Lesson Two: Retelling and recording an experience using Adobe Voice
This morning we went to the pumpkin patch. What a great experience to talk about! In the afternoon, we had some storytelling to do. First, we recalled the Virginia Reel game that we had played the day before. We used the same speaking format except this time the students were to tell one or two things that they had enjoyed at the farm. Second, we had to learn how to use the Adobe Voice App on the i-pads in order to record our sharing. This was a bit more difficult, as many of the students were more interested in the i-pad than the actual App. I was fortunate to have the guidance of our District Technology Helping Teacher as I wasn’t familiar with Adobe Voice either. Anticipating this, we set up the i-pads in advance. Still, there were a number of steps to follow and I was thankful for the two other adults in the room to help with trouble shooting.
For many of my students, this activity was a lot of fun. They quickly understood how to use Adobe Voice and moved beyond today’s expectations. They enjoyed listening to themselves and being able to re-record if they wanted to make changes. Jack did a little experimenting with expression and Tanner extended the activity by talking about 2 pictures instead of just one. I was interested however, that this activity was visibly stressful for two students. One student, Jordan, quickly put up his hand and said that he didn’t want to speak into the mic. Jordan is generally quiet and doesn’t feel comfortable sharing ideas in large group situations. He was OK with the suggestion to move away from his peers but still acted silly in recalling his experiences. Teiya started crying, and said it was too loud in the class to hear herself record. She was fine after finding a quiet spot to share her story.
Upon refection, today’s storytelling activity had many learning opportunities – and perhaps potential difficulties. Orally retelling stands alone as a skill that one needs to become comfortable doing. It also requires much practice. Learning to use Adobe Voice is a skill that includes using the App as well as feeling comfortable enough to record and listen to oneself speak. Combining these two together on a Friday after was a challenge for me as the teacher as well as for my students. Both of us being learners! I am excited to try this again in the future. I am now more aware of the need that some of my students have for privacy and quiet – especially as beginners. I am aware that some of my students express their uncomfortable feelings by being silly on the recordings. I need to address this. I will create more opportunities for students to expand their storytelling abilities. I will not always use Adobe Voice. Students should learn to speak in other forums as well.
Scaffolding in this lesson: going to the pumpkin patch (having a real life story to tell), reviewing and practicing using the same format as yesterday (3 ideas), practicing telling the pumpkin patch story to a buddy and modelling it in front of the class, learning the steps to use Adobe Voice (some of these steps were already step up in the App), trying out and experimenting with telling and recording the story on the i-pad.