As we move into the end of September and the beginning of October, I am still searching for new ideas, websites and apps to use in my lessons with the iPads. Recently, I discovered that two other FACS teachers in my division will be getting iPads as well. This is a huge step and it will allow us to collaborate with each other. It will be very beneficial to have three people searching for ways to use the iPads, instead of just one.
I haven't found a need to modify my action plan yet, but I have learned a lot about technology and my curriculum that I didn't know before. First, the biggest hurdle in implementing the iPads into the FACS classroom has been working with our IT department. There are so many ways iPads can be used, that we had to work together to figure out what restrictions, if any, we wanted on the iPads. As a teacher, I need control to add new apps and remove apps as I need. I cannot wait 2 weeks for our building IT contact to sync the iPads for me. This was the trial and error part of implementing the iPads so far. When laptops are issued to teachers and students, it is much different than issuing a cart of iPads so the IT department had to write new instructions for the school techs to use when setting up carts for classrooms.
Most of the new questions that have come up are related to the monitoring of student work on the iPads. It is always important for a teacher to walk the classroom to monitor student work, but it would be nice to have a software program loaded onto the teacher laptop/iPad that would show the screen for each student iPad to make the monitoring process much easier. As of yet, there is no software available, but my CITT and building IT tech are aware of my interest if anything becomes available.
Finally, Chapter 6 in the textbook for this week really introduced me with some questions about new ways to implement assessment while using the iPads. I'm already using Socrative to give multiple-choice and short answer tests and I'm also using the iPads with my Promethean board to have students display their work while using apps. However, I am really interested in finding new ways of using the iPads to assess student work and progress so I will be collaborating with the other FACS teachers and my CITT to come up with new ways to assess in my classroom.
Myra Mata
Cennamo, K., Ross, J., & Ertmer, P. (2009) Technology integration for meaningful classroom use: A standards-based approach. (Laureate Education, Inc. custom ed.). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth, Cengage Learning.
Myra,
ReplyDeleteYour concerns about monitoring your students on the iPads are well founded. I asked around for some help on monitoring the iPads. Our computer teacher said that she did have a program that allowed her to tap into each students account and see what they were doing at any time. She said that the IT guys installed and she did not know the name of it. I checked with the IT department and the one who was in charge of that install was out for the last couple of days. (We only have a two person tech department) I will check back on Monday and will be sure to get you the information that may help you. As for the rest of your GAME plan, I like what you are trying to do. You are taking technology that the students are familiar with and fitting it right into your current lessons. The key here is that you are using familiar technology. We know that if students are already used to working with certain tools then they are more likely to accept that tool as a learning resource. They are also more likely to explore ways to make the tool more effective.
Thanks for the info! I would appreciate anything you can find out for me!
DeleteMyra,
ReplyDeleteI have the exact same desire to be able to see the students' screens while they "appear" to be working. It would be great if teachers could always trust students, but unfortunately, the older students are, the easier it is for them to discover that there are ways to misuse a privilege. I am not sure that I know of any software that can monitor what students are doing on an iPad, nor did I know that they existed. Does your school currently have programs that will allow for you to see what students are doing on their computers while you are observing from your computer? If so, what program does your school use?
I love the fact that you are a FACS teacher with a desire to incorporate iPads. However, I understand the struggle of having new technology and not knowing how to incorporate it into the curriculum. Technology should always be used enhance (not create)the curriculum (Cennamo et al., 2009). Is there a way that you could incorporate a calorie calculation app? I am not sure if you teach any Nutrition and Wellness classes, but I seem to remember having to figure how many calories were in certain foods when I took the class in High School. I am sure that there are many other apps available, and hope that after collaborating with other teachers in your school, you will have a better idea of what to do next. I wish you well!
Ranielle
Reference
Cennamo, K., Ross, J., & Ertmer , P. (2009). Technology integration for meaningful classroom use . Mason : Cengage Learning
Another school that I worked at had a lab with modules that I used with my class and we had a monitoring software on the computers, but it was only for desktop computers, not iPads. I have my tech person looking into some options for me. I will let you know what I find.
ReplyDeleteI do teach nutrition and cooking with my students and we do use a calorie calculation app. We also use apps that show us the nutrient labels for different foods. It makes it so much nicer to have the students use the newest technology to look up information, as opposed to using old out-of-date textbooks.
Myra