Keeping track of our Walking Classroom experience is important to my students. Embedding technology in a meaningful way is important to me! Combining these two was easy using a Google Sheet.
I created the sheet and titled it “Lessons on the Go!”. Students kept track of several different types of information. The labels in the sheet included Date, Podcast number, Topic, Distance, Time, Facts, and Steps.
After each podcast, students would work with a partner to review the focus questions that were suggested in the podcast. At a glance, students could see the podcasts to which they had listened, how many times that topic was reviewed, how many steps their pedometer recorded, and the approximate number of miles walked.
Instructions were given on finding the average amounts for distance, time, and steps. Students loved creating a line graph from some of the information as well. This visual often gave them an incentive to walk more!
After students completed their individual “Lessons on the Go” recording sheet, we would then pull up The Walking Classroom Distance Tracker. This tracker allowed our group to add our miles together! The miles added up very quickly!
Our class, Carroll’s Crew, was slowly passing other classes. Our goal? To get as close to the top of that chart as possible! Each time we logged in, we got to visit a new place along the tracker! Many students shared how they had visited some of these highlights “for real”. Extended conversations resulted, which meant more learning!
Keeping track of our adventures in the Walking Classroom helped engage and motivate my students beyond the ‘walking’ part of the classroom. It helped them actually ‘see’ the progress they were making. How many students can say they added 30 miles of walking to their school year?!
Nancy Carroll
Digital Learning Coach
Boyden Elementary
› Learn more about The Walking Classroom Distance Tracker
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