Part Two . . . The Bad and the Ugly

I know what a lot of you may be thinking - having an iPad classroom seems fabulous!  The truth is that having an iPad class is wonderful, but it certainly has its share of headaches.  The implementation of iPads in the classroom is ridden with details to consider and frequent hiccups along the way.  There are a lot of these logistical problems at the district level, but most of the annoyances for the teacher, occur from the daily management of each device in the classroom.

The Bad . . .
First, downloading apps and updates to each device can be pretty cumbersome.  Whether you sync your iPads to a Mac or use the Cloud to receive and update apps and software, there isn't a real efficient way to do this - yet.  Our district has set up a separate Mac server and our iPad classrooms use the Cloud to purchase and update apps.  The problem is that most apps only load onto 5-10 devices with each update or purchase.  That means I have to go back into the remaining 10-15 devices and enter I the password for each app on each device.  Talk about time consuming!  For example, at the beginning of the year, I had to put about 50 apps on 22 devices, and enter the password each time!  Do the Math - Wow!  And, this is a task that I don't let students help with because of the password security, so it falls all on the classroom teacher.  There aren't many easy alternatives to back-up and app downloads.  Schools that download apps and updates by syncing to a Mac computer face the challenge of hooking up each device to an individual computer, which is equally time consuming.  However, there are now "syncing" and charging carts available for  iPads - but they are very pricey for the average school to purchase.
Managing the apps on these devices brings up other important considerations.  How will the teacher pay for and purchase classroom apps?  There are plenty of really good free apps, but true iPad integration requires the purchase of educational and productivity apps to meet the curriculum.  My iPads are linked to one main device in the classroom.  Apps are purchased by the district using allotted funds, through the Apple Volume Purchase program.  This purchasing program allows a 50% discount for purchases of 20 or more apps of one individual kind of app.  Purchases through the iBook Store have to be confirmed and purchased through the building administrator.  Once app purchases are made I receive a redemption code for my class, which is entered in the main device.  From the Cloud the app is downloaded onto the other devices.
Another big consideration is storage and charging of the iPads.  Most classrooms don't have twenty extra outlets!  When the iPads first arrived, I had charging cords and power strips everywhere!  It was a mess!  Our district looked at several options for storage and charging.  Many of the commercially manufactured carts are quite expensive, or lack a design suited for the classroom.  For this reason, our district asked the students at the area career center to design a cart.  It works wonderfully!  It is compact, easy to move, and charges 25 iPads at one time.  Below is a picture of the cart.  The students at the career center actually redesigned a medical supply cart.  Pretty nice work!

And last, the Ugly . . .
iPads break. Having a 1:1 iPad classroom is a big investment for schools and districts. And, teachers turn that investment over to the hands of little children.  So yeah, there are going to be some cracked screens and damaged devices.  It can be really upsetting when technology is damaged, but it is going to happen!  Schools need to have a plan to replace damaged devices.  Apple Care insurance is purchased yearly per device and is very expensive!  This is especially true when you take into consideration the actual number of iPads that may break in a year. Our district opted to buy several replacement iPads.  School districts doing wide scale implementation are even charging user fees in addition to having students and families sign acceptable use and replacement policies.  No matter how large or how small the implementation project, damage and replacement must be considered.

Problem solving for efficient management of the iPad classroom can be overwhelming at times, but the rewards of having students engaged in the curriculum through the use of the latest technology is definitely worth it!

A Day in the Life of the iPad Class - Part 1 - the Good . . .

Over the past few months I've spent a lot of time discussing some great iPad implementation ideas and apps that I have been fortunate enough to have been exposed to!  Many of the resources and activities I've shared are working wonderfully in my class and students are continuing to become more independent and responsible in their learning.  But some times those seemingly great ideas or creative solutions don't translate into the wonderful lesson or activity we had envisioned or even an efficient use of classroom time.  You may even be wondering: How is she implementing this stuff into her classroom routine?, or What does it look like in the iPad classroom?  For these reasons this week, I am going to try to give you a glimpse into my 4th grade classroom at Blue Ridge Elementary, in Seneca, South Carolina - to share some of the daily successes and ways we have been able to work the iPad into our day.

A day in the life . . . students arrive in the iPad classroom and do all the normal stuff - turn in papers, order lunch, etc.  We start our day with independent reading.  Students with up-to-date reading response journals now have the option of reading from our classroom library in the iBooks app.  We have a collection of chapter and non-fiction readers from which students can choose.  Students reading from the iBooks collection get the benefit of the speak feature for unfamiliar words and text, bookmarks, notes, and more!  As our morning continues, we move into our ELA mini-lessons and readers/writers workshop.  Each week during workshop, students are required to complete two fluency practice sessions using the Voice Recorder app on the iPad.  They also have individual word work practice three times a week.  For this, students use the Spelling Test app where they enter and record their own individual spelling lists.  They are then able to take their spelling tests during the week, during their independent work time.

