Tech Club #5 - Photo Scavenger Hunt

On Wednesday June 10 our group met at the CDC to engage the kids in a photo scavenger hunt. Another group member coordinated this activity by printing photos of things found in and around the classroom.  She had photos of a green square, leaves, a stick, a pencil, a red circle, a bucket, and a few others.  This activity had the kids moving around looking for the items and taking turns photographing them with the iPads.  Taking pictures is one of their favorite things to do, and the ways they discovered the items was awesome.  One girl found a red circle by looking at the end of a marker.

The CDC has this time slotted as "reactivity" time when the kids can move from station to station at their own pace or they can enjoy time playing on their own.  We seem to have the same kids each time we come.  Perhaps they are the ones most acclimated to technology, meaning maybe they have iPads at home and enjoy using them.  Sometimes we have an influx of kids - some will start with us and by the time we finish, we have an entirely different group.  We have 2 iPads to use, so we broke into two groups.  The activities took us outdoors and indoors and when we went outside, many of them began to play and we lost their engagement.  It took some effort to bring them back to focus.

We are a disadvantaged in that we don't know these kids nor do we know the disciplinary culture at the school.  One child brought in a stick from outside and wouldn't give it back to me.  I ended up getting a teacher because I didn't feel it was my place to take it from him.  The same child was removed from the activity earlier for not sharing.  

This particular visit felt the most chaotic, though I think it was fun for the kids.  Knowing the students is one of the most important aspects of being a teacher, so it will be easier to instruct, customize, and discipline my "own" kids.  It was our lack of exposure and experience with these kids that made it feel a little crazy.  It was a neat activity, but I suspect we will do better if we stay in one place whether that's indoors or out.