As we are a dual language school here at the Washington International School, finding apps in Spanish and French that meet our needs sometimes takes lots of work. Generative apps like Educreations, Draw Free, etc. are our best bets for several reasons, including that they give the students the avenue to make their thinking visible in language and visuals as they also are language free with the tools/functions represented by symbols/icons. Explain Everything, though, does come in French and Spanish with the directions/commands offered in both languages.
This leads me to a lesson I did today in one of our French immersion Pre-K classes. The teacher, Sonia Mena, is one of our school leaders trying new approaches to teaching and learning in her classroom. She already has used video to record her students sharing their understanding of a concept for one of their PYP units. She then used her iPad to recreate a story in French with the students as narrators.
Her most recent strategy is to have me help her students write letters and numbers using iPads. The iWriteWords app is an excellent choice for this activity. One can even get it in French and Spanish. But before making the purchase, I wanted to try the free version to see if it would benefit the students.
We had the students use the app drawing letters and the provided practice words in English. The app smashing came into play as we switched from iWriteWords to the Draw Free art app. It was a transfer task as the students again drew the numbers without the benefit of the structure provided by iWriteWords. They spoke the numbers in French as they drew them. We then used the projector and screen to display the French word “Deux.” The students then applied their letter drawing in French.
We should bring in a third app to have the students screencast as they draw, speak, and record the numbers, letters, and words in French. The practice today was beneficial for the students. The technology did more than replace paper and pencil as students easily erased, chose different colors, and was very engaged.