BYOD - What does it all mean ? This is an important discussion for school systems to be starting to have. With the demise of government programs for implementing 1:1 devices, the move to more and more ubiquitous mobile technology and the growing expectations of parents, we need to be looking at realistic options for providing students with the digital opportunities they deserve. These options do not necessarily mean a laptop or a tablet device - for some it may actually mean a smartphone. If you talk to parents about family priorities and educational opportunities for their children most are supportive of a BYOD program. In fact most parents suggest that their household already have access to multiple mobile devices. The BYOD initiative will take on an even greater significance in the minds of parents with the suggestion that some major mobile device corporations are now going to bypass education systems completely and directly market mobile devices to parents with attractive finance options available.
Should Kindergarteners Use iPads in the Classroom? Much like with toy cellphones, kitchenware and hardware tools, children under a certain age once played with toy computers to simulate the experience of working on the real thing. But in recent years, children as young as 2 and 3 years old have eclipsed the step of starting out with a toy version of a piece of technology and are now playing on iPads and other devices before they start kindergarten.
And with the rising fad of mobile devices, public schools are left to decide if the use of devices like iPads should be integrated into class curriculums. While some education officials praise the newer strategy for aiding learning, others claim devices like iPads have no place in the classroom. In April, an elementary school in Auburn, Maine, was given permission to distribute iPads to kindergarteners next fall — an expense with a $200,000 price tag, according to local media. Has the Information Age turned into an information overload? The iPads Are Coming … A Lesson at the Zoo: Enhancing Field Trips with iPads. Recently I hosted 20 teachers in my school district at the zoo for an afternoon. The idea was to explore how we might use iPads during a field trip. It was certainly an exciting form of professional development. Instead of sitting at a desk and listening to someone like me talk about what you could do, we just went out and did it!
Teachers had a lot of fun, and many ideas were shared. Some of the best experiences we give our students happen during field trips; the zoo, a museum, nature walk, etc. For many schools, a day or two at the zoo is The big field trip of the year. While an iPad and iPhone are great tools for taking video, some tips can make the outcome more enjoyable. Instead of just showing the animals and exhibits at your location, try having the students interview each other. When interviewing, ask questions that can’t be answered with a yes or now. Check out this post and video on how to use iMovie. Remind students to:
Deploying iPads in schools. So, what were our goals and what benefits did we expect? One of the big-ticket items for us was the iPad’s instant-on capability. Not having to wait for computers to log in at the start of a class is a huge benefit. Also, students can get through a full day without needing to find power. Apps, iBooks, fast internet access, the ability to quickly take notes, record audio and shoot photos – all of these can have a huge impact on classroom delivery. There are two ways iPads can be deployed in schools; as a shared resource or as personal devices. When iPads are deployed as shared devices, they’re loaded with whatever apps everyone might need and then booked out for use at specific times. This can work well, particularly with younger classes where handing out personal devices doesn’t work well.
In our case, as we were starting with older students, the decision was taken to give each student their own device. This also brought some challenges but it also delivered a less tangible benefits. Best Learning Experiences of 2011-2012. Taking an idea from @coolcatteacher as seen below... I asked each of our students the following question, "What was your best learning experience of the year?
" I created the entire movie on an iPad with iMovie and can't be more thrilled with the result. Not only by their answers, but by the quality of the video. Some students gave detailed answers, some shortened them up. Either way, I am thankful I took the time to ask! My advice would be Vicki's advice, "Take one day to LISTEN to your students talk about their best learning experience in your classroom this year. "
Technology and Education | Box of Tricks. Posted by José Picardo on September 25, 2011 Many of us look at schools in which there is 1:1 iPad or Netbook implementation and drool with envy. “If only our schools were as innovative” or, let’s face it, “as rich, as these other schools” we think to ourselves. However, the other side of the coin is that many teachers also see iPads as nothing more than overrated books that glow. Is there no middle ground? I think there is. Our department is currently assessing the potential impact of iPads in the classroom and, in order to do that, we have bought one. Just the one. You see, we feel that iPads are a great idea but we think that we need to develop pedagogically sound strategies and good practice before we consider buying any more.
