Week 4: Webinar Review – iPads in the Classroom

Learning Objectives Addressed:
1. Demonstrate the understanding of how technologies can effectively promote student learning.
2. Evaluate and use a variety of current technologies to enhance content instruction and to advance student's technological literacy.
4. Reflect upon and demonstrate effective use of digital tools and resources.
5. Demonstrate a comprehensive understanding of safe, ethical, legal and moral practices related to digital information and technology.
7. Demonstrate an understanding of the use of adaptive technologies and other digital resources to personalize and differentiate learning activities for every student.
8. Evaluate, adapt and reflect on emerging tools and trends by participating in local and global learning communities and by reviewing current research and professional literature.

Can the iPad Change the World?  

I bet two teachers from Michigan would say yes.  Kindergarten teacher Ashley McDonald and 2^nd Grade teacher Amber Kowatch were recently given the opportunity to take part in a pilot program that granted each of their students an iPad for use in their classroom for the duration of the school year.  In the webinar I recently listened to entitled, iPads in the Classroom, Ashley and Amber discuss their experience with Tom Johnson (Director of Technology for the Mason-Lake and Oceana ISDs), Allyson Rockwell (Director/Producer) and host Steve Hargadon (The Future of Education Website founder).  They engage in a conversation that highlights the implementation of the program and the journey that the two teachers took that changed the way they think about education. 

The program was implemented by Tom Johnson when he was awarded a grant to purchase 60 iPads for a pilot program that would integrate the iPad into a kindergarten and a 2^nd grade classroom environment.  The experiment was conducted during the 2010-2011 school year.  Minimal technological upgrades and changes were needed at the schools in order to make the program work.  The iPad was chosen because it was the best tablet available and it was the easiest to use.  It has the power to incorporate a great deal of educational apps that could be used in the classroom, and its durability proved worthwhile as well. 

ABC's affiliate in Ludington, Michigan WZZM featured Amber in the following story:

Ashley and Amber were nervous at first.  They were not sure about how using this new technology with 5-7 year olds would work.  They were pleasantly surprised when they saw how well the kids responded to the technology and how it enhanced their learning.  They both said that it changed the way they teach and how students learn.  The kids fell in love with their new learning tool.  There were concerns that the device might not be for every student, but all of the kids responded well.  They believed that this new experience would break down barriers that kids might have had with technology and open a whole new world for them.  It definitely did. 

There were also concerns from parents that the device would be used as a toy and could be used improperly at home.  These concerns were eased by the parents and teachers having a meeting at the beginning of the school year that set the tone for the usage of the device.  Contracts were signed that outlined the parameters of proper use of the device, and the students would be taught how to be good technological citizens. 

Once the class was set up in September and the rules of the road were laid out, the students were ready to embark on their journey with this brave new technology.  Ashley and Amber quickly saw the benefits of the iPad as an educational tool for learning and creation.  They were able to capture writing assignments and class videos that could be shared among all of the students in the class.  The iPad allowed the student the flexibility of a portable device that could be used in a circle time environment, at a desk, or standing up.  It made for an easy transition into the classroom.  Its lack of wires and a mouse allowed the students to learn from any space in the classroom.  The teachers were able to set up a blog to allow for collaboration among students.   Instead of a worksheet handout, the teachers used educational apps that allowed for instant engagement.    The device gave the kids the freedom to direct their learning.  An example of a boy in the 2^nd grade class illustrates this greatly.  After he was finished with a math assignment he was able to access the book he was writing on the iPad about animals.  The iPad allows for a great amount of self directed learning and discovery. 

Students were completely engaged all year.  Ashley and Amber both cited that it would be more difficult to teach that effectively without the iPad.  The reason for this is that half the battle is having the kids want to be there to learn.  The iPad generated excitement to learn.  Students were given an awesome opportunity to engage in a new style of learning in which they play an active role rather than simply a bystander receiving information.  Not only were the teachers teaching the students, but the students were teaching each other.  They were constantly showing each other how to do new things and helping each other with their assignments.  Both teachers constantly cited the fact that they allowed the students to direct the learning, which created a special bond between teacher and student.  

