Thursday, November 8, 2012

Class Pets

Hello everyone,

Since almost the beginning of the school year students have been campaigning for a class pet. For the present time being this is not an accommodation I can make. However, I have implemented an alternative that has helped to satisfy their request. In a previous school I worked in a colleague opened my eyes to the benefits of a virtual class pet. Ms. C. would upload a webcam of Decorah Eagles during snack and students could observe these creatures in their natural habitat.

Inspired by Ms. C. I have continued this idea in our classroom. We are experimenting with a couple of different webcams right now, which enables us to observe penguins in the San Diego Zoo as well as Great White Sharks in the Pacific! It isn't quite the same as having a pet rabbit or turtle in the room, but not many students can say they have penguins as their class pet either!




In your spare time it might be neat to research some webcams of your own. These are a great opportunity for studnets to utilize technology to observe animals and parts of the world they may not otherwise see. In our own classroom these webcams have sparked a curiosity amongst students about these animals. Many have been taking explore time to learn more about them through National Geographic, books and computer research.

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