Exciting Times!

We are starting the school year off with some super exciting news! We finally got new iPads for our 1st and 2nd graders, which means that every student 1st - 8th grade is using a device that is still under warranty!

That might not seem like a big deal, but as anyone working with a budget knows, it can be tough to get new devices on the regular. Our refresh plan was finally approved this summer, which means from this point forward, all student devices will always be under warranty. 

This is super important because being students, accidents happen. A lot. But that's where the heavy duty cases come in, for both the iPads and the Chromebooks, which limits the damage.

It was super fun rolling out the new iPads to the 1st and 2nd graders this year, and just as fun setting up the 3rd graders with their new Chromebooks. It's such a different time, when school supplies now include a stylus and headphones, in addition to the more traditional supplies.

You can't forget organization, either. In the past, our 1st and 2nd grade classrooms had buckets for their iPads, with chords going anywhere and everywhere. This year we got mini carts that hold 18 iPads each - perfect for our classes. It makes such a big difference in keeping things organized and easily accessible to both students and teachers.

Do. Not. Stop. (the) Motion!

Third graders are in the midst of a geography unit right now, which is always fun.

What is even more fun, though, is one of the ways they share their knowledge.  See, each student researches one state in the country.  They learn a variety of facts about the state, from natural resources, tourist attractions, business, etc.

The teachers found this really cool giant map of the country, where each state is it's own piece of the puzzle.  The pieces are about the size of a letter size paper, and are made out of sturdy cardboard.

Kids decorate their state and.... the best part....

...they create a stop-motion tour of the state using the free Stop Motion Studio app on the iPads.  The kids bring in their own mini-figure of sorts from home - whether it's a lego or a L.O.L doll or what not.  Scripts are written to include the key facts.  Finally, the tour is created!

Now, we're not ready for that project yet, bbuuuuuttttt, we had our introduction to stop motion the other day and the kids did SUCH a great job!  Each group had the same tools - a clothes pin and a large piece of construction paper - and had to use those tools to practice with the Stop Motion Studio app.  They got quite creative, too!

If you haven't tried stop motion, and you have access to an iPad or tablet, it's easier than you might think!