Effective Strategies Using Multimedia/Digital Content in Instruction

Strategy

A best practice strategy that I found while doing research was 3 Questions. I love this concept, especially with my current fourth graders. I have found that students over the years loose the drive for questioning. When they're toddlers, they ask, "why, how come, why?" over and over. I can make assumptions of why the questioning is brought to a halt for kids all over. Even myself, as a parent, have said "because" and quickly shun the question for two reasons

 1.) I don't know the answer
 2.) I am busy.

Kids eventually just stop asking and now that I am a teacher, I see the huge setbacks this causes for our future. Children need to question the world in order to create and solve unknown problems. Curiosity is what stems these new findings.

In my classroom, I have tried to bring back the questioning with Genius Hour. I tell my students to question the world. Find answers to anything they have ever wondered about and then present their finding to the class in any way they wish. Some of them presented science experiments, others have created google slides, while others stick to a drawing on a poster.

This 3 Questions Best Practice Strategy is simple and perfect for my classroom. Below I will outline a Native American lesson I am thinking of using to implement this strategy in my class.

1. First, I will have the students fold a piece of paper into thirds vertically and label the paper with the topic Native American.
2. Next, I will have students generate a question about Native Americans and write it in the first column. (The students already had a unit about Native Americans in 3rd grade, so they will have background information to create a question.)
3. I will have students use video, audio, and text resources to conduct research to answer the question and then record the answer below the question.
4. I will instruct students to use what they now know to generate a new question.  This is written at the top of the second column.
5. I will have students again use digital media to research the question. Sites like http://tfx.grolier.com/cb/node-33086 are some of their favorites. When they find an answer, they should record it in the second column, under the question.
6. Finally, I will have students use this new information to generate a third question that will guide their research.
7. I will have students use the questions and answers to summarize what they now know about the topic and a Powtoon and then appsmash it with SeeSaw, so they can share with their classmates, parents, and globally. 

Powtoon

To introduce the topic, I will share the Powtoon I created. Here is the link: https://www.powtoon.com/online-presentation/eZ7MMX5EXnw/?mode=movie#/

                                       

Mashup

A mashup the students will create is manipulate a google map by marking the different locations of tribes they research and add pictures about the tribe (ex: food, clothing, tools, etc. used by the tribe)

Podcast

After students research their questions, I will have them further their learning and build their critical thinking skills by listening to the following podcast.

http://www.npr.org/2015/12/01/457794519/wyoming-schools-get-poor-report-card-for-native-american-absenteeism

Then, I will have the students create a PowToon, or other multimedia, about their findings and provide a solution to the problem Native American students face around the world.

Collaboration

Students will share their both PowToons and mashups on SeeSaw, so they can share their work with their peers, parents, and globally. 

References:
SOS: Three Questions. (n.d.). Retrieved December 03, 2016, from http://blog.discoveryeducation.com/blog/2016/11/28/sos-three-questions/