Inquiry Topic: iPads in the Classroom

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Christine and I were both interested in exploring the use of iPads in the classroom. I have access to a set of 10 iPads, which in itself is a bit problematic in a class of 30, but I don’t want that to stop me from using them next year. Christine made an interesting point that she didn’t just want to compile a list of “neat” apps, but rather wanted to learn to use the iPads in meaningful ways. So often, the iPads become just another word processing tool or Google search tool. I don’t think that is really using the technology to its full potential. We began investigating deeper uses of iPads in the classroom where students are using the iPads to create and publish online.

Jenny spoke about the importance of teaching our colleagues why the use of technology is so important but quite frankly, I can’t imagine many of my work colleagues will care. There is a strong resistance to change at my school. But I do know from experience that they will become intrigued if I can show them the some of the possibilities. This past year, a new teacher constantly had the iPad “lab” signed out and his kids created some really interesting stop-motion videos. These videos were then played on a loop, projected into the hallway outside his classroom for our school’s Centennial Celebration. Everyone was blown away at what the kids had created.

For my inquiry project, I would like to look further into engaging and meaningful uses of the iPad for me in my classroom. Just from the small amount of research I was able to do in class today, I was blown away at how many new ideas turned up compared to the last time I did a similar search. I found a really interesting slideshare presentation that even broke down various iPad apps according to Bloom’s Taxonomy which I listed on our Mindmeister (posted below).

I am genuinely interested in pursuing this topic and I’m really excited to see what the final outcome will be. Best of all, I hope to have something that I can use this coming September with my class of grade 6/7s.

Week 1 Synthesis

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BC’s Digital Literacy Framework (draft) defines digital literacy as “the interest, attitude, and ability of the individual to use digital technology and communication tools to access, manage, integrate, analyze, and evaluate information, construct new knowledge, and create and communicate with others”.  The following is a list of skills that I think are necessary to participate in today’s society.

– ability to locate and use information

– ability to judge the reliability of information

– ability to interact and understand the norms within various online spaces

– ability to appropriate and remix content in a meaningful way

– ability to create online media

– ability to multi-task

Our job as educators is to ensure that we are exposing students to digital literacy and preparing them for a world that is changing rapidly.  The truly humbling thing about digital literacy is that you will never know it all.  I have accepted the fact that by the time I master one form of social media or communication application, hundreds of improved or more popular variations will already be on the market.  And I’m ok with that.  🙂

For me, the only way to keep from getting completely overwhelmed, is to decide what is truly necessary for my teaching and daily life.  Rather than dabble in multiple communication forms, I prefer to master just one or two.  As a grade 6/7 teacher, Twitter is not for me.  I can see its merits but it isn’t filling a gap in my teaching practice.  The same goes with Facebook.  I prefer to remain somewhat anonymous on the web as I’ve heard too many stories of teachers crossing the line.  I also have to be very careful about privacy issues with my students.  My class website purposely does not list our school name and I do not post pictures of students.  Within our closed classroom community on Edmodo, I am able to post student pictures and work and freely discuss our school.  It is probably quite different in high school, but in the elementary system I feel an obligation to keep my students safe.

On a regular basis, I like to browse the “communities” on Edmodo to see what’s new in the world of education and technology.  I will often do a search for the latest and greatest education apps and in this way, I’ve discovered numerous invaluable teaching tools.  I do feel I need to simplify for the sake of my sanity.  I already organize useful information on Pinterest and in my Edmodo library, therefore a tool like Pearl Trees is somewhat redundant for me.  It has been really great to hear about all these different applications and tools this week.  I especially love learning how other educators are using technology in their classrooms.

