Journal #9 - First Graders with iPads?
Getting, S., & Swainey, K. (2012). First graders with iPads?.
Learning & leading with technology, 24-27. Retrieved from
www.iste.org/Store/Product.aspx?ID=2515.
This
article focuses on an experiment in an elementary school in Minnesota,
where teachers used iPads to try and teach students reading skills. The
students used in the experiment were in the lowest reading group, and
each student had a teacher with the whole time that they were using the
iPad. The teachers utilized several educational apps which helped
students in the areas of vocabulary, comprehension, and fluency. While
composing this research, the teachers had special ed teachers record
data, and the data concluded that students were able to stay on task
longer using the iPads, and they also found that the kids adapted to the
iPads very quickly. The negatives included the high costs of the iPads,
technical problems, noisy and missing apps, and limited subject matter.
Many of these negatives seem to be associated that the teachers were
also quite new to this technology, and should get better over time. I
think that any technology which engages the kids and creates a fun
learning environment is a good thing thing, and I hope to have access to
iPads in my classroom.
Question 1: Are there any other potential negatives that the article didn't mention with using iPads in the classroom?
A. I think the problem eventually would be that its very easy for the students to go off-task such as checking their Facebook or Twitter. This was not a problem in this experiment because the students using iPads were always with teachers, but this is not feasible in larger classrooms.
Question 2: Why are you excited about iPads in the classroom?
A: I think that they will eventually take over textbooks. If we get every student an iPad, they can have all digital textbooks, and districts will no longer have to buy tons of books anymore (they will have to buy the digital edition, but this should be cheaper). It also saves kids from lugging around several large books to and from school, probably saving some backs in the process.
This
article focuses on an experiment in an elementary school in Minnesota,
where teachers used iPads to try and teach students reading skills. The
students used in the experiment were in the lowest reading group, and
each student had a teacher with the whole time that they were using the
iPad. The teachers utilized several educational apps which helped
students in the areas of vocabulary, comprehension, and fluency. While
composing this research, the teachers had special ed teachers record
data, and the data concluded that students were able to stay on task
longer using the iPads, and they also found that the kids adapted to the
iPads very quickly. The negatives included the high costs of the iPads,
technical problems, noisy and missing apps, and limited subject matter.
Many of these negatives seem to be associated that the teachers were
also quite new to this technology, and should get better over time. I
think that any technology which engages the kids and creates a fun
learning environment is a good thing thing, and I hope to have access to
iPads in my classroom.Question 1: Are there any other potential negatives that the article didn't mention with using iPads in the classroom?
A. I think the problem eventually would be that its very easy for the students to go off-task such as checking their Facebook or Twitter. This was not a problem in this experiment because the students using iPads were always with teachers, but this is not feasible in larger classrooms.
Question 2: Why are you excited about iPads in the classroom?
A: I think that they will eventually take over textbooks. If we get every student an iPad, they can have all digital textbooks, and districts will no longer have to buy tons of books anymore (they will have to buy the digital edition, but this should be cheaper). It also saves kids from lugging around several large books to and from school, probably saving some backs in the process.
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Journal #4: "Join the Flock" & "Enhance Your Twitter Experience."
Ferguson, H. (2010). Join the flock. Learning & leading with technology, 37(8), 12-14. Retrieved from http://www.iste.org/learn/publications/learning-and-leading/issues/Join_the_Flock.aspx.
Miller, S. M. (2010). Enhance your twitter experience. Learning & leading with technology, 37(8), 14-17. Retrieved from http://www.iste.org/Libraries/...and.../June_July_2010_Join_the_Flock.sflb.ashx.
These articles by Ferguson and Miller
are basically beginner guides for teachers that want to get involved
with Twitter and expand their online professional learning network(PLN).
Ferguson's article is basically just a review of what we learned in
class. What I did like about the article is her comment about how by
only allowing 140 characters, Twitter doesn't let you embarrass yourself
(try telling that to Charlie Sheen). The Miller article was a bit more
interesting in introduced two Twitter organizers which I had never heard
of before. The one that she recommends is called Tweet Deck, and this
looks like it could be pretty useful by organizing different Twitter
groups into columns. This would be useful for me, as it would separate
my different groups, like sports, comedy, and education. She also talks
about a cool site called Hootlet which makes it really easy to send
links out by twitter while you are surfing the web. Both of these
writers emphasize the need to be active on Twitter, and this will help
you build your PLN.
Question 1: What is the advantage of re-tweeting?
Answer: Re-tweeting can help you build
your personal network because other users will be happy that you liked
their post and they may eventually follow you. This in turn will give
you a more visible web presence.
Question 2: What are some other Twitter resources that Miller doesn't mention?
Answer: There are now hundreds of Twitter apps that you can access to improve your Twitter life. Twitbin
is an app that keeps your Twitter feed always running on your browser,
and lets you tweet as you browse other pages. This basically arranges it
so you don't have to keep switching back to the Twitter home page all
the time. Another one that looks cool is Twittervision,
which lets you see who is Tweeting in a certain area. So if you want
too know what they are tweeting about in Armenia, you can find out.
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Journal #3: Upside down and inside out: Flip your classroom to improve student learning.
Fulton, K. (2012). Upside down and inside out: Flip your classroom to improve student learning. Learning & leading with technology, 12-17. Retrieved from http://www.iste.org/learn/publications/learning-and-leading/issues/Upside_Down_and_Inside_Out.aspx
The concept of the flipped classroom is
certainly an enticing one. For teachers, this idea that students will
learn the bulk of their material at home through multimedia
presentations is both exciting and scary. The exciting part is that in
essence, teachers will get the majority of class time to interact with
students, instead of the traditional lecture or lesson. Parents have
claimed that this somewhat eliminates the need for expensive private
tutors, as teachers have much more one-on-one time with their students.
The scary part is two-fold. Teachers will have to create an entire
digital library of information for their students to watch. For some of
our technically challenged teachers, this could be quite the task. Not
only this, but teachers will also need to create an entirely new system
on how they conduct their class. They will no longer be primarily up in
front of the class, but rather walking around and interacting personally
with students.
Question 1: Would I use this method in my class?
A: Probably not right now. I think the
biggest issue for me would be that this system would clearly benefit
student that had a stable home life. Students that are in charge of
watching their brothers and sisters, or who have big families and don't
have the resources to watch these videos, may not be able to get the
proper instruction.
Question 2: What subjects do you think this would work the best for?
A: I think that this would probably the
most beneficial for students in math. Students would be able to go at
their own pace, which is often a problem in math class. Math is also
probably the subject which benefits the most from one-on-one help with
the teacher, and this system would allow for that.
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