WOW Wednesday: Casey Macat, BES

Hi! My name is Casey Macat and I teach 3rd grade at Brenham Elementary School. I am the guest blogger for this week and wanted to share how amazing the chromebooks have been in my classroom this year. I have always been current on most technology so getting the chromebooks has been an awesome experience to share with my 3rd graders. Majority of my students had no idea what a chromebook was or even how to use one prior to 3rd grade. My students along with myself have grown from this experience and are still continuing to grow in technology on a daily basis. In the beginning of the year we started out simple making Google Presentations and Google Documents and have now bridged into full blown PBL using Smore.com.



We recently learned about the solar system and my students had to research a particular planet and create a online flyer using Smore.com. Students had to add facts, pictures, and videos to support their planet. This PBL truly opened my eyes to what students are capable of doing when they have the opportunity to show their own creative side. I will admit that I love structure and like to plan ahead and PBL has taught me to “let go” of some of that control. It was definitely challenging at times but the reward in the end was amazing! My students learned so much more in depth than if we would have learned about the planets and our solar system the traditional way. My students cared so much more about the assignment and the work throughout the process because they owned it and created it. It was their project with their personal touches and had true value and meaning to them.

The opportunity to attend WOW Academy last summer has changed the way I teach. I have learned so much and feel blessed to have the chance to share this with my students as well.

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