Our district is finally there! We have an iPad cart in our school with 30 iPads that teachers can sign out to use in their classroom! Woo Hoo!
The impact of this technology in our school was seen right from DAY 1 when the students saw it roll into their classroom and were immediately engaged and enthusiastic. Most of the students I talked to said things like "It was awesome" and "It was a cool fun way to do research, I like doing research now." One student went home and told her mom, "It was really neat. I felt like I went to a rich school!" Wow. Not only is it a way to access new information, increase engagment and creativity, and connect our classrooms to the global society, it has been a way for our students to feel important and valued. This is an impact I never anticipated but such an important element in a child's education.
Right now, the iPads are mostly being used as a way to access the Internet to research information. Many teachers are embracing the technology, anxious for a chance to use the cart in their classrooms. I truly believe that once teachers are exposed to the multitude of opportunities that the iPads present, they will begin to use it in very creative ways. I have already begun to implement it into the 5th grade Resource Room Language Arts class I am teaching. My students are learning new vocabulary words that go along with the novel they are reading "The Whipping Boy". Rather than just telling them about Quizlet.com, which is a wonderful resource for them to use to study for their quiz, I will show them the site by having them access it themselves on the iPads and try it out. I hope that this will get them excited about using something new and take this information home when they study for their quiz, resulting in higher grades. I am also investigating many digital storytelling apps in hopes of finding the right one to use with the third grade class for an extension activity for the Night Zookeeper project (outlined last week in my blog). The possibilities are endless for iPad applications and educational opportunities in our classrooms. There are SO many apps out there to choose from... but which ones are good to use? It's important to keep your goal in mind of what you are trying to accomplish and choose an app that focuses on that goal. For a list of sites that review educational apps to help you find what you need, visit my Teacher Resources page. Another great resource to use is Kathy Schrock's Guide to Everything site. She is an educational technologist who offers advice on EVERYTHING technology in the classroom; follow this link to a plethora of information about ipads in the classroom: www.schrockguide.net. Most importantly, HAVE FUN and try something new!
The impact of this technology in our school was seen right from DAY 1 when the students saw it roll into their classroom and were immediately engaged and enthusiastic. Most of the students I talked to said things like "It was awesome" and "It was a cool fun way to do research, I like doing research now." One student went home and told her mom, "It was really neat. I felt like I went to a rich school!" Wow. Not only is it a way to access new information, increase engagment and creativity, and connect our classrooms to the global society, it has been a way for our students to feel important and valued. This is an impact I never anticipated but such an important element in a child's education.
Right now, the iPads are mostly being used as a way to access the Internet to research information. Many teachers are embracing the technology, anxious for a chance to use the cart in their classrooms. I truly believe that once teachers are exposed to the multitude of opportunities that the iPads present, they will begin to use it in very creative ways. I have already begun to implement it into the 5th grade Resource Room Language Arts class I am teaching. My students are learning new vocabulary words that go along with the novel they are reading "The Whipping Boy". Rather than just telling them about Quizlet.com, which is a wonderful resource for them to use to study for their quiz, I will show them the site by having them access it themselves on the iPads and try it out. I hope that this will get them excited about using something new and take this information home when they study for their quiz, resulting in higher grades. I am also investigating many digital storytelling apps in hopes of finding the right one to use with the third grade class for an extension activity for the Night Zookeeper project (outlined last week in my blog). The possibilities are endless for iPad applications and educational opportunities in our classrooms. There are SO many apps out there to choose from... but which ones are good to use? It's important to keep your goal in mind of what you are trying to accomplish and choose an app that focuses on that goal. For a list of sites that review educational apps to help you find what you need, visit my Teacher Resources page. Another great resource to use is Kathy Schrock's Guide to Everything site. She is an educational technologist who offers advice on EVERYTHING technology in the classroom; follow this link to a plethora of information about ipads in the classroom: www.schrockguide.net. Most importantly, HAVE FUN and try something new!