#GoOutside

One of the big reasons I wanted our district to go 1:1 iPad was the mobility of the device.  As much as I love my MacBook, I can't really take it outside and capture pictures and video with it easily.  The mobility of the iPad allows us to have class wherever we want, whenever we want.

Here are some ways that we take learning outdoors:

1. Citizen Science:  Using the app iNaturalist, our kids can become citizen scientists.  They can capture images of living things around them and upload to document nature.  There are so many projects in iNaturalist you can join, or you can create you own.


2. InfoPics: One vocabulary word, one picture, and a five word or less definition. This is a great way to review vocabulary with each student taking one word and creating their infopic using Moldiv or PicCollage.  Once everyone is done, students can upload them to a common space (we use Schoology media albums) and comment on each others pictures.  We use the "Yes, and.." format when commenting. See the example below.

3. Walk and Talk:  Get with your project group and plan your project while taking a lap around the school. Discuss goals for the day, who is doing what, any supplies or materials needed.  

4. Nature Walk: Test the soil pH or temperature, find seeds, collect specimens for viewing under the microscope, etc.  Several of our labs could be completed outside - measuring heart rate, calculating jump distance to compare to height, etc. We also use the Pro-Scope iPad camera attachments to get macro images of nature.  Everything looks cooler magnified by 40X.

5. Flipgrid Reflections:  Using the app FlipGrid, have students reflect on their learning or answer a question prompt.  Going outside allows them to spread out and have better sound quality on their recordings.  You can also join FlipGrid Friday and discuss some science hot topics with us! If you follow the grid, you will notified as new questions are added.  

6. Sidewalk Chalk: Want to see 7th graders get super excited? Hand them some sidewalk chalk!  Once we left Earth Day messages in the car loop, but my favorite is having them draw a structure, capture an image of it and then annotate it on the iPad.  Now with the Clips app, the could put together a short video that explains the particular topic we are focused on.

Share ways that you take learning outdoors!