Using technology to support our research: Shells and starfish

We have been thinking about the tools we use to look closely and a colleague (our kindergarten resource teacher) suggested a closer look at “zoomy”, a hand-held microscope that connects to a laptop. We were intrigued by the possibilities of learning that this tool might offer us as our shell inquiry unfolds. We set out an invitation one morning to use the “zoomy” ~ a piece of brown felt to provide contrast, a mason jar of shells, a few shells already chosen to start us off, a laptop, and the “zoomy”. The children began to explore the shells and then the microscope. Here is what we saw and some of our provisional theories:

What are these suppose to be? There are 6 coquillages. This is a sharp point. I want to try this one! Up the jaws of a shell. There’s a rock.


I think it’s a hole because there is a hole in this one.

Guess what we did...I looked down the coral.

Teeth! Under these there is something underneath. 

It looks like teeth! 

The children also helped each other learn how to use this new tool.  Those who had a chance to use the microscope introduced it to a friend who had recently joined the group.  They became the experts, sharing their knowledge.

You know how you take a picture.  You press the top button to take a picture.  You turn this to take different pictures. 

Lots of learning that morning ~ some that we hoped would surface and some surprises as well as we looked closely at our shells using new technology.  Some of the expected learning was the colour, texture, and size of the shells. The learning experience also helped us with some of our French vocabulary as we used this authentic opportunity to learn new words and practice words that we already know in new contexts.

We loved how the children helped each other out with the “zoomy” and echoed each other’s thoughts as they observed the shells up close.  There was an ebb and flow to this morning’s invitation as children explored with the “zoomy”, left to tell others what they had discovered and came back to take another turn.  We spent a good part of our morning looking closely…

One last photo ~ this was the felt piece the shells were gathered on. It sure looks different up close!