Forum K - 12 Schools Forum: Re: LAMS via wireless network

Its great to hear how engaged your students were as they worked through their LAMS sequences and I was particularly interested to read your teachers now want the students to author their own sequences for assessment. We decided to try this with our own students about two years ago. It has been a fantastic learning experience – for us all

The students really enjoyed being able to create something on the computer other than a PowerPoint presentation and they took to the whole process readily. We seem to now have a formula that works really well. I use a LAMS sequence with them for an earlier lesson, then I show them what that sequence looked like in Author. Next, I briefly explain the various tools and then we build a new sequence together (me authoring their suggestions projected on the data projector) on another related topic.

I then let them loose on their computers and away they go. The resulting work showed they were really forced to think about their sequences and produced work far superior than that of previous years. We had a two hour block but you could easily split it into smaller sessions. And don’t assume the students need a formal introduction to LAMS like teachers do.

A couple of things that we have found worked really well: after their first authoring session, we give them some time to collect the URLs, resources they need to add to their sequences. This seems to take them a while and the product is all the better for giving them a bit of space here. Then before their sequences are submitted, a workshop where they can test out each other’s sequences works really well. Students can comment on each others’ sequences (we leave a page beside each sequence for comment). After this session the students are then all inspired to go off and make improvements. It’s a fun session and the students seem to get a lot out of it.

Just a couple of comments about assessing the sequences you might find useful: we found assessing a sequence without any explanation was a bit hard. The students’ somewhat questionable choices were often quite justified when they could offer an explanation. Now we ask them to also submit supporting documentation with an explanation of why they did what they did. This has rounded it out to be a comprehensive assessment task – and one they enjoy.

But as to marking it … we are still perfecting that bit. It takes a while. I highly recommend you create a shared area for the students to save completed sequences into that your teachers can also access. Our first attempt required our students to email their completed sequences to us. I can’t tell you how long it took to open emails, download sequences, import them and finally view them.

Let us know how you go.

Leanne Cameron

Posted by Leanne Cameron