"I can't do anything with just one iPad in my classroom" - NOT ME
This quote can be heard on almost any campus from any teacher whose school is slowly being infused with technology. The message is very clear- if I don't have a class set, there just isn't a very good reason for me to have any at all. But wait- I could do something incredible with a set of 20 (in our district, that's a 2:1 student:iPad ration. If we really start to boil it down to brass tacks, I might be able to make things work with a small set of 5-10 iPads and do my best to have my students use them at the end of a unit.
I seem to be the poor kid in the line to see Santa Claus on Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills, just wanting what everyone else has...
This quote can be heard on almost any campus from any teacher whose school is slowly being infused with technology. The message is very clear- if I don't have a class set, there just isn't a very good reason for me to have any at all. But wait- I could do something incredible with a set of 20 (in our district, that's a 2:1 student:iPad ration. If we really start to boil it down to brass tacks, I might be able to make things work with a small set of 5-10 iPads and do my best to have my students use them at the end of a unit.
I seem to be the poor kid in the line to see Santa Claus on Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills, just wanting what everyone else has...
There are plenty of schools to drool over when reviewing how much technology is accessible to the students on a regular basis. Envy, I tell you, envy. I have certainly looked at the Fisler School, Scales Technology Academy, and Melrose Elementary to see just how much greener the other side of the fence is. Yet, amongst all of the riches being poured down from the educational heavens, I sit alone in my classroom at the end of the day with one measly, lonely iPad 2, both of us exhausted.
We are exhausted for a number of reasons, but none of them are remorse or envy. My iPad and I have set out to prove the pundits and naysayers wrong. "No, I tell you, I will NOT be a teacher's tool that the students never see", my iPad bellows out at the launch of a new day. If anything, we have developed an incredible bond that you and your 40 iPads, iPod touches, Kindle Fire HD's, or Nexuses could never develop (although I'm sure your bond is pretty cool, too). Because it is just the two of us, we are inseparable.
We are exhausted for a number of reasons, but none of them are remorse or envy. My iPad and I have set out to prove the pundits and naysayers wrong. "No, I tell you, I will NOT be a teacher's tool that the students never see", my iPad bellows out at the launch of a new day. If anything, we have developed an incredible bond that you and your 40 iPads, iPod touches, Kindle Fire HD's, or Nexuses could never develop (although I'm sure your bond is pretty cool, too). Because it is just the two of us, we are inseparable.
Twas the night before class...
Twas' the night before class,
and all through the house,
not a creature was silent,
not even the two kids running around before bedtime...
Getting ready for the next day's lesson, my iPad is busy. We are searching for YouTube videos, creating ShowMe lessons, or updating our Prezi for what is sure to be a knockout lesson. We'll use Dropbox to upload the content in case anything crazy happens (just to be sure). Diigo will allow us to save and sort all of the great web resources that we come across as we team up to plan for the next day. The lesson is ready, and the iPad charges peacefully, knowing that tomorrow is going to be epic.
To give the parents and the students a heads up, I send out an email using TeacherKit to all of the parents and the students who have an email address. For the students who don't have an email account, I quickly swipe over to Edmodo and send a message to the whole class so they can view the materials ahead of time (or to give them a quick heads up).
and all through the house,
not a creature was silent,
not even the two kids running around before bedtime...
Getting ready for the next day's lesson, my iPad is busy. We are searching for YouTube videos, creating ShowMe lessons, or updating our Prezi for what is sure to be a knockout lesson. We'll use Dropbox to upload the content in case anything crazy happens (just to be sure). Diigo will allow us to save and sort all of the great web resources that we come across as we team up to plan for the next day. The lesson is ready, and the iPad charges peacefully, knowing that tomorrow is going to be epic.
To give the parents and the students a heads up, I send out an email using TeacherKit to all of the parents and the students who have an email address. For the students who don't have an email account, I quickly swipe over to Edmodo and send a message to the whole class so they can view the materials ahead of time (or to give them a quick heads up).
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Showtime!!!
Completely rested and full of enthusiasm, my iPad and I embark on another day of a 1 iPad setting in my 8th grade algebra classroom. We begin the lesson by having students complete a warm-up on Whiteboard Lite or the whiteboard screen of Educreations. Then, still using Educreations, I dish off the iPad to a student as he explains the steps and solution to the warm-up problem given.
At this point, the iPad is stretched out, confident, and ready for a period of full integration. We open up the Prezi viewer to deliver today's lesson, remotely controlling the Prezi because of our other friend, the AppleTV. The students ask engaging and higher order questions because of the amazingness of the Prezi, so it's sure to be a good lesson.
At this point, the iPad is stretched out, confident, and ready for a period of full integration. We open up the Prezi viewer to deliver today's lesson, remotely controlling the Prezi because of our other friend, the AppleTV. The students ask engaging and higher order questions because of the amazingness of the Prezi, so it's sure to be a good lesson.
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The proof is in the pudding (or the product)
The poor iPad just got an intense workout. To give it a break, I put a few problems up on the whiteboard using Educreations and have students work in small groups to solve together. Once the problems have been written down into students' notebooks, the iPad is rested enough to hand it to a small group of advanced students to they can create a comic about the steps for solving the problems using ComicLife, ELL students to verbalize their steps using Dragon Dictation, or intervention students who can walk me through their steps through ShowMe. Students can save their work to the Camera Roll, email me their results, or upload them to Dropbox in some cases. We can go back on Edmodo, have further conversation, and post our pictures so the entire class can see our incredible products!
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Whew
At the end of the school day, my iPad and I are truly exhausted. I'm tired because I teach with everything I have. The iPad is tired because it has spent the entire day directly assisting and enhancing the learning of more than just the instructor. While we would certainly welcome the opportunity to share our experiences with more iPads, we are making the most of the opportunity that we have been given. I take care of the iPad and the iPad takes care or my students through an amazing transformation of instruction.
Do I want more technology in my classroom? Of course! What 21st century teacher wouldn't?! However, given the opportunity to reflect on what has been presented to me, I'm going to have to say that my students are getting the most out of it. Between enhanced instruction, immediate intervention, unique differentiation, and dynamic extension, "my buddy and me" are having the time of our lives.
Do I want more technology in my classroom? Of course! What 21st century teacher wouldn't?! However, given the opportunity to reflect on what has been presented to me, I'm going to have to say that my students are getting the most out of it. Between enhanced instruction, immediate intervention, unique differentiation, and dynamic extension, "my buddy and me" are having the time of our lives.
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