Marc Prensky’s Thoughts on ICT

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I was feeling quite bogged down with definitions and what we had covered in class today.  Somehow my research took me on a tangent that I quite enjoyed.  I am a really practical person and I’m always looking for practical applications to my teaching.  I want to walk away with someone useful that I can immediately apply in my class.  I watched a series of videos with Marc Prensky on YouTube and really liked what he had to say.  Without being too heavy on theory, Marc breaks down the importance of ICT in the classroom, the role of the teacher, and future trends; essentially, thoughts to guide one’s teaching.  The first video was titled “Technology and the Quest for Digital Wisdom” found at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LnJzMIOdbxU.  Here Marc explains how technology has completely changed our world and how we, as educators, must adapt.  He urges teachers to revolutionize their classrooms by listening carefully to kids’ thoughts, needs, and passions and then tailoring instruction to these things.  How true this is.  We need to spend more time listening to what kids are interested in.  Our teaching should follow their passions and interests if we truly want kids to be engaged and excited about learning.  Just as Richardson pointed out in “Why School?”, his son instinctively sought out help and answers in an attempt to master the Minecraft game because it was something he was truly engaged with.

In “What is the Role of the Teacher in Today’s World?” (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4MpzcjhY_wI), Marc argues that our role has changed from being the givers of information to being partners, coaches, and guides.  By asking the right questions, providing context and quality control we can set kids on a path of discovery.  He points out that in the digital world, we are all teachers, and we are all learners.  This is especially true of teachers and ICT.  Every day I learn something new from my kids – they often run up to teach me computer shortcuts and they definitely master online games more quickly than I do.  Not everyone may be comfortable with this, but I think that we must be humble and accept help from our classes of “digital natives”.  Teachers must be brave with technology and ambitious for our kids.  If we set the bar high, kids will reach for it.

Finally, in “What’s Going to Happen Next in Education?” (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J2owmNhAbSA), Marc points out how kids can teach themselves because the world’s resources are at their fingertips.  Motivated students need just a bit of guidance and schools should provide that motivation to get students learning on their own. Technology should make education more affordable and accessible as formal and informal sides of learning are merging.  Anyone can learn from anyone, anywhere.  Now, more than ever, we are in an age of learning and discovery.

Why School?

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I really enjoyed Richardson’s book, Why School?  His writing style was simple and engaging and he had some really interesting and valid points.  Our world is becoming increasingly online and this is impacting every aspect of our lives, yet schools have been very slow to adapt and adjust.  Learning no longer only takes place within the confines of a school where knowledge is delivered by a teacher.  Real learning happens anywhere, anytime, and with anyone.  Learning and literacy are changing rapidly in this internet age.  We need to equip students with the skills they need to navigate this online world.  We are now consumers AND producers of media (Facebook, blogs, Youtube…) so we need to teach students the skills necessary to participate.  In particular, students need to be taught to judge the reliability of the information they find.  But educators should also focus on teaching students how to enter and interact within various online spaces; how to sample and remix content in a meaningful way; and how to experiment with various media as a form of problem solving.

Here’s an interesting site from New Zealand which lists the top 10 ICT trends for each year:  http://www.core-ed.org/thought-leadership/ten-trends

One of the questions asked by CORE is how can we make the most of technology to extend learning?  How can we create effective online learning experiences that are both personalized and exciting for our students?

I can get quite excited about all the possibilities but then I remember the reality of my classroom and my school.  It’s laughable, really.  I have one ancient classroom computer, my own personal MacBook that I bring in each day, an LCD projector, access to a school iPad “lab” of 10 iPads which are shared amongst 450 students, and extremely unreliable internet access.  There just doesn’t seem to be enough money for anything in the Vancouver public school system.  My students are not wealthy but most do have access to a computer at home.  How do we free up money to make decent technology accessible to EVERY student?

In the meantime, I will continue to search out new ways to use the technology I do have to provide meaningful educational experiences for my students.  Going forward with Richardson’s ideas of “new school”, I plan to focus more on discovery-based education and assessing what students can DO with what they know.

Questionnaire

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1. What policies govern your uses of ICT in your school setting?