One of the major ways we have implemented the iPad each day is for research and creative writing projects during the ELA block.  Once students have completed the daily practice assignments on the iPad, there is typically another creative project, where the students have to produce something on the iPad that shows understanding related to the current topic or subject.  These projects are based on ELA, Science, or Social Studies curriculum and are introduced and created during our ELA work time.  Almost every week we have worked on some sort of research or literature based writing project using the iPad.  The first week of school we explored using QR codes for the first time and did a scavenger hunt for random information facts via the web.  During the next few weeks we learned how to use the Photo Wall app for a story elements project and learned how to present our work using the Apple TV Airplay system.  From there we have been able to take literature elements and create a few word processing documents using pages.  Recently the students completed research of Native Americans using QR codes.  They then created some impressive posters about Native American tribes in Pages - all on the iPad.  We are currently implementing the new Smart Board Notebook app into small groups and independent learning time.  Students access the assigned Smart Notebook lesson via my Wiki Space page.  On the Wiki, I have uploaded various Smart Board lessons.  Students download the lessons on to their iPads and then open each lesson with the Smart Notebook app.  I am very excited about the Smart Notebook app because it allows for easy grouping and differentiation within the classroom!

During our Math block, we use the iPads to reinforce and teach skills through educational apps, or in small group lessons using the Smart Notebook app.  Typically, we will complete our traditional whole group or small group lesson and then students are assigned a particular skill and app to work on for the day.  My favorite Math app is  - Splash Math!  You can get a free version, but the paid version is wonderful!  It contains practice and feedback on all the grade level Math strands.  Teachers can assign "homework" on the iPad and receive weekly reports.  It is great for progress monitoring - each student's work is tracked and graphed within the app.  The iPads are used at the end of the day for Math enrichment time, and also used throughout the day for practice - as needed - depending on the subject, skill, and content.  On special days, indoor recess, and Friday afternoons students are given free choice on the iPads.  This is the time to explore all the cool features the device has to offer - it is also a time that the kids get to learn and share with each other!

As I continue through my iPad journey, I often times get frustrated at all the things I still want to do with the students!  But, as I sit here and reflect on our classroom use of the iPad as a learning tool, we are not doing so bad!

Because things don't always go as planned . . . next week I will also share some of the headaches or annoyances of having an iPad classroom and how to handle it without going crazy!

New Ideas and Affirmations - the 2012 SC Ed Tech Convention . . . Clarifying Direction

Is it really November?  The past month has really flown by and here we are into the new grading period!  Although classroom challenges can present weekly setbacks with our iPad integration, I've still been able to infuse quite a bit of iPad technology into our daily routines - albeit there is so much more to implement!  Fortunately, I was recently given the time and opportunity to learn and reflect about the 1:1 classroom.   

A couple weeks ago I spent three days at the South Carolina Educational Technology Convention in Greenville.  Not only was it great to have the opportunity to see what other educators are implementing in their schools, it was nice to have time to think just about the iPad implementation.  Face it, an elementary school teacher's day can be down right crazy sometimes!  It may be difficult to complete the day's plans, let alone think about an entirely new way of presenting curriculum to students!  So Ed Tech gave me some much needed time to think about my goals for the 1:1 implementation, and how well I am advancing towards them.  Now my mind is racing with new information and ideas to try with my students!  

So here are my Top Ten Technology TakeAways from SC EdTech 2012!

10.  1:1 integration of small devices in the classroom is in its infancy, but is catching on quickly!

  

9.    Charleston, SC School District is an incredible resource and model of 1:1 integration.  Their district shares experiences for other schools to examine while creating their own implementation model.

8.    My feeling that it's not all about the individual apps, was reaffirmed - its how the iPad technology is integrated into the students daily curriculum as a learning and productivity tool. Teachers are truly the facilitators of "how to" and the students are the producers by "doing" the work or "creating" on the iPad.

7.   Wiki Spaces and the Paper Port app are quickly becoming an online classroom for the students.  These file storage sites and apps provide teachers with a place to upload word documents, PDF files, images, etc.  Students then access the teacher's Wiki page or  Paper Port site.  From the storage site, the files can be downloaded and opened from different apps on the iPad - including iBooks, Pages, and DocAs.

6. The new DocAs app can help lead the way to true paper reduction in my classroom.  This app is a word processing app, but will also open files saved on storage sites and apps - like Wiki and Paper Port.   The really cool thing is that once you open the files, you can write and type on the document or file - even if the file is a PDF! The students' work saves automatically, and the file can be uploaded to the storage site or app - eliminating the need for a paper copy!

5.  There is now a Smart Notebook app for the iPad - YAY! This app will open any Smart Board Notebook file.  Notebook files can be uploaded to Wiki Spaces.  Students then download the files onto their iPad and open them in the Smart Notebook app. ($6.99).  I have began to use this with small groups in the classroom.  It allows me to differentiate the lesson easily and for the students to be more self-directed in their learning     

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4.  The presenters from the Charleston schools are a HUGE resource for Smart Notebook lessons as well as the 1:1 iPad implementation.  They have created over 1,000 CCSS aligned Smartboard lessons for their district.  They shared sets of unit lessons for each grade level k-2 and 3-5!  Fantastic!

http://district.ccsdschools.com/educational_technology/smartboards/

3.  1:1 iPad integration into the curriculum may allow for an easy transition to the Common Core State Standards (CCSS), as students are engaged in research and productivity through the use of the iPad.

2.   I feel pretty good about the progress in iPad implementation for my students.  Ed Tech showed me that we are ahead of the game compared to most elementary classrooms, but can learn a lot from the experiences of the larger-scale implementation models like the Charleston, SC schools.

1.   True 1:1 integration requires a mind shift for both teachers and students.  Teachers are discovering a new and engaging way to present curriculum and truly become the facilitators in the classroom.  Students now get to engage in school curriculum in a familiar way - through the use of technology - but within the structure and discipline of school.