This is part of a weekly series on APP-smashes in my high school classroom. When I consider an APP-smash I like to take the systems approach through the lens of an input/output model. In terms of the inputs going into the APP-smash I like to think about what I want students to learn. After I decide what I want students to learn then I choose the APPS to smash and not vice-versa.
Monday APP-Smash: Physics Class The Domino Lab
Learning Outcomes in Bloom’s Taxonomy Language: SWBAT calculate average speed. SWBAT synthesize concepts of speed, distance, and motion in a domino lab.
APPS we Smashed: eBackPack, Jumbo Stopwatch, and Sandtimer
The APP-smash we used as a Monday feature was used in conjunction with a domino lab that we did in our Physics class. The students used the APPS Jumbo Stopwatch, Sandtimer, and eBackPack. Instead of using a traditional stop watch to calculate average speed we used the Jumbo Stop Watch APP that I displayed as a huge visual on the board for the students. We used the Sandtimer app for less precise time calculations and the students liked that they could change the app to different neon colors and they loved the sound effects. Instead of passing out a paper version of the lab as I did in the past, the students retrieved the lab in their eBack Pack. When they completed the lab they returned to me electronically in eBack Pack let’s hear it for digital workflow.
To see my class on Monday with the super big Jumbo Stop watch displayed on the board juxtaposed with the brightly colored Sandtimer was to feel the synergy of an APP-smashing learning environment. I like to the SAMR model as a post APP-smash reflective lens and in this activity the apps had modified the learning experience to the point where my students felt like 50% physicists and 50% rock stars.
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