Final Thoughts

Since this is my final post for the class, I would like to leave you with some final thoughts.  There is one thing that I have learned from this class and writing this blog that I think we should all take with us as we continue our education and careers.

Let the curriculum drive the technology, not let the technology drive the curriculum.

In this world of education we are so enraptured with the addition of technology that we are at risk of forgetting our main focus, and that is the student.  We do not have to include technology into a classroom if it is not needed.  We can include it to keep a student's attention if it is a boring subject, such as the building of the Teanscontinental Railroad, or Westward Expansion (Sleeping yet?).  But we should not include it if it is not necessary.

Take SmartBoards.

I have heard many complaints about them, and they all have to do with one thing that the teacher is lacking.

Time

It is nice to have them in the class if the teacher has the time and need for it, but let's be real.  These things cost over $1000.00, and all many of them are is paperweights for the wall.

We should focus on learning about our particular class, and then see how they are reacting to our subject matter.  If they need a bit of a boost in order to understand the material, then let's use that tech!

IPad cost comparison

In this discussion, we will look st the costs associated with using an IPad in the classroom.  The biggest influence in migrating a school to the IPad is the costs associated with it.  It can be a bit daunting to make this transition, even without the cost analysis in play.

Let;s look at the basic cost of the IPad.  This will be a retail cost, without any school discounts or grants associated with it.  It will be for a school with 500 students.

The cost of an IPad, retail, is $399.00 (http://store.apple.com/us/buy/home/shop_ipad/family/ipad2).

$399.00 x 500 students = $199,500.00!!

Almost $200,000.00 !!!!

Now this cost is just for the IPad.  Let's look at the textbook.

Retail, the textbook for an IPad is $14.99 (http://appleinsider.com/articles/12/01/19/apples_e_textbooks_cost_1499_or_less_major_publishers_already_on_board.html)

Each student will have, on average, 6 textbooks, so let's do the math.

$14.99 x 6 classes x 500 students = $44,970.00

Now this includes updates to the text in case of typos, incorect information, etc.  It does not include new editions of the text, so if the school wants to keep up with editions, it will cost them this amount every time.

These prices are based on retail prices.  Apple has programs for the schools to get IPads cheaper, as well as the textbooks.

So there are the numbers.  good luck in trying to compare these to what is actually spent in the real world on texts, considering the publichers don't release the cost of the texts to anyone, even the schools when they buy them.

This is my rubric for my World War 2, Home Front Prezi Project for my students. It is designed for grades 11 and 12 in public school.

Digital Storytelling Example

Home Front Demo on Prezi

This is my Prezi example for my students on World War 2, Home Front.  This class is for grades 11 and 12.  We will be studying this while we are studying World War 2.  The Home Front is a study of what was happening in America while the War was going on overseas.  It highlights the sacrifices and work that we did here to help the war effort.

I added a video for the first time in this one, so if you get a chance watch it.  It's really cool.

My students, in creating their digital storytelling project, will tell a story about how people looked at and dealt with World War II, specifically the Home Front (what life was like in America).  This is a 11th-12th grade project, and will be created while we are covering the World War II time period.  We will be usint the free account, so we will be able to embed video, and will be audio in the form of voice or music of the era, and pictures taken in that era to enhance the text.

The web resources that the students will be using is the Prezi learn tutorials, as well as websites about the home front era, such as http://www.history.com/topics/us-home-front-during-world-war-ii from the History.com website.  other resources will include the textbook and lectures, but the students will be encouraged to search for other resources based on their subject choice of the era.  I would also have them access http://www.archives.gov/ for other resouces of pictures, video, and audio from that era.

I think that I would need to create an online resource of video, audio, and pictures from that era that I glean myself from their resources, so they can not only download and use these from my site, but will also serve as an example of what they can look for.

In making this Prezi, I hope that my students will learn something extra about what AMerica went through during World War II, and how it impacted their daily lives.

IPAD vs. eReaders

So I have been posting about the IPad and it's uses in the classroom. But we need to ask ourselves the most important question before getting these for the schools...

Do we really need them?

This is the question that needs to be asked by every school board before buying anything that is going to cost so much in monetary costs and time costs for set up. The school needs to find out exactly what it needs the IPad to do for the students and administration.

