Vocabulary Notebooks.
Ugh... I just groan thinking about what I did last year. Get a piece of paper. Write down the word and the definition. Put it away and DO NOT lose it. Study before the final test.
No reflection. No connection. No technology. Pretty lame for a digital literacy teacher.
Thankfully, I decided to step it up a notch this year.
Ladies and Gentleman, I present to you the power of the iPad, Keynote, and Book Creator....
Ugh... I just groan thinking about what I did last year. Get a piece of paper. Write down the word and the definition. Put it away and DO NOT lose it. Study before the final test.
No reflection. No connection. No technology. Pretty lame for a digital literacy teacher.
Thankfully, I decided to step it up a notch this year.
Ladies and Gentleman, I present to you the power of the iPad, Keynote, and Book Creator....
To start, I created a template in Keynote including all the main aspects I wanted covered in student's vocabulary notebooks.
- Word and Definition
- A picture or video related to the topic (The video must be student-created; you are not able to add YouTube videos to Book Creator)
- Reflection
- What did you learn?
- What will you do differently?
- What questions remain?
I sent students the template using Air Drop and after creating a Cover and Index Page, students added the templates to their books.
Each new vocabulary word is introduced at the beginning of the unit and serves as an intro to what we will be focusing on. At that point students only fill in the word and definition
Each new vocabulary word is introduced at the beginning of the unit and serves as an intro to what we will be focusing on. At that point students only fill in the word and definition
At the end of the unit, students will take the time to reflect on the learning that took place and add a picture or video related to the topic. The photo or video chosen is completely up to the student and serves as a way to create connections amongst students, the word, and the lesson.
Making this change has had a positive impact in my classroom as students are completing vocabulary activities with a purpose. It is especially exciting to see how each students photo and reflection is unique to their own personality and creates a connection beyond learning a definition.
Moving forward, students will create a cover page highlighting their learning throughout the class, update their index to reflect their book, and create their own page templates unique to them.
Moving forward, students will create a cover page highlighting their learning throughout the class, update their index to reflect their book, and create their own page templates unique to them.