WEEK 7 - A Picture truly is Worth a Thousand Words!
This week I'm reviewing a "One Best Thing" iBook called "Becoming Lewis Hine: Student-Photographed History" by Jason Kathman!
First of all I really liked getting the chance to explore the list of "One Best Thing" modules, because it was a new resource I hadn't known about prior to this week that is fabulous and going to be very useful! I get really jazzed when I find resources that I can really see myself using in my classroom, because I get excited about them, and I hope that that excitement transfers and ignites in my students! I am really excited these teachers have used "One Best Thing" as an outlet to get their good ideas out there for others to use and benefit from as well. LEARNING IS FUN, and this website is going to help students see that I think! There are so many wonderful authors who have written wonderful iBooks for their wonderful ideas for expanding student learning and exploring super cool artifacts and sources through the use of technology and media. I love when the media is used for positive uses such as allocating an amazing expanse of opportunity of sources. If you want to check out the motherlode of resources (and you should) the button you can press and promptly find yourself in idea central is located at the bottom!
I scrolled through the pdf of all of the pages and found one that really stuck out to me. It was Jason Kathman's iBook that has students look at pictures taken by a famous photographer of the name Lewis Hine during the time of the Industrial Revolution where child labor was an accepted expectation engrained in our economic society and then take pictures themselves of things in their community that they think need to be changed.
The first stage of the activity is to have students analyze the pictures by asking questions; answering poignantly-asked questions that force them to think about the why, when, who, what, and how; talking in partners about their observations; and making assumptions based off what they see in the picture.
The second stage of the activity is having the students stay with their partners and fill out a graphic organizer with the information and observations and analysis they have made about their pictures. The graphic organizer has questions along with it that guides the students' analyzing in a certain direction, which is Kathman's way of scaffolding the students' learning but also allowing them freedom to think and analyze and even take a certain route with their pictures like found in Constructivism! Students will fully analyze the pictures together as a group with their graphic organizer. Then they will share with another pair around them. This is a cool process that gets students the chance to learn from their peers' observations and findings.
The third stage of this activity is where students get to become Lewis Hine themselves! They choose an area of their community that they think needs to be highlighted to the rest of their community as a place of needed improvements. They get to fill in Hine's shoes of being photo journalists going into an area of society that is not correct and showcasing the injustice to the rest of the community. This is a cool project for a few reasons. 1. Students get the chance to flex their analytical minds. 2. Students get to take control of their learning by exercising Constructivism and social negotiation through getting the chance to discuss and back-up their own points of the who's, when's, where's, why's, and how's of the photos based off their own observations. 3. Students get a really cool way to learn about this time period and discuss the historical contexts of this time period. 4. I think this project is a good chance for the kids to learn and grow Empathy by being exposed to the history of this topic - kids just like them having to work dangerous jobs - and being prompted to think about what topic in their own community they would like people to know about.
I could see my own class doing this project big time! What a fun project, and it could be such a good opportunity for students to develop empathy and responsibility to respond to things in their own community that they could themselves help out with! : )
Below can be found links to Jason Kathman's website, the motherlode of "One Best Thing" resources, and a link to more information to explore Lewis Hine's photos!
This week I'm reviewing a "One Best Thing" iBook called "Becoming Lewis Hine: Student-Photographed History" by Jason Kathman!
First of all I really liked getting the chance to explore the list of "One Best Thing" modules, because it was a new resource I hadn't known about prior to this week that is fabulous and going to be very useful! I get really jazzed when I find resources that I can really see myself using in my classroom, because I get excited about them, and I hope that that excitement transfers and ignites in my students! I am really excited these teachers have used "One Best Thing" as an outlet to get their good ideas out there for others to use and benefit from as well. LEARNING IS FUN, and this website is going to help students see that I think! There are so many wonderful authors who have written wonderful iBooks for their wonderful ideas for expanding student learning and exploring super cool artifacts and sources through the use of technology and media. I love when the media is used for positive uses such as allocating an amazing expanse of opportunity of sources. If you want to check out the motherlode of resources (and you should) the button you can press and promptly find yourself in idea central is located at the bottom!
I scrolled through the pdf of all of the pages and found one that really stuck out to me. It was Jason Kathman's iBook that has students look at pictures taken by a famous photographer of the name Lewis Hine during the time of the Industrial Revolution where child labor was an accepted expectation engrained in our economic society and then take pictures themselves of things in their community that they think need to be changed.
The first stage of the activity is to have students analyze the pictures by asking questions; answering poignantly-asked questions that force them to think about the why, when, who, what, and how; talking in partners about their observations; and making assumptions based off what they see in the picture.
The second stage of the activity is having the students stay with their partners and fill out a graphic organizer with the information and observations and analysis they have made about their pictures. The graphic organizer has questions along with it that guides the students' analyzing in a certain direction, which is Kathman's way of scaffolding the students' learning but also allowing them freedom to think and analyze and even take a certain route with their pictures like found in Constructivism! Students will fully analyze the pictures together as a group with their graphic organizer. Then they will share with another pair around them. This is a cool process that gets students the chance to learn from their peers' observations and findings.
The third stage of this activity is where students get to become Lewis Hine themselves! They choose an area of their community that they think needs to be highlighted to the rest of their community as a place of needed improvements. They get to fill in Hine's shoes of being photo journalists going into an area of society that is not correct and showcasing the injustice to the rest of the community. This is a cool project for a few reasons. 1. Students get the chance to flex their analytical minds. 2. Students get to take control of their learning by exercising Constructivism and social negotiation through getting the chance to discuss and back-up their own points of the who's, when's, where's, why's, and how's of the photos based off their own observations. 3. Students get a really cool way to learn about this time period and discuss the historical contexts of this time period. 4. I think this project is a good chance for the kids to learn and grow Empathy by being exposed to the history of this topic - kids just like them having to work dangerous jobs - and being prompted to think about what topic in their own community they would like people to know about.
I could see my own class doing this project big time! What a fun project, and it could be such a good opportunity for students to develop empathy and responsibility to respond to things in their own community that they could themselves help out with! : )
Below can be found links to Jason Kathman's website, the motherlode of "One Best Thing" resources, and a link to more information to explore Lewis Hine's photos!