In an effort to show our teachers how powerful apps can be, I’ve been focusing on one a week when the students come to the computer lab. Wanting to share Explain Everything, I asked the teachers to suggest a topic or concept that the students could explain with a screen casting app. Mrs. Weth suggested the following, which I wrote on the board for the students:

• Explain one of the multiplication strategies (repeated addition, arrays, draw a picture)
• Describe one of the multiplication tricks (9s, 11s, etc)
• Tell how to multiply by 100 or 1,000

Before even starting on the screen cast, I led the students though experimenting with the tools and had them practice recording while talking and writing. Then we discussed the importance of planning:

• What is your topic?
• What can you do to prepare the screen before recording? (Possibly write the title.)
• What will you say?
• Do you need to write some notes to help when you record?
• What will you draw/write as you describe your topic?

And off they went! Some students were doing their planning as I talked and were ready to record soon after I finished.

Here is an example of multiplying by 11:

But, the best part was watching the teachers become learners! Mrs. Weth was determined to create something – she didn’t want to do just one simple page in her screen cast; she wanted to create a teaching tool for her students. And that is exactly what she did. Below is a picture of Mrs. Weth recording her explanation of the various multiplication strategies.

On Monday, the students will use the KidBlog app to upload their video to their blog.

Explain Everything is an excellent tool that allows students to show their thinking. Teachers are able to observe inconsistencies in understanding or see that the concept has been mastered. Judging from our third grade teachers’ participation, they saw the benefits of the app.