Innovative Teaching with Technology

On January, I observed Lyne's class when she brought them down to the computer lab.  She introduced the Pico boards to her second grade students that day.  First she demonstrated the slider, the sound sensor, the light sensor, and then the alligator clips.  After her demonstration on how the pico board works, she paired her students.  The task for the pair is to open up Scratch, set up the pico board to make the sprite change color through exploration with the alligator clips (this is to prepare them for their Insect Project).  As I was walking around observing what students were doing, I was listening in on the conversations students were having.  One team made the connection/observation that the sprite will only change color if the alligator clips were touching "things" that are metal.  They began testing their observation and got really excited.  They were the only team I noticed that made this discovery.  At the end of the class, Lyne expained to the students how they will be using the pico board for with their insect project.