge) has been taking a social studies unit of Community History and turning it into something that will benefit the whole community of Saline. That led us to creating a downloadable history app for iOS devices.
With incredible support from our administrative team, my students thought they were selected to be on a secret mission called Operation: Save Saline History. Students were split into groups and began by researching the history of our community by using QR codes to visit historical websites and data bases. We gathered information and pictures to write movie scripts in Google Docs, making it more collaborative than traditional writing.
Once our scripts were written, we used iMovie to create a series of videos of seven different, popular locations within our community. These movies were uploaded to YouTube and the journey began with us wondering how to create an app using these movies. The students analyzed their favorite apps to generate ideas about their app design.
They created pictures of what their icons should look like and sent it to one of the "Secret Agents," who was my daughter, a graphic designer. The digital pictures and the movie links were sent on to an app developer, a Saline alum, to code the app. Once coded, our IT department put the app into Apple's app store for all of the community, and beyond, to download.
What advice would you give to people just starting out with implementing EdTech?
Start small and build from there! Classroom teachers are responsible for so much curricular content that it can easily become overwhelming when trying to figure out where to start. My advice is to start with one lesson in one subject and ask, "What do I want my students to accomplish? How will technology help them master this goal?" Then, begin to investigate which apps, websites, or maker materials will best fit your needs. Colleagues and social media sites are great resources to help get started. When you get more comfortable with technology, begin to add on to your repertoire.
I also think it’s important to give yourself grace when things don't go right. Not every lesson will go perfectly and that's okay. Reflect, adjust, and try again! Some of the best lessons come from a failed attempt.
What are some of the real-world skills you've seen your students develop through regular EdTech use?
We have so many different types of learners in our classrooms today and technology allows me to reach every one of them on our academic journey. The beauty of EdTech is that it can be used to introduce, reinforce, or enhance skills—both curricular and soft skills. It depends on what the students need that dictates how I use it.
For example, when my second-grade students were struggling with hearing rhythm in our poetry writing, we used Chrome Music Lab and Incredibox to compose music and then wrote our poems to the beat. It wasn't until they composed their own music that they understood how poetry has flow and rhythm.
Sometimes, it's not academic needs that need to be addressed, but the soft skills of collaboration, perseverance, or creativity. There are so many ways to integrate these concepts into lessons using EdTech. It's been a huge asset in helping me enhance the learning that takes place in my classroom.
What interests you most about Eduporium?
Eduporium has done an excellent job of empowering educators by providing a wealth of materials, resources, and lessons. The educational technology field is growing at such a rapid rate. It is very hard to keep up with all of the new products on the market and how they could be utilized in the classroom. I am grateful to Eduporium for providing insight to new products!
You can watch Mary and her students in action and download their app to learn more about the history of the community of Saline.
Do you know of an educator who is doing exciting things with EdTech? Recommend them (or yourself!) as an Eduporium Featured Educator and apply here. Find out more about how Eduporium can revamp your classroom, library, or makerspace by getting in touch with us. Sign up as an educator and start saving with your discount!