Educators and innovators, we invite you to be inspired by Haiku Deck Guru Jeremy Macdonald, a.k.a. “MrMacnology,” an expert on using iPads in the classroom. Jeremy was one of the first Gurus to come on board, and we have loved collaborating with him–especially on Twitter, where he often jumps in to answer customer questions before we can–Hai-5, Jeremy!

About Jeremy

Bio: ESOL & RTI specialist, instructional technology coach at Mills Elementary, team member of the ORVSD, father of 4
Location: Klamath Falls, OR
Guru inspiration: #HaikuEDU hashtag (Let’s make it happen!)
Go-to theme: Tabletop

About Me – Created with Haiku Deck, presentation software that inspires;

Guest Q&A

Haiku Deck: What inspired you to start using Haiku Deck?

Jeremy: I first saw Haiku Deck come through on my Twitter stream a while ago. I immediately downloaded it, like I do most app recommendations. But for whatever reason, I felt compelled to spend a little more time with it than I usually do. After an hour or so of getting a feel for the app, my mind was filled with ways to use it with my students. The simplicity of the app, the forced brevity, and the vivid images caught my attention. It was exactly what I needed to help my student’s written language practice be more engaging and meaningful.

“Haiku Deck’s elegant simplicity allows my students to share their learning in a much more visual manner while being able to focus on the language and message with little to no distractions.” Haiku Deck Guru Jeremy Macdonald


Sensory Details – Created with Haiku Deck, presentation software that inspires;
Haiku Deck: Tell us a little bit about how you’ve been using Haiku Deck on your iPads in the classroom.

Jeremy:
We have been using it primarily to create our “one sentence stories.” Each week we have a different focus. We typically work on the same function of language for the month, but we’ll incorporate different grammar and vocabulary in various contexts each week. Each lesson is accompanied by sentence frames that students use to practice the desired language. Students practice the language skills orally most of the week, but we normally write a few practice sentences throughout the week.

Haiku Deck is helping us take those practice sentences, or–as I call them–“one sentence stories,” to an entirely different level. The number of slides we use for each sentence depends on the the complexity of our context and function. Each slide is then accompanied with an image that helps illustrate the main idea of the sentence/story. Once students are done, we check grammar and conventions, and then ultimately we share them with others.


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Haiku Deck: What has the experience been like for you and your students?

Jeremy: I try to expose students to various tools and media that will aid them in curating and sharing their learning in ways that are relevant and meaningful to them. We’ve made short movies and we use Keynote and Pages from time to time, but the kids almost always ask if they can come back to Haiku Deck.


Alfredo Is Awesome – Created with Haiku Deck, presentation software that inspires;
Haiku Deck: What tips do you have for teachers getting started with Haiku Deck?

Jeremy: I would just let the students explore. Give them some time to figure out the nuances of Haiku Deck (which won’t take long…because it’s so simple…which is great) and then give them a theme or challenge. See what they make and let them share. I let my parents know that we were going to be using the app. I work with elementary age students, so I explained to parents what the app is and what the privacy policy includes. We have a class Twitter handle, and we used that to create our Haiku Deck account. Sharing is important. It gives our students a bigger audiences and allows them to experience a more authentic feedback than what they would normally receive from a classmate or teacher.

We’re excited to see more of what Jeremy and his students create! Also, be sure to check out the great write-up of Haiku Deck Jeremy did for the Alliance for Excellent Education.

Share Your Ideas

We’d love to hear about your uses of Haiku Deck for iPads in the classroom! Send us a link to gallery@haikudeck.com, or tweet us any time!