*Our school has an “acceptable use” computer policy that all students and parents are expected to read and sign at the beginning of the school year.  It states that students will use the computers to access appropriate content for school purposes.  It also states that any form of cyber bullying will not be tolerated and any misuse of school computers will result in a loss of computer privileges.

2. What digital technological resources do you have available for teaching and learning in your school setting?

*We have a decrepit computer lab with approximately 30 computers.  As of 2014, the Vancouver School Board will no longer maintain or replace these computers, so the computer lab will be a thing of the past.  We have 10 new iPads which can be signed out by the classroom teacher but of course, they are in high demand in a school with over 450 students.  My classroom has 1 computer for student use but again, after 2014, these will be phased out.  I bring my laptop to class every day to connect to my LCD projector and I use it constantly while teaching.  I also let my students use it whenever they need to.

 

3. Please provide an example of an exemplary use of digital technologies for teaching and learning that you have observed or experienced personally.

*I began using Edmodo with my class this year and have found it to be an amazing teaching tool.  As a teacher, I can set up a safe and closed environment for students to chat, post, ask questions, discuss issues…  I am able to create and assign quizzes (which Edmodo marks!), conduct opinion polls, provide links to interesting websites, and stay in touch with my students.  Through Edmodo, I am also able to add interesting pictures, video clips, or websites to my private library to access in the future.  I have the option of sharing my library with colleagues or keeping it private.  Edmodo also has a fantastic “community” feature where you can browse various subjects and read educators’ questions and posts about what they are doing in their classes.  I often spend time just browsing through the Language Arts, Science, or Math community discussion boards and I always come away with an interesting website or activity to use in future.  In my class, Edmodo was wildly popular because it was a safe and fun way for my students to communicate with each other and a convenient way for them to communicate with me.  Students learned to take responsibility for their learning and ask for clarification on assignments.

 

4. Please provide an example of a problematic use of digital technologies for teaching and learning that you have observed or experienced personally.

*Every year, our school struggles with some form of cyber-bullying or inappropriate use of social media.  In previous years, there have been tons of issues with Facebook – students creating false accounts for other students, posting inappropriately, bullying etc.  Most recently, numerous grade 6 and 7 students at our school were using Instagram to post pictures of their arms and legs after “cutting” themselves.  The idea of self-mutiliation has spread like wildfire throughout our older students and several students who weren’t actually cutting themselves were posting pictures they had found online and pretending the pictures were theirs.  I have also heard a lot of concern about SnapChat – instant messages that disappear after a short amount of time.  Students feel a sense of anonymity or they feel they won’t get caught and so they post some rather shocking things.

5. Please provide a brief history of how you learned to use digital technologies (personally and professionally).

*I grew up with technology and as a teacher I have always tried to use it to enhance my teaching practice.  I initially began with a class blog before moving to a class website.  When SmartBoards first came out, I took a series of professional development workshops on them but unfortunately I never had a SmartBoard materialize in my classroom.  🙁

I use the LCD projector together with my laptop for most of my teaching.  I also love using educational game-based learning sites such as MangaHigh.com and xtramath.org.  I discovered Edmodo while conducting research for a LLED course as part of my diploma and I instantly signed up and began using it.  Whenever I find something that I think would enhance my teaching, I am quick to learn as much as I can about it and implement it in my teaching practice.

6. How would you rate your digital technological proficiency? 0 = low level of proficiency -> 10 = high level of proficiency? Why did you give yourself this rating?

*I would put my level of proficiency around a level 8.  I’m comfortable around computers and new technology and I am also willing to put in the time required to master new technology.  I’m definitely not an expert in the field but I know enough to use technology on a daily basis and I can see its potential to enhance my teaching.

7. What do you hope to accomplish in this course?

*I would love to walk away with a few new ideas for how to incorporate technology into my teaching.  With every course I’ve taken so far towards my diploma, I’ve walked away with at least 1 great new idea or a usable unit plan that I can immediately implement in my classroom.