Students:

Do they need to read books on it? Do they need to run the apps on the IPad? Do they need internet access for the classroom? What are they going to do with this IPad, besides read on it? These questions are just the basics,, but if they are not ALL answered with the afirmative, then we need to stop ourselves and look at the answers. If the students are just going to read on them (both books and assignments from the teacher)and if the students are just going to be running basic apps, then they do not need an IPad. They can use an eReader like the Kindle Fire. It can do those things and is a LOT cheaper. This cost savings can help school boards decide on the implementation of this technology, especially in this economy.

Teachers and Adminstration:

Again, the same questions apply. What we have to take into account also is that if we keep the same technology for he students and the teachers, they can be Synched together in real time so the teacher can actively work with the whole classroom, literally staying on the same page. The adminstration really doesn't need any, because they can use the computers in their offices to do their work, since they are not actively teaching students.

So there it is. Do we really need the IPad inthe classroom, or can we use the eReader to do the same job.

Next time, we'll look at the IT department and see the cool stuff they can come up with to help the classroom that uses the IPad/eReader.

Prezi Presentation

Digital Storytelling eme5050 on Prezi

Teacher Apps

In the classroom, it isn't just the student that can benefit from the IPad.  The teacher can use it to make her work more effecient, thereby concentrating more on the learning needs of the student.  There are many apps that the teacher can use for this, so let's look at a few, shall we?

First, there are apps for attendance.  Instead of the teacher going to her desk to call out names and enter them into the computer, she could be entering it into the IPad.  The app could be a list of names, or maybe a layout of her classroom, showing the desks.  She just clicks on the desks to show the empty ones.  With assigned seating, this would work out great for the teacher.  She would be able to breeze through her attendance in less than a minute, instead of 5 minutes the old way.  Over the course of time, this can add up to some serious addition of class time.

Controling her smartboard/projector.  The teacher can control these with the IPad instead of going to her desk every time she wants to activate software, such as Power Point.  She will be able to proceed with her presentation with minimal interuptions, allowing her to keep the focus of the students for the entire time.  She can also walk around the room with it, making her presence known to the students.  This will help with talking or whispering in class during a presentation.

Assigning homework.  The teacher can teach her class, and if this school is full of technology, can email hte daily assignments to her classroom.  Each student would recieve this email with the homework in it, thereby ensuring that they won't "forget" to write it down.  Also this can add students that are absent that day, due to illness or such.  They won't miss assignments, and the teacher can keep on track with those assignments as well.

This is just a few of the many apps that the teacher can implement in her classroom.  There are many, many more that can be used, so long as the teacher can implement it seamlessly into her class.

I would like to invite you to my Google+ page for this project, at https://plus.google.com/?hl=en&gpsrc=gplp0#103880660156167839030/posts.  Check it out and let me know what you think, or if you have any ideas to add!

Student Apps

Welcome back to my blog about the IPad. Today we will talk about software for the IPad. These are commonly called apps, which is short for applications. These are small programs designed to perform a few small tasks onthe IPad for you. For the purposes of this blog, we will not count things like games and home use apps. We are only going to concentrate on apps for the classroom.

 

Now these apps we will subdivide into apps for students and apps for teachers, which we will address in the next chapter of my blog.

For students, there are apps for just about anything for the school.  But how do we choose which ones to use?  We need to look first at the needs of the students.

There are some basic needs that the students will require filled for the IPad.  These may be available to them at home on their home computer.  But if they do not have one, then they will be covered by these apps so they can participate and learn at school and at home.  Now this list may be a bit long, so we will only list a few things they need, such as:

Internet browser

Word Processor

Video viewer, to watch video files

Audio player, to listen to audio files

The ability to chat in the school chat forum, if a separate app is required for this

Ability to download images for research for class

Etc.

I know that I am missing a few things (or a lot of things) off of this list, but this is not meant to be all inclusive, just a small example list.

Second, we will look at the needs in the classroom.  These all depend on the student and the class they are taking.  This is to be decided by the teacher on an individual basis.

Of course, the IPad will act as an eReader, so the student will be able to read their books for school and be able to take them all home.  These include textbooks, novels, and any other reading they will need to do.

Next the teacher must look at the individual student for extra apps.  Do they need extra help in math?  Then provide an app for helping them learn math.  How about their reading?  Then give them an app for reading and comprehension skills.  What about an app to help them understand science, or social studies?  Then yes, it will be provided.  How about apps to help those in special education, such as a magnifier for those who need help seeing the text, or an app for volume so the student can hear the audio without blasting their ears out with headphones?  These can be brought into play, too.

