Tech Talk: Why our students should learn how to code?

In a world that is racing for the newest and most innovative technologies, the United States currently ranks as one of its leaders. To remain in top standing it is important that tomorrows leaders are provided with the opportunities and resources to surpass previous generations. One way Episcopal Collegiate is doing this is through teaching our students how to code. Brandon Griggs' recent CNN article: Gates, Zuckerberg: Kids, learn to code speaks to the need for more coding programs in schools. So, using an amazing piece of software called Scratch (developed by MIT) our 2nd, 3rd and 4th graders have started to design programs that encourage systems thinking, problem solving, and how to build and test logical code statements. As complicated as this may sound, Scratch is designed to be both fun and appropriate for students in grades K-12. Before the break students coded a cute dog to trot back and forth, bark, and interact with a flying parrot named Polly who can talk. Students can then upload their interactive designs on Scratch.mit.edu to share with their community. Please take a look at what our students built on Scratch: Rover and Polly. We are always working hard to ensure our learners aren't just consumers of technology, but also producers with it.

What's Happening at Episcopal Collegiate?

Joy Schultz's, Media Arts classes are finding new ways to collect and display their work with digital portfolios.  These portfolios allow the students to collect their work in a central location for student and teacher viewing and commentary.  Edcanvas, the Web 2.0 tool that Ms. Schultz's has chosen to use allows the students to upload their work to a "canvas."  Once their work is uploaded, students as well as Ms. Schultz can comment on the work and offer suggestions for improvement.Check out one of their canvas by following the link below: 

Media Arts Edcanvas 

Tech Talk: What's Happening at Episcopal Collegiate?

Trading Places  

It has been said that if you can teach someone else a concept then you have a true understanding of the material.  Christy Stine put this into practice last week as her sixth students became the teacher. The students were placed into small groups and given the task of creating a video that teaches a math lesson.  They were given the opportunity to use their imagination when designing the video as well as the technology they would use for production.  They chose video production apps, flip cameras, and software such as iMovie and MovieMaker to create their lessons.  Please follow the links below to view some of these lessons.  

Dr. Pi 

Chef Subtrina 

Math Saves the World 

Tech Talk: What is Discovery Imagination?

Our third grade Destination Imagination team competed this past Saturday at the Northern Regional Destination Imagination competition with this short movie that they filmed, edited, and scored all by themselves. As they collected food items for the Ronald McDonald House, they documented their efforts by filming on an iPad with a program called iMotionHD. Using iMotion, they collected a series of time-lapsed, still-framed photographs, which they compiled into a film using a style called stop-motion. After collecting their shots, students edited their film using Pinnacle Studios video editing software, and added their own choice of music to score the film. Throughout this process, students sought out resources and overcame a plethora of technical difficulties. After mastering the challenges of downloading issues, video compatibility, and a heated debate over using Britney Spears or Jordin Sparks songs, they had a finished product to be proud of. Using their carefully crafted movie, our team landed third place at the Regional Competition, and will continue to compete at State in April! This Tech Talk is authored by Kathleen House, Episcopal Collegiate's Lower School DI coach.

Episcopal Collegiate Mystery Skype

Click on the colored tabs to see details, photos, and videos of how Mystery Skype works.
View Mystery Skype in a larger map

Tech Talk: What is Global Thinking?

As Episcopal Collegiate works to re-imaging learning with technology we are exploring how to think globally. Technology affords us the opportunity to reach out to a global community and interact with students both nationally and internationally. One way to communicate beyond our walls is for our students to blog or create interactive websites that share their learning experiences. Another way is by directly contacting other classrooms and students with messaging and streaming technologies. This week some of our 3rd grade classes are using Skype to reach out to students in the United States to play "Mystery Skype". Skype is a live streaming video service that allows each class to see and hear one another on a large screen. With mystery Skype each class has a series of questions to ask the other to determine which state they are from. Questions like "Do you have any oceans or major bodies of water that border your state?", and "What are some significant physical features (land forms) in your state?" After taking careful notes on each question each group deduces which state the other is from. Live sessions with other schools create lasting experiences that make learning more effective and a lot of fun. It also provides our students with different perspectives and ideas on locations and events around the world. This encourages our students to think globally. Please visit our Mystery Skype Google Map that records the classes and locations we've visited each week. We hope to grow this map to include every state in our beautiful country, and then expand it to record our experiences abroad.