I love the way technology can get my students engaged and excited about learning. Sometimes I'm even able to trick them so that they don't even know they are learning. This is exactly what happened last week! I came across a website that provides FREE live footage of an African waterhole. I began showing it for 5 or 10 minutes throughout the day. The waterhole is very active first thing in our morning (there is a 7 hour time difference) and so I always have it on as they come in on the morning. It's really neat, but of course I found myself wondering how I could catch their excitment and connect it to the curriculum. We began researching the animals and trying to find the names of some of the unfamiliar animals. This week, the kids are choosing an African animal to write about. We are also studying seasons and weather so we began looking into the weather and seasons in Africa. In addition, it has created some interest in maps and using map skills. Many of the kids are even watching the waterhole at home and bringing in information about the animals. I love the way technology can get my class excited and help us travel to other places. Check out the waterhole at africam.com. I am watching the Tembe waterhole. I hope your students enjoy it as much as mine are!