The big issue is to only provide apps that the students will actually use and learn with in the classroom, and this is the tricky part.  There is a desire to add apps just for the sake of having them available to everyone, but too many apps will mean that the student will not be using some of them, or the student may become overwhelmed and not use it at all.  We must keep this in mind when choosing apps for the student.

The IPad in the classroom

Since we are allowed to choose our own subject, I will start with the IPad in the classroom.  This will be a multi-part blog, where each week I will explore different aspects of this subject.  Enjoy!!

IPad – Hardware considerations

Unless you live in a cave, you know what an IPad is.  If you need a refresher, just pop over to the IPad site at http://www.apple.com/ipad/ and it will help you.

Since schools are moving towards using the IPad in schools, let’s see if this will be a wise choice in using it on a day to day basis.  There are many things to consider in choosing the IPad, and we will start with the hardware.

The IPad does have a nice touch screen, at a size of 9.7 inches; it makes for a clear viewing experience.  The processor and memory contained within are adequate for the job of helping the students learn.  They allow for video watching, audio listening, and power point viewing without interruption.  There are a couple of storage memory choices for the IPad, and in my book it is always good to get as much storage  memory as you can afford, to help it keep up with demands that will be placed on it.  It also possesses wireless technology, so the student will be able to connect not just at school but also at home, the library, the bookstore, or even McDonalds.  This will also allow them to download and upload assignments that the teacher gives them.  A keyboard can also be added to allow another input choice instead of the touch screen.

For another use of the above hardware, there is also the application for use in Special Education.  The touch screen allows those who have motor skill issues to use the IPad easier.  The headphone jack allows those with hearing impairment to adjust the volume so they can hear the audio.  There are a ton of uses for this device with Special Education classes.

The only issue that I can see is damage to the device. “Therein lies the problem with iPads in high school: devices break.” (Turrentine, 1)  Dropping it repeatedly, for example, will eventually damage it beyond use.  The best way to fix this is to get an impact resistant case cover, similar to the one for the IPhone.  As of yet, Apple does not sell such a thing.  They sell a cover that folds back to allow it to sit upright on a desk, but not to protect it from being dropped repeatedly.

All in all, the IPad will revolutionize education, if proper precautions and planning are taken.  In the next Blog, we will look at software and apps for the IPad.

 

References

Turrentine L.. (January 19, 2012). Apple iBooks in schools: Devil is in the hardware. Retrieved September 12, 2012, http://news.cnet.com/8301-30677_3-57361919-244/apple-ibooks-in-schools-devil-is-in-the-hardware/

Best or Convenient?

Are we doing what is best for our students, or are we doing what is most convenient for us?

In this day and age there is a belief that all we have to do for the students in our school systems is add some technology and have a new educational theory and they will be prepared.

This is NOT true.

The entire design of a school must be rethought/redesigned/reimplemented in order to make true progress for our students.  While students do live in an age full of technology, we must introduce this technology in a planned way, one in which the learning process of the student is taken into account.

For example, while it is true that a great many students use Twitter, this would not be something that should be added into the educational system.  With Twitter the posts of all who you follow has to be scrolled through in order to find the ones that you want to read.  The others are not read at all because the student has already decided that the Tweet is not worth his time.  A student will not scroll through their Tweets to find ones from class.  They would rather find the ones from famous stars and sports stars.  Setting up a seperate Twitter account just for school will not word either, because (1) many students will not log in to check it and (2) some students cannot check Tweets at all.

This second point is one that I should elaborate on.  The use of technology in the classroom is a wonderful goal, but we have to keep in mind that in order to implement anything related to technology, ALL students must have access to it.  The school systems that can afford to give students laptops are few in number.  Even if this is given to them, we cannot assume that the student can access the internet from home.  The family may not be able to afford to have internet access.

This is equivalent to telling a student to go home and do his homework, but he cannot because he doesn't have any paper to write on, or anything to write with.

(If you think that this doesn't happen, then why are all students given a school supply list that has a lot of extra stuff on it, like paper and pencils?  Thse supplies are left at school so all students share them.  Also look around at the start of the next school year, and notice the school supply drives for needy students.)

We not only have to provide a redesigned school system to the students, but we also have to make sure that ALL students can take advantage of it.  This is what is best for the students.

Do you see it happenning?  No.  Because we are doing what is convenient for us.

Many people will say that they went to school and they turned out ok, so their schild can go to the same school and they will turn out the same.  We need to correct this fallacy by not only educating the students but also educate the adults in what is needed in this new digital world, and that not only their childs' future depends on us improving the school systems, theirs does as well.