Upgrade your phone and upgrade a classroom.

The students in Mrs. Moody's third grade class are working in a 1:1 environment, but it's not like other classrooms you may have seen.  The students in her class are using iPhones that have been deactivated from a cellular service provider.  These phones range from iPhone 4 to iPhone 5c, and have been collected over the past three to four years. Mrs. Moody, fellow teachers, and even the BCPS Technology Department have contributed their older model iPhones after upgrades. The students had been using iPhones in the classroom for several years, but now each student now has their own device to work with in the classroom.  While the iPhone may have its limitations, it also has its benefits. The students can essentially have the world in their pockets, and they are using them to the fullest extent.  Check out just a few things the students have been doing:

• Taking pictures
• Accessing Google Drive, Docs, and Classroom
• Using QR Code Readers for scavenger hunts
• Using sites like Kahoot and Quizizz for quick assessments
• Taking Accelerated Reader quizzes
• Listening to reading during Daily 5 (Audio Books in iTunes)
• Google searches with voice 
• Multiplication fact practice using www.xtramath.org
• Recording their own audio books
• Accessing Class Dojo

The students in Mrs. Moody's classroom are responsible for ensuring their devices are charged and accounted for.  The charging and storing areas are designated, and easy to manage for the students.  While the students have access to shared MacBook and iPad carts within the school, they are not available every day and Mrs. Moody is doing some great things with the resources available.  

Check out what the kids are saying:

Sylas- "I like the iPhones because it is easier to take AR test and I love taking the quizzes that Mrs. Moody sets up for us!" 

Addy- "I like the iPhones cause we don't have to go to the library for AR test."

Dixie- "We can play on the learning apps when we have free time. I like how it fits in my hands and easy to handle "

Victoria- "We can play games, take at test, use Google Drive, and we don't have to fight each other for phones cause we have our own."

If you have a deactivated device collecting dust, or you're thinking about a Christmas upgrade, think about what your old device could do in a classroom. Donate your old iPhone/iPad to a school, they'll be happy you did.

Want to know more about Mrs. Moody's class? Email her a bmoody@burke.k12.nc.us