One of the most amazing and unique uses of the iPad was when it was sent home.  The teachers were able to send home notes to the parents, download actual class videos of lessons and allow the parents to see the children’s work on a daily basis.  This enabled parents to have a window into the classroom that was unprecedented.  A parent could engage a child with their homework and actually see what the class was taught through the video lesson and apply that lesson to the homework.  It is an experience parents would not have without the iPad. 

Producer and director Allison Rockwell created a documentary that followed the students through their iPad experience called Look I’m Learning.  Check out the trailer for the documentary:

Look, I'm Learning from Allyson Rockwell on Vimeo.

The iPad fever has even caught on in a Michigan high school where all 1800 students were issued the devices at the beginning of the 2011 school year.  Check out this article for details:

iPads for Every High School Student in Michigan District

The iPad experience is a direct example of how technology can have a greatly positive effect on student learning.  The students were engaged in the learning process and were able to collaborate and communicate with each other in ways that had never been really practiced before.  They were able to learn on a device that constructed a classroom of effective communicators and complex thinkers.  Students obviously increased their technological literacy over the course of the school year.  Ashley and Amber also cite how the students would teach them about new ways to do things and discover new applications pertinent to their learning.  The fact that the students were shown how to use the device in the appropriate way, shows that the teachers played an active role in the development of good technological citizens.  I believe this is a crucial step for all digital natives in this day and age.  Ashley and Amber spoke to how the kids in their classrooms did indeed learn at different speeds.  The iPad enabled them to differentiate learning by customizing the lessons to meet all student needs. 

My future is in special education, and if I was afforded the opportunity to use iPads in my classroom I know I would be able to actively engage all of my students.  The iPad would provide an exciting way to be able to make the curriculum come alive while at the same time increasing student creativity and discovery.  It would be easy to manage commonly unorganized student portfolios and keep track of their work and progress.  The iPad would have a multiplier effect on education as well when the students brought it home.  It would enable parents to actively take part in their child’s learning.  I believe that is one of the greatest attributes of the device.  Communication is so essential between the classroom and home, and the iPad is a great tool to enhance that. 

I strongly believe in the power that technology can have in the classroom.  I am thoroughly on board with using devices like the iPad in all areas of education.  Although it is important to remember that the iPad is only one device among many that can be used to enhance student learning.  My oldest son is nine years old and a special needs child, and our family has an iPad2 in the house.  I think the iPad may be the greatest assistive technology tool ever created for special needs children.  I know from firsthand experience that his technological knowhow and ability to learn new things was greatly enhanced once he started using the device.  We have downloaded many educational apps that Ashley and Amber also utilize in their classrooms like Clockmaster, Storychimes, Splash Math and abc PocketPhonics.  The iPad allows for special needs students like him to access technology with few, if any, modifications or adaptations.  It allows them to be independent and use technology like everyone else. I believe the iPad has already changed the world and as time goes on we may see it keep changing the educational world for the better.

Week 2 – Techy Documentaries : How Living in a Digital World Effects our Lives

I recently viewed 2 documentaries from the PBS series Frontline entitled: Growing Up Online & Digital Nation.  They both address how today’s new technology effects society and education.  Growing Up Online speaks to how technology has had an impact on the lives of adolescents who have grown up in the plugged in digital world.  In contrast, Digital Nation speaks to not just how technology effects adolescents, but how it affects all people regardless of age.  Growing Up Online, which was filmed in 2008 mentions how integrating technology into our kids education is important and worthwhile.  It talks about the dangers kids might face in the online world.  Digital Nation was filmed in 2010, and it appears as though it takes us into a more technologically savvy world that is faster and even more plugged in than in Growing Up Online.  Digital Nation addresses some new technological dangers: addiction and the risks associated with multi-tasking, to name a couple.  Both films take a look into the newfound digital era, but they analyze the effects technology has on our lives and our society differently. 

