Production Process with Mat

While I was guiding Mat in the production process, I continued to ask questions throughout. We decided to do a SlideShare which wasn't part of the original directions for the project but we worked at his house so we didn't have much access to any technological tools for VoiceThread and Video. He was fine with that and so was I. I taught him how to make a works cited page and how to upload his powerpoint to slidecast. His creativity came out when he chose the cricket images and he had full control of the show. He really seemed to learn very quickly how to use all the tools for his show. I made sure that he understood all aspects of the production process and broke down each step for Mat so he could easily work through the project. It was enjoyable and he really seemed to have a feeling of accomplishment after.

"Guide on the Side"

As I worked more and more with Mat, I learned that being the guide on the side isn't as hard as I thought. All I had to do was just trust that Mat could do all the technological things that we did. I had to remember how it was when I was learning how to gather the information I needed for my SlideShare and Video I made. So I knew it was a learning process as we went along. It was good to see him catching on and I was glad that he was very cooperative with me. I used Inquiry-based learning by asking questions throughout the research process, it lead to other questions from him and I felt that he was really learning a lot. It was tool for exploration because as we got further into the project, he was beginning to learn to explore more areas that he usually wouldn't have done on his own. So I felt that it opened a new world for him. Overall, it felt really good to teach some of what I learned to him :)

Working with Mat

At the beginning of the week when we began to work together, it was a bit difficult trying to explain all the technological stuff that we learned in class to a 6th grader. I thought it was going to be a lot more work than what it was, however, we really worked well together and he was  great listener as was I to all questions he had. Mat is 11 years old and loves to play outdoor sports, while also having a love for gaming. He is a very smart young boy and when I asked him to pick anything he'd like to know he took awhile to think. Of course, I let him take his time and he finally came up with a question for me. He said he would like to learn about crickets in general but mainly why they make the noise they make. He was very eager to learn and it was a fun learning experience for me as well. I guided him with questions in order to allow him to open up and ask me more questions. His blog  didn't take long to make and he really enjoyed posting.