January 2021
Happy 2021!! We hope you are ready for the New Year we are ready to support you!!
We have great things to share in Early Childhood! Below you will find Tech answers to questions we have received, SeeSaw supports, STEM, and more....
Early Childhood techy questions answered!
Question 1: What is the best microphone to use to hear students better in a loud classroom?
When students are talking about their learning and recording their thinking on their iPad sometimes it can be a bit challenging to hear what is said because of background noise. There are a couple of solutions that teachers have shared over the years.
First, for general use, an iPad microphone might do the trick. In our Keystone media library, check out the iRig MIC Cast (KM 11801). Another idea comes from a 2018 McElroy winner, Denise Lee from Decorah. Her podcast project included soundboxes which were totes lined with acoustic foam. Students put their device in the tote and it became their personal recording booth! Here is a Twitter post (with pictures!) from a different teacher, kindergarten teacher @Teacherhw, showing students using their soundboxes.
Question 2: How do I add icons such as the microphone in Seesaw?
Icon shortcuts are a great way to make instructions for students in Seesaw visual. To add the icons, take a look at this short video. Here is a link to a PDF with the icons and the shortcuts. I recommend printing the PDF or having it handy!
If you have more techy questions, please feel free to reach out to Angie Squires or Bev Berns (bberns@aea1.k12.ia.us) and we will feature more questions next month!
STEAM items in the Media Collection
Our STEAM collection continues to grow. For your convenience, an at a glance catalog of items is linked here. Not finding something on this list? Also search the media catalog. This list is definitely not exhaustive but does feature some of the popular items from the collection. Click here to take a look:
Keystone Media Library: STEAM Items
Microscopes in Early Childhood... YES!
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