Each film addresses the phenomenon of multi-tasking where today’s digital natives are able to perform various tasks at one time without skipping a beat.  I believe that our brains will evolve into becoming better multi-tasking machines.  Where today’s digital natives have always been immersed in technology, it becomes natural for them to be able to do more than one thing at a time.  I think the human brain has its limits as to what it can accomplish through multi-tasking, but the technique does have a place in our new fast paced technological culture.  I myself have actually become a better multi-tasker since I purchased an iPhone just months ago.  Although my wife might tell you differently, I do believe that having the capability to be plugged in all the time has assisted my proficiency in taking care of more than one thing at a time.  I can shuffle through the phone quickly and I am able to text, play Words with Friends, and check my email virtually simultaneously. 

Digital Nation poignantly addresses the topic of addiction to technology.  As with anything in life, people can fall victim to addiction.  I do believe that there can be an unhealthy use of technology.  It is evident in the case of those who have died while playing video games for 50 hours straight in South Korea.  People should be concerned about this because it detracts from all of the good technology has brought us.  I firmly believe that technology is the projection of intelligence that the human race has developed in order to make our lives easier.  We should always be cautioned to the overexposure we might face when using technology and always remember that it is here to help us.

Both films talk about the use of video games and how they are perceived.  I do not believe that video games are the answer to solving our educational problems, but they can be a very useful tool when utilized effectively.  I think that video games are primarily a recreational vehicle, but they can enhance learning.   Educational video games might help a 4^th grade social studies class understand the map of the world better or a virtual reality ‘Shakespearian world’ created to enhance an English class’ understanding of Hamlet. 

Bringing technology into a school can only increase its student’s capacity to learn.  These tools need to be employed correctly and ethically.  In the Digital Nation’s example of the struggling school in New York City, bringing in technology greatly enhanced the student’s ability to learn and stay focused.  Schools need to engage students who live in a digital world with digital tools in order to find a common ground. 

As children and teens begin to enter the digital era they are faced with the reality of being exposed to the online world and the dangers that are associated with that.  Can parents really know what their kids are doing online?  The answer is no.  Parents can try, but kids are smart and will always find ways to circumnavigate parental controls and monitoring.  The key for parents is to have an open line of communication with their kids about what they do and what their interests are.  Parents today are hopefully having ‘the talk’ with their kids about things like sex, drugs and alcohol.  Well, maybe they should be having a ‘talk’ about the world of internet technology and the dangers that they might face online.  I believe schools should have a role in educating kids along the path of technology and should teach them proper netiquette and ethics when it comes to participating in the online world.  I do believe that ultimately, the task lies with the parents and their relationship with their children.

In Growing Up Online we heard from Evan Skinner, a mother of 4 teenagers, who is worried that her kids’ participation online exposes them too much and presents a potential problem for their future.  Kids can definitely be over exposed by posting too much information and pictures, and if seen by the wrong person kids can land themselves in some serious trouble.  I know of companies who hire or fire people based on what they can see online on social media.  I have heard stories about college admission offices declining students based on what they found on facebook or myspace.  Students should care about what they post online and take the proper precautionary privacy measures to ensure that their identity is protected. 

Technology poses some real dangers to us today.  Today’s children and adults might be getting too distracted by all of the social media and new technology of today.  Whether we are texting while driving or being consumed by a video game, we should all assess our connection to technology and make sure it is a healthy one.  One might think all of technology is a blessing and we should embrace it wholeheartedly, but at the same time we should always beware of the pitfalls of over use of technology that might be a detriment to our way of life. 

The one thing that amazed me after watching these 2 documentaries was the overwhelming proliferation of technology in our world today and especially in the world of education.   I remember when I was a sophomore in college when the internet and email were in its beginning stages.  We were all amazed at what technology might be able to do to better our lives.  The fact that both films cite over 90% of teens today are plugged into the internet astounds me.  The world has come so far in such a short time span.  Digital natives are so in tuned to the digital world around us that I often find myself jealous.  One comment that struck me was that the internet may have created the greatest generation gap since the advent of rock and roll.  That is so evident when you see the interviews of teachers in the documentaries.   The teachers that embrace technology have an entirely different outlook than the teachers who are reluctant to use technology.  I am so curious as to what the classroom will look like when the digital natives start migrating their way into the administrative roles in our schools. 

