Part 1 of 3 

Name: Timothy Wayne Boudreau

School: Lougheed Middle School

School Board: Peel District School Board

Province: Ontario, Canada

Job Title: 8th Grade Core French and Math Teacher

How do you use Doceri?

Flip Video Creation

I use the Doceri iPad app to create flip class videos (screencasts) to cover concepts that are important for student understanding, yet don’t want to spend class time discussing.  Instructional videos are usually created in combination with other apps such as iMovie and post on YouTube. Finally, I post the link to my screencasts on my class Edmodo site.

Not Pro Quality

The videos are not oscar winning material. They are fairly rough. However, I’ve gotten myself to the point where I can create and post a video in less than 30 minutes, and students find it so useful to be able to review material at their own pace.

Archiving in-class instruction – at home reinforcement

I also use Doceri Desktop in conjunction with an LCD projector as my interactive whiteboard.  Usually, I use Doceri to deliver a new lesson or to review a concept before a quiz.  I record my voice as I am conducting the lesson including student questions and responses, which I post on Edmodo.  Students who have difficulty remembering oral instructions have the chance to review material at home.  It’s also great to have my audio and visual class notes available for students that were absent.

Making thinking visible

Doceri helps my students make their thinking visible.  One common area of student need is the ability to properly read, understand, solve, and communicate solutions for math problems. There are various strategies teachers use to help students develop their problem solving skills, but the real challenge is answering the question “How will you know students have learned mathematical problem solving?”  Having students create Doceri screencasts as part of the problem solving process helps them visualize a new concept. Plus, it makes it easier for me to assess students’ problem solving abilities.

Usually, I introduce a new concept with a screencast. Next, I encourage students to use Doceri to work on a solution to given problems. This gives them the opportunity to write, draw, and display any visuals that they deem necessary to properly show all their work and calculations. The Doceri timeline allows me to back their work up and see their thinking unfold. It’s easy to isolate the trouble spots for each kid.

Peer interaction

Students create video explanations of  solutions to a problem.  Then they give feedback on peers’ chosen method of problem solving. It’s amazing to watch the exchanges that come from this visual thinking process! Doceri is a great thought catalyst.

Next entry (2 of 3) Tim focuses on how the school staff, administration, parents, and students have reacted to Doceri in his classroom.