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!
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.
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