ASP Visit #3

Our third week of ASP Tech Club went smoothly.  We let the students use a website, www.montanakids.com, to research the animals they had chosen the week before.  Each student was required to find five facts from the website, and write them down.  The 2nd graders had impressed me the week before with their ability to navigate online, but when actual research was involved, slowed down somewhat and required more assistance!  I speak tongue-in-cheek here, but in seriousness, it was a good lesson in engaging students in less-interesting topics.  There was more pressure this day, since Beth Kennedy, the coordinator, was observing as we taught.  Although the students were not extremely focused, we apparently handled everything alright, because Beth was pleased.  She has been wonderful to work with, and is constantly willing to aid us, direct us, or criticize constructively, all while allowing us freedom to operate by ourselves.  We had our lesson cut short, because the students had another group come in to work with them, so we had to adjust on the fly.  We helped the second group, Destination Imagination, for a half hour or so before leaving.  This was unexpected, and a little disruptive, but it was a good learning experience.