Home School gets creative with Technology

On November 20, 2013, the ACIS Home Study classes, K-6^th grade, took a field trip to Chinatown. Their goal was to address the driving question, “How can I be a global learner?” Scholars examined similarities and differences between their own neighborhoods and this other place, not so far away.

To guide their exploration, Mrs. Carraway incorporated a photo scavenger hunt consisting of thirteen photographs of various locations and items of cultural significance around Chinatown. Small teams of scholars were to find the places/things pictured. Initially, she struggled to find a way to address the difficult problem of having to print so many expensive photographs, but then she realized that in fact, this was the perfect opportunity to incorporate technology into our field trip.

Mrs. Carraway uploaded the photos to her classroom Shutterfly site as an album. While exploring the city, parent chaperones helped scholars to access the photos via their smart phones. When a photo location was found, the parent could snap a photo of the team in that spot to prove they had been there. All the resulting team photos could later be uploaded to Shutterfly as well, as a record of the experience.

The field trip was a great success, with 32 students and over a dozen parents taking the Metro into the 'big city' and back. Best of all, a challenge was turned into a learning opportunity, building 21^st century skills in a fun and creative way.