A Spark of Genius

Our students sat through a presentation marathon today.  As they listened to their classmates share their mini-research on such topics as Andrew Jackson, the Indian Removal Act, and the Seminole Wars, audience members were expected to keep track of new learning from each presentation.  Most of them kept track of this on index cards.

One student, however, was trying something different.  This student had an iPad.  I noticed that she was typing her notes on the iPad and maintained a very focused demeanor throughout the marathon, not once stopping for a Gatorade.  After some time, I decided to check in to see if she would share some reflection with me.  She proudly showed me the quantity of notes she had taken.  She told me it was easier for her to type on the iPad than write by hand.  I asked her if she knew she could email them and she told me she already had...twice.  Then she continued to explain and demonstrate something else.  With a four finger swipe, she switched the screen to the internet where she already had a bunch of images pulled up in a search of Sequoyah.  She explained that she could quickly move back and forth between her notes and these images of the different presentation topics.  "I even found the alphabet invented by Sequoyah!" As she shared this with me, she was knowledgable, confident, proud.  Did I mention yet that this is a student who often struggles with work...limited by reading comprehension and written expression??

I am curious as to how she learned to so quickly manipulate the iPad...I am curious about how she came up with the idea of dancing between notes and visuals.  Those would be some helpful and intriguing follow up discussions. 

One thing I do know, however, is that this student shared a spark of genius with me today...one that we can certainly use to light the way for her fellow classmates and other classroom applications.