[OLPC_Boston] One For All & Cambridge Friends School Update

[Deborah Donohue]

This is GREAT stuff! Any chance you would share the handouts?
I'd love to visit but unfortunately I will not be able to get out of  
work to do so.
Thanks, Deb

On May 3, 2009, at 12:31 PM, MacKenzie Sigalos wrote:

> Hello Boston!
>
> These past several weeks have been very busy at the Cambridge Friends
> School! On Wednesday, March 18th, we first launched the pilot,
> bringing 30 XO laptops into the classroom. All 28 sixth grade students
> were together during their "Independent Learning Block" (ILB), so they
> were able to work together to figure out the basics of how to use the
> laptop. Equipped with two handouts outlining some of the more
> simplistic activities included on the XO laptop, including Write,
> Browse, and Memorize, students delved into the world of the XO!
>
> Each week, we have continued to join the Cambridge Friends School
> students both during their ILB block and during class time hours.
> Students have used the Memorize Activity to develop Spanish vocabulary
> games. By recording themselves saying a word in Spanish--calcetines,
> for example--they were then able to import these sound files into
> their personally
> designed matching game, pairing this media with a photo of socks. They
> then used the mesh network to share their games with one another, in
> preparation for their unit exam in Spanish class.
>
> Another activity that is coming up next week is a Chinese history
> lesson about the Qin Dynasty. Students will use WikiBrowse and the
> Mapping activities in order to create their own maps of Ancient China.
>
> In their biology class, students will work in groups to plan how to
> open their own physical therapy clinic. They will create
> advertisements using the Drawing activity and they will use Record to
> make radio commercials. They will also develop a list of injuries that
> their clinic treats, along with a description of the treatment and the
> recovery time by researching online and on WikiBrowse.
>
> Thus far the pilot has been incredibly well received, both by students
> and by teachers. Students are encouraged to use the XO during their  
> study
> hall periods, breaks from class assignments, and even during their
> recess hours. It has been wonderful to witness the seamless
> integration of the XO into the every day lives of our 6th grade
> students.
>
> During the next few weeks we would love to involve as many people as
> are interested in the pilot, so please let us know if you'd like to
> sit-in on any XO lesson days.
>
> Have a great weekend!
>
> Katelyn and Mack
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Deborah Donohue
donohued at mac.com