With my second graders this week we took some time to explore PebbleGo. Students brought their iPads to class and had 10 minutes to open PebbleGo and read/listen to topics of their choice. They then completed an activity on Seesaw where they wrote down their topic, drew a picture of it, and then used the voice recording tool to explain some of the things they learned.
This activity was a great introduction to PebbleGo and I observed many students using different aspects of the database. Some were listening to the text, others were watching short videos, and a few figured out that there were activities they could open as well. I think that letting them explore it on their own was important (after all, whenever I find a new app or get a new technological device I don't necessarily look at the directions of the best way to use it, I play around and explore, teaching myself along the way).
Next class I will ask them a few questions based on information they can find on PebbleGo and see if they are able to locate the answers. (See the second picture below). The current second grade Unit of Inquiry (UOI) is Sharing the Planet (STP) and their main focus is on ecosystems, biomes, animal adaptations, etc. They have been working on reading non-fiction books and are beginning to do some basic research in their classrooms. By introducing them to the features of PebbleGo, I am hopeful that they will use this resource as another platform for learning about the planet.
Here is the activity that I used the second week/lesson with students. Some of the kids found it manageable but many had a hard time navigating PebbleGo to find the answers on their own. Even though we spent a whole lesson letting them explore and experiment with the site, they did not seem to realize that the point of the lesson was to search around to locate the answers. I have another class coming this afternoon and will try and explain it differently to them to see if it works out any better.
