BrainPop as a Staple of Effective Content and Technology Integration
Times are changing. It is no longer enough to know content. The days of "reading, writing, and 'rithmatic" for the sake of passing a test are gone. As educators, it is now our obligation to guide students through problem solving situations that require content knowledge and building, collaboration, and resourcefulness in order to successfully find a solution...if there is a solution at all. As a second grade teacher, I found this transition of pedagogy easier in math and science than I did for language arts.
Seven and eight year old children are still learning to read. I found myself in a quandary about how to establish this type of critical thinking requirement in reading and writing. I developed the iConnect Project as an overlying concept that required students to engage in literature on a deeper level. I came up with the "iConnect" concept while thinking about ways to bring a more well-rounded,
meaningful learning experience to my students. As part of the iConnect
movement in my class, our focus is on how we connect to our
curriculum and making connections across our curriculum, but more
importantly, how we connect to each other and our world. Through the
overlying iConnect concept, we connect with authors and
discuss the joy of the writing process, the deeper meanings and
effects of good literature, and explore a variety of genres and
writing styles. We also be connect with classes across the world
in a literary fair that brings an engagement in reading and
understanding text, but also teaches an appreciation for new cultures
and ideas. It is our ambition to connect with others in
meaningful ways to enhance learning for all.
The Magic Tree House Literary Fair began as a book club for my class and campus. It snowballed into a multimedia literary festival of cultural exchange. Participants in this innovative reading collaboration commit to reading the Magic Tree House series of fiction and non-fiction companion books
by Mary Pope Osborne. Throughout this journey, they share the
joy of reading with students around the world from over 7 different
countries. Students share through social networking sites such
as Edmodo to make literary connections through reading responses, book analysis, author studies, and
more. They also engage in a multimedia collaboration and
compete with each other in expressing their literary experience using
Web 2.0 tools, gaming, and community service projects. Students
work together in mixed groups from around the world and submit their
work for judging. In order to enhance the comprehension of the text, and offer substantial content from which students may pull information to complete their projects, I needed to include reliable, engaging, accurate, and comprehensive digit content. BrainPop and BrainPop, Jr. were obvious choices. BrainPop is so much more than a cute, quick movie. We are moving away from consumption in learning toward a new era of productive learning. BrainPop offers exceptional content for student consumption while also providing many opportunities for students to engage in and apply what they learn. The educator's section offers lesson plans and activities, blogs and a network from which teachers can find new and innovative ideas for integration into their curriculum. This project has been recognized by Microsoft Partners in Learning as a 2012 US Forum Winner and a 2012 PIL Global Forum finalist, representing the United States in the Global Forum, November 2012 in Prague, Czech Republic!!
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