The comic above, for example, was created in one of these activities using Comic Life, a fantastic and very reasonably priced iPad app. It’s still very early days and our iPad’s use is obviously limited by its uniqueness, as we only have the one tablet. Principles of Democracy - Digital Storytelling. Flat Classroom/NetGenEd Guidelines for Media Use While some of the following may still arguably be considered as qualifying under Fair Use in some instances, it is important to remember when participating in a project like this that we are utilizing a NING platform, similar to YouTube. Although not exact, NING has a Terms of Use Agreement that we all agree to abide by upon joining. NING reserves the right to remove anything they deem copyright infringement.Further, copyrighted material can cause a really fantastic video to lose out on a well-deserved award due to the inclusion of copyright especially music.
Everyone works so hard and we want to assure the chances to secure awards are most-equitable.Please pay extra mind to the following guidelines when creating your video/multimedia artifact. Copyright May I use Copyrighted Material? Fair Use Where does Fair Use come in? Was the Barack Obama "Hope" Poster fair use? Criteria for Fair Use What's Fair? To Use or Not to Use Creative Commons. Ways to Evaluate Educational Apps. I am conducting a series of workshops in Florida and was asked to share a rubric to help teachers evaluate educational apps as part of the workshop. In 2010 Harry Walker developed a rubric, and I used his rubric (with some modifications by Kathy Schrock) as the basis for mine. (Read Harry Walker's paper Evaluating the Effectiveness of Apps for Mobile Devices.) I kept in mind that some apps are used to practice a discrete skill or present information just one time.
Others are creative apps that a learner may use again and again, so it's a challenge to craft a rubric that can be used for a wide span of purposes. I tried to make my rubric work for the broadest range of apps, from drill and practice to creative endeavors, while stressing the purpose for using the app. My rubric also emphasizes the ability to customize content or settings and how the app encourages the use of higher order thinking skills. Here's what I chose to spotlight in my rubric: Relevance Customization Feedback Engagement. Turning Students into Good Digital Citizens. 21st Century Literacy | In Print Turning Students into Good Digital Citizens Schools have always been charged with the task of producing good citizens.
But how has our definition of a "good citizen" changed over the ages? By John K. Waters04/09/12 Video Exclusive: Cultural anthropologist Michael Wesch at Kansas State University discusses the tools today's students need to be good digital citizens. In today's world of near-ubiquitous connectivity, in which ordinary people have almost instantaneous access to unlimited stores of information and the ability to interact with anyone, anywhere, anytime, what does it mean to be an effective citizen?
Ask a K-12 educator these questions and chances are the answers will have something to do with teaching proper behavior and setting appropriate prohibitions. 'A Day-to-Day Skill Set' In his work, Kahne focuses on the connection between students' participation with digital media and their levels of civic engagement. Introducing School-Wide Digital Citizenship Practices with iPads. An elementary school in our district recently got 30 iPads and asked for some advice implementing them with students and teachers.
In addition to suggesting some starter apps, I recommended that we have conversations with kids around the appropriate use of these devices. While almost every child has used an iPad, iPod Touch, or iPhone, the exciting learning opportunities these mobile, Internet-connected, media creation devices create also open the door to new challenges. Cyberbullying or inappropriate web publishing happens more through the camera than regular computer use does; the mobility of the device combined with the reality that multiple users are using the device with no personalized, password-protected, network-tracked accounts makes it more challenging to keep track of who is doing what with the device or that the device itself is safe.
Rather than tell the students how they should and should not use iPads, I felt compelled to involve the students in the conversation. iPads for Education | Education Apps. The History 2.0 Classroom: Why Go 1:1 iPad? Rethinking Testing in the Age of the iPad. Project Based Learning & iPad Integration.