Growing Up Online really gave me new perspective as to how to teach effectively and to try to stay on the cutting edge of technology in order to better relate to today’s students.  Even in my role as a football coach we have incorporated technology in how we disperse information to the players.  We use a web based ‘drop box’ where we put plays and scouting reports.  The players have access to this information at any time and we found it has enhanced the degree to which the players grasp our system.  Seeing how the teachers at Chatham High School bring technology into their classroom inspires me to go out and gobble up all of the information I can about bringing new technology into the classroom.   I actually love the notion of teaching as entertaining the kids to grab their interest. 

Digital Nation opened my eyes to the responsibility we have to teach kids to be good online citizens.  I think it is paramount for children to understand what they are getting into when they enter the online world.  They need to behave in a way that shows respect and reflects their values.  Bullying should never be tolerated and kids should always be aware of the situations they could potentially walk into if they are not careful. 

The documentaries shed new light on what it means to be a responsible online citizen and to greater understand how technology can have a serious impact on all of our lives.  Technology challenges us to assert our human values.  We need to be able to use technology for a greater good, but always be observing the effect it has on us as people. 

Week 1- The Time is NOW: Technology in the Classroom

Should we integrate technology in the classroom?? 

We have to integrate technology in the classroom.  There is no doubt that the future of education lies not so much in the content that teachers teach, but in how teachers teach students to search for that content through the vast ocean of information that lies at their fingertips.  The 21^st century learners are digital natives, those born and raised in a completely digital world.  (Schrum & Levin – Leading 21^st Century Schools)  They have access to information instantaneously, unlike me who is a digital immigrant who had to look up answers in encyclopedias and to find movie times in the daily newspaper. 

Almost every job available today incorporates some kind of technology.  If we don’t incorporate technology into students’ education they will fall behind.  Today’s student is immersed in technology and to expect them to sit in a classroom and be lectured to for 50 minutes about the history of World War II is an antiquated mode of teaching.  If that same 50 minutes uses a class discussion Skype with a class in England about their views of the war in their country, a 5 minute YouTube video on the technology of the war and a Prezi outlining the major battles of the war – that student will be engaged in the class and exposed to technology that will enhance their learning. 

In the video ‘A Vision of K-12 Students Today’ we hear a calling that students are hungry for technology to engage their minds.  The more students are exposed to technology the more prepared they will be for the future.  In today’s classroom only 14% of teachers let them create something using technology.  When will we heed the call?  When will America stop being concerned with standardized testing and start being concerned with the amount of technology being used in the classroom? 

I had the privilege to attend a private boys Catholic high school in Long Island from 1990 to 1994.  Chaminade High School prepared me for the rigors of college life.  Back then the most advanced form of technology in the classroom was the overhead projector and a VCR.  We were fed information.  We wrote it down in notebooks, and we were tested on it.  There were no laptops or YouTube videos used to enhance the learning process as there are today.  Chaminade has evolved with the times, and today they use cutting edge technology across all subject matters to help prepare their students for today’s rigors they will have to face in college. 

History of technology in the classroom:

I am currently employed in the Amherst school district at Souhegan High School as a paraprofessional.  I support a variety of students in the classroom from day to day.  I am simply amazed at the amount of technology used in the classroom regularly.  Teachers are able to utilize the internet at the touch of a button to answer student questions where 18 years ago, those same questions had to be answered in a book at the library.  Every teacher has a laptop and is able to plug the class into the internet and use it as a resource.  One of the social studies teachers whose class I am in refers to some of his presentations as ‘multimedia extravaganzas.’  He incorporates music, art, political cartoons and internet research into a classroom where kids are engaged and eager to learn.  These students learn by doing not just listening to lectures. 

Students need to learn how to think.  They desire to learn in a variety of ways and through different mediums.  We live in a multi-tasking age where kids are able to listen to music, write a blog, and communicate with their friends while studying for a history exam.  Technology touches all of their lives.  When they arrive at school in the morning sometimes they aren’t immersed in that technology that will be crucial to their future.  We need to integrate technology into the classroom now in order to better prepare our students for the brave new world they will enter and a job force that requires technological capabilities. 

Check out these articles that discuss technology and education:
Technology as a Tool to Support Instruction

Why Integrate Technology into the Curriculum?: The Reasons Are Many

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