Laura Beth Jackson

Mini Lesson Planning Tool for Integrating Technology

Title of Lesson: Tell About This App
Curriculum / Content Area: English/Language Arts
Grade Level: Preschool/Kindergarten
PURPOSE / OBJECTIVES:
Students will tell a story or answer the question related to the picture presented in the Tell About
This app.

CURRICULUM STANDARDS:
[W.K.3] Use a combination of drawing, dictating, and writing to narrate a single event or several
loosely linked events, tell about the events in the order in which they occurred, and provide a
reaction to what happened.
AL Technology Education K-2 (10) Design original works using digital tools
ACTIVITIES:
Teacher will individually pull students with speech-related IEP goals into the hallway
Using the iPad, teacher will introduce the Tell About This app to the student
Teacher will demonstrate how to use the app
Teacher will allow student three practice attempts using the app
Teacher will make observational notes on the students ability to tell a story that relates to
the event or picture presented in the app.
Teacher will continue process with each individual student
Answer the following questions:
1. Do I know how to use the technology tool(s) that will be used by my students?
Yes. Although I had never used this app before, I immediately downloaded it to my
personal iPad. In order to develop a solid understanding of all the apps features, I made
several demo stories, changed some of the settings, created user profiles, and watched a
few online tutorials. This app is extremely intuitive, and I feel very comfortable in my
ability to navigate this technology tool.
2. What technology skills do my students already have that are needed for this lesson?
Despite their young age, this group of students is extremely familiar with iPads and
applications. One of the daily center choices in the classroom is the iPad station, where
students can play a variety of games geared toward preschoolers. I have even witnessed a
student trouble-shooting a malfunctioning app by powering the device on and off.

3. What technology skills will they need to learn to complete this lesson successfully?
The app itself is designed for even non-readers to use independently. It reads aloud to the
students, does not require any typing skill, and uses intuitive icons to navigate the app,
including a small house picture for home and a microphone for the record function.
Students may need assistance navigating the iPad functions itself: using the center control
button, adjusting the volume, etc. However, given this group of students numerous
experiences using iPads in the classroom, I do not think they will require much assistance
when using the Tell About This app.
4. What is the appropriate setting for this lesson (classroom, lab, library, home)? Is
this setting available for my students to use?
While this lesson will be taught in the classroom, the apps accessibility makes it
applicable to multiple settings. The app costs only $3 and is iOS compatible, allowing
parents or other support staff to download the app onto other devices. Thanks to the ease
of installation and user friendly design, the Tell About This app can be used as a
continuous support for language development.
5. What tools and resources will I need? (List of all Web sites, specific software and
hardware, and other needs.)
The only resource to download and install the Tell About This app is an iPad with
software iOS 6.0 or higher.
6. How much time do I need to allow for this lesson?
This lesson will require five to ten minutes per student.
7. Who can help me with the planning and/or implementation of this lesson?
Mrs. Suzy, the cooperating teacher at HKES, will help me with implementation. Not only
will she identify students most likely to benefit from instruction with the Tell About
This app, but also suggest an appropriate environment to teach if the general classroom
is too noisy.
8. How will I assess the students learning?
Given the students young age and limited attention spans, the assessments will be
observational. The teacher will make notes on each students responses, noting any
additions, detail omissions, or unrelated answers. If the teacher desires, she may also save
the students responses using the profile feature of the app for later, more detailed review.
Students whose responses are consistently inappropriate can be shared with the partner
speech language pathologist for further review.