Our grade three and four students are learning to use an iPad app called Explain Everything to use in a variety of subjects this year. This app is a great way for our students to make their learning visible by explaining what they are learning and what they know across the content areas. One important skill for our young learners to understand is how to learn a new app or software application, so we turned this lesson into a guided exploration time with the Explain Everything app. The students were given the iPads and a list of skills they would need to know to use the app in their learning and were left to explore and figure out how to accomplish the skills they will need. We talked about ways we learn new skills: YouTube videos, asking others, searching the Internet - and we also talked about what we do when we take a look at a new app on the iPad: look at the buttons and menus, try different things out, tap on parts of the screen and just see what happens when we "play". The students then spent the next 45 minutes teaching themselves (and sometimes their classmates) how to use the Explain Everything app. The level of conversation and excitement in the room was palpable as some students entered a learning situation that was new and uncomfortable. Many students wanted to be told what to do or be shown how to accomplish the tasks on the list, but after a bit of time all of the students embraced the opportunity to explore and take charge of their learning. At the end of the lesson, the students had a better understanding of the app than they would have if the teachers had demonstrated the skills they needed to know and we are hoping this knowledge will transfer as they begin to use this app to make their learning visible across the content areas.
