iPads and Tablets

I found this article today written by a Vice President at McGraw Hill. http://mashable.com/2011/05/16/tablets-education/ It speaks to the use of tablet devices in the college classroom. The points Madan makes are excellent, but I wonder how we can integrate this technology into middle and high schools located in poverty stricken areas. Title 1 monies are allocated for technology, but what devices are making it into the classroom and then actually being used?

Years ago, I taught in a Title 1 middle school in which 98% of the students were on free or reduced lunch. My very small classroom contained four large desk top computers placed along one wall of the room. The computers were a great idea but were inaccessible due to the large number of student desks that were crammed into the room. I had an average of 35 students in each of four 90-minute class periods. 35 large 8th grade students in the smallest room on the 8th grade hall was not conducive to creating interactive technology rich lessons using four computers.

As a solution to overcrowded classrooms, I really like the idea of using tablets to create fun standards-based interactive lessons.  Students in crowded classrooms are able to use the device in groups on the floor or individually at a desk. The one problem with smaller devices is that they tend to walk out the door instead of being returned to the technology cart. I suggest that schools distribute tablets instead of textbooks at the beginning of the school year. Students would be responsible for paying for damaged or lost tablets just like they are if they damage or lose a textbooks. If the bottom line is cost, I wonder how much more it is to purchase tablets and textbook licenses than to purchase physical textbooks for students?

21st Century Education

Curriculum 21: Essential Education for a Changing World, by Heidi Jacobs was given to me in the spring of 2011 when I accepted the position of Technology Integration Specialist at the K- 6 private school where I had been teaching 6th grade. I thoroughly enjoyed reading it the first time and planned to use its many ideas when writing the five-year technology plan for the school. In July of 2011, my life took a sudden turn when my husband was offered a lucrative job opportunity in Seattle. In less than one month, we found ourselves 3000 miles from home in the 108 year old town of Issaquah, Washington. My children were enrolled in the local schools and my husband was getting used to his 45-minute commute to Seattle. Meanwhile, I focused on completing a master's degree in Instructional Design and Technology.  This spring, I started the job search process focused on 21st century learning, so I decided to re-read Curriculum 21.

 

I plan to use the next few posts to share some of the ideas that I find intriguing and hope that my followers will share their thoughts and how these ideas are evident in their work.

Heidi Jacobs begins her book with a profound question, "What year are you preparing your students for? 1973, 1995?" (2010, p. 1). I feel this question is one that educators, curriculum specialists, and school administrators must ask themselves when planning the direction of their school or district. I was very fortunate to have worked in a private school where the administration fully embraced the commitment to place the needs of the learners as the number one priority and gave us the tools, training, and freedom to achieve this goal.

Our school fed into the best public and private college preparatory middle schools in the city. As 6th grade teachers and our student's last teachers at the school, our team felt it that it was our responsibility to make sure students were fully prepared for the rigors of middle and high school classes. Our students ranged from average to gifted abilities and included those with learning differences. Our team created differentiated classroom environments and strove to use tools that would meet each of our student's needs.  As with all goals there were triumphs and setbacks. I always wanted to find that magic activity that would succeed with all my students, where those who were struggling with a concept would suddenly "get it." Fortunately, most of the time we were successful in finding the best approach for each student, but the times that I felt I wasn't able to stick with me to this day. These are the times that I find myself searching for the magic activity to help the student "get it."

So, how does this relate to 21st century education? Giving students the ability to find the tool they need when they need it is 21st century teaching. What do students need to be successful in their future? What tools do they need to move to the next level of education or to successfully join the workforce? Do I think it is all about technology? No. But I do believe that as technology changes our students need to know how to adapt. How are we to teach them this skill when we don't use technology as a part of our daily lessons? On the other hand, if we are to make sure students are able to use technology as a tool, how do we make sure students also master course content? Curriculum 21 focuses on ways to integrate technology into daily lessons in a way that course content is mastered and students learn to navigate the technology tools that are currently available and how to discover on their own how to use tools that have yet to be invented.

Egypt Immersion...a year later

The Egypt Immersion (a year later)

This event seems so long ago. Since the publishing of the Postmortem of the Egypt Immersion post, I have completed my masters program and moved 3000 miles to the great state of Washington. I was not able to oversee the implementation of this project this year and wonder what the teacher who replaced me did to improve it. I have sent an email and hope to update this post with those results. 

Looking back now on my experience as a teacher at this wonderful school, I realize I was given many opportunities to be creative with my lesson plans.  Projects such as the Egypt immersion allowed me to think beyond my classroom and include all team members in lesson planning. I think the ideas we decided on to improve the immersion were good and hopefully were useful for the new 6th grade team. I still believe conducting a post-mortem as soon as a project is completed is very important. It is easy to forget what has worked and what hasn't if too much time goes by. I thank my team members for being such good sports and supportive of this work intensive unit.