I am not a digital
native.
Ten years ago, my
husband set up an email account just for me”Why in the world do I
need an email account?” I asked him. I didn't have anyone to email.
Eventually, I became an avid emailer.
Six years ago he
forced me onto Facebook. “What am I going to put on there?” I
asked him. He updated my status for me. “Lisa is cooking spaghetti
for dinner!” Eventually my posts got better.
Four years ago he
bought me my first smart phone. “What am I supposed to do with
this?” I complained. “I'm not smart enough for a smart phone.”
Eventually, I realized I couldn't live without it and that maybe I
should start trusting my husband.
I think you get the
idea. I am a reluctant digital enthusiast. Like most people, I resist
change. However, if my hand is forced, I soon realize the error of my
reluctance and embrace the new technology with enthusiasm.
If you'd asked me
last year if I thought students should have iPads in the classroom, I
would have given you a most determined “No!” But really, would
you expect anything less from me? I have three boys of my own, and I
could only see the negative effects of tablets. I saw these devices
as primarily being used to play games and to rot the brains of our
youtht, and I just couldn't see any merit in having that temptation
in the classroom. To Last Year Me, it would have been the equivalent
of taking an alcoholic to a bar. My kids were video game junkies, and
they could only learn if I forbid them from getting their fix-- at
least until the weekend.
Then Teach Now made
me research apps and mobile technology for the classroom. They made
me watch videos by James Gee touting the merits of game-based
learning. I started to rethink all my ideas about iPads, and my own
kids are now reaping the benefits. My oldest son is especially
excited (or maybe just amused?) about my new found interest in all
things iPad. He has devoted a folder on his iPad called “Mom
Experimetns” to apps I've made him download and try out. Through
him I am learning that mobile learning can be rewarding.
In an ideal
classroom, every student would have his or her own iPad. As any mom
can tell you, sharing is great in principle but harmony comes when
everyone has their own space-- physically and digitally. Schools seem
to be reluctant to invest in this idea, issuing one iPad per
classroom or having multiple classes share a set of iPads. The
problem with this is that the full value of the iPad is lost. In
these situations, the iPads are solely used for media consumption and
not for production. In order for the iPad to be a truly effective
tool in the classroom, students must be able to personalize it and
learn to make it work for them. They must learn to create work
through a variety of applications.
You may be like Last
Year Me and ask, “But why do kids need iPads in the classroom at
all?” Kids need them to learn 21st century skills, which
they will need to thrive in the real world. Students need to be
fluent in Information and Communications Technology (ICT) and they
need to be able to use digital tools for collaboration, creativity,
and problem solving. Allowing kids to learn and use today's
technology in a rewarding and effective way in education will create
lifetime learners. Just like my husband forced me to change with the
times and climb aboard the technology bandwagon, we, as teachers,
must force our students to learn to make iPads work for them for more
than just playing Minecraft and Injustice. Students need to be able
to create in a digital age, and the iPad is the perfect tool for
doing it.
Now we come to the
elephant skulking in the corner. What principles should guide iPad
use in the classroom? Smarter people than I have devoted much thought
to this very subject and some of them even offer seminars on it.
After perusing the internet for enlightenment, here's my takeaway.
1. Establish
expectations for proper iPad use. Students need rules, but you won't
be able to monitor everything that every student is doing at every
moment on their iPad. However, if you give them the proper guidance
with clear expectations of iPad use, you can trust that most of them
will learn and produce some pretty amazing things.
2. Don't be afraid
to trust students and set them free to learn and create. Students
should be able to access the internet as needed for research, and the
iPad should be used as a tool for getting things done. Teachers make
the assignment and let students use their imaginations and iPads to
get it done.
3. Learn 10 apps and
learn them well. According to EdTech Teacher, “All the good apps
fit on one screen.” If the best practices for learning involve
student production, all we as teachers really need is powerful apps
for creating amazing presentations. We don't need an app for every
subject we want to teach.
4. Don't be afraid
to learn from your students, the digital natives. Although students
may not naturally gravitate toward the apps you want them to use on
the iPad, once they are introduced to them, you can be sure that they
will master them quicker than you. And they just might be able to
tell you a better way of accomplishing the same goal.
5. Experiment with
different methods of using the iPad. It is almost certain that
everything you try on the iPad will not be a great success. Don't let
that discourage you. Try new things and let the students interest
help propel your teaching strategies.
With those things in
mind, here are a few ways I plan to integrate iPads into my language
arts classroom.
1. Students will use
the camera function to take pictures of real world examples of
literary devices like alliteration, analogy, onomatopoeia, and
hyperbole. We will discuss as a class why these devices were used and
if they were effective.
2. Students will use
the video function to create vlog posts of book reviews.
3. Students will use
the Kindle or other book reading apps to annotate, highlight and
bookmark as they read ebooks on their tablet.
4. Students will
research the author and the time period in which books we are about
to study were written.
5. Students will
create presentations to illustrate their knowledge and to teach their
classmates.
And now for a real
world example. My son, the iPad user and conductor of mom research,
was given an assignment for Sunday school in which he had to give a
presentation on a saint. There was much grumbling and complaining
until I told him he could use his iPad. And this, my friend, is what
he created.
For more information
on integrating iPads into the classroom, check out these resources:
Daccord, Tom.
(2015). Five Tips to Create Strong Learning Environments with
iPads. EdTech Teacher. Retrieved from
http://edtechteacher.org/ipads-in-classroom-tom-daccord/
GDC Team. (July 1,
2014). The Teacher's Guide to Choosing the Best Digital Content.
Retrieved from
https://globaldigitalcitizen.org/the-teachers-guide-to-choosing-the-best-digital-content
Gliksman, Sam. (Nov.
15, 2013). Checklist: Are you ready for iPads in your School?
Mindshift. Retrieved from
http://ww2.kqed.org/mindshift/2013/11/15/checklist-are-you-ready-for-ipads-in-your-school/
Prensky, Marc.
(December 2, 2005). Shaping Tech for the Classroom. Edutopia.
Retrieved from
http://www.edutopia.org/adopt-and-adapt-shaping-tech-for-classroom
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