Integrating technology into the classrooms is a controversial topic at the moment. Some people believe that we need to just teach our students the basic things we learned the old fashioned way. Other believe that we need to get as much technology in the classroom as we can so that our students are aware of the developing world. I tend to agree with the second option here.
Having technology in the classroom is an important developmental tool for our students. It allows us to connect with different ways and methods of teaching. One way I would like to add technology to my classroom is through tablets. Tablets are on the forefront of technology. Tablets originated with Apple's iPad and have extended to a variety of companies trying to keep up with the ever moving world of technology.
One website I found, http://www.wacom.com/business-and-education/interests/education/stu..., has links on how to use tablets in the classroom through art and design education, K-12 classrooms, for students, and for higher education.
My ideal classroom would be a kindergarten class. To integrate tablets in my classroom I would design (or find on the internet) different activities that would help them practice their fine motor skills. Having tablets that could connect to a central classroom device would allow me to have my students create things and share them with the class.
I teach junior high math (this is my first year, 25 years in the corporate world before moving home to live with my mom) and I've been thinking of using a tablet in this manner as it seems a great way to address several of my concerns. I'm a big guy and worry that some students can't see the whiteboard for me being in the way. I can face the class and see the class...who looks lost, who is talking, etc.. I can bring a little technology into a school that's a barren technology desert. Pique students interests.
That being the case, does anyone that's already doing this have recommendations on tablets? I've read a bit about Wacom, but it seems the Bamboo line no longer has an eraser on the stylus (and the ability to erase seems to be a good idea). Also, this will come out of my own pocket, so prefer "value", which one can read as cheap, except I want it to work ;-)
Thanks and happy teaching,
I agree with the second option as well. Tablets are a great way to incorporate technology in the technological world we live in today. I went to an “iDevices” conference that discussed and showed how iPads, iPhones, and iPod touchs can be used in education. I left excited to start integrating these applications and ideas in my classroom. Two applications I learned about that you might be interested in for a kindergarten classroom are Creative Book Builder (CBB) and Educreations.
CBB allows students to create and publish an iBook. Once it has been published other students can go to the iBooks app and read their peers’ books. I think with explicit directions and modeling kindergarteners would be able to use this and with practice become fairly easy for them to complete. A great example that I saw was used with first graders. The first graders typed their final drafts into CBB. Then, they took pictures with the tablet of the pictures they drew that went with the sentences for each page. Afterwards, the teacher video recorded them reading the book page by page. The teacher added each video and picture to the corresponding typed page the student had typed. The final product was amazing! You could push play on each page and hear the student read their page as you followed along and saw the picture they drew for that page.
Educreations is similar to a whiteboard that records what is said and done to what you choose whether it is an image or a white screen. An example I saw was a math story that was done in kindergarten. The student had drawn a picture of 7 butterflies. A picture was captured with Educreations of her drawing. When you push play you heard the kindergarten explain her math problem and thinking. She explained that she drew 5 butterflies as she circled them and writes a number 5 below them. She then goes on to explain that she added 2 more butterflies as she circled those butterflies and writes a number 2 on the bottom. She goes on to explain that her drawing shoes 5+2=7 and she explains her counting and thinking. It was amazing to see and hear her thought process and reasoning all in one video with a visual example. The kindergarten teacher did say it took practice, modeling, explicit instructions, and in the beginning volunteers, but now they are able to do it with very little help. She hands them a problem and they make their video. It was incredible to witness.
Rachel, again, thank you for your ideas. I am definitely going to check out Creative Book Builder! I've never heard of that one before. I have Educreations on my student iPads but haven't used it yet. I'll definitely delve into using it after reading this example.
One app that I like in the library is iMovie. This app allows you to create movies starting with different templates. I plan to have my students make video book trailers with iMovie. I will then be able to show them to other classes to promote reading. Students love to read books that their peers have enjoyed so I try to find lots of ways to encourage their conversations about books
Hi Kelly, I LOVE your iMovie book trailer idea. I actually learned about that app at my conference as well, but I wasn’t sure what I could use it for. The book trailer idea would be a blast to do. I would have loved doing something like that when I was in school. I’m going to have to see if I could do something like that with my second graders. They would need a lot of assistance but if it worked the book trailers would be fantastic. Thanks for sharing your idea.
You're welcome, Rachel! I'm also still trying to figure out how and where to post them when they are finished. I've never created podcasts or anything. Maybe my ECS can help me find a place to post them...maybe on our school's website. That's the next thing to tackle.
I am a network administrator for a large school district (rather than a teacher). While I love my iPad and use it constantly I see that they have not had much impact so far. Our teachers' do not seem to know what to do with them.
Our administrators seem to purchase them becasue they are - as my boss says - "bright, shiny and cool"
Yesterday, I went into an elementary school and open an ipad cart. The first iPad I touched asked me if I wanted to set up an applle ID: Its 6 months old and no one has used it yet!!!!!!
Discouraged in Dearborn
I teach fifth grade, but all the grades in my school K-5 have tablets (iPads) to use in the classroom. We have found that it is a great way to incorporate technology in teaching. For kindergarten there are some really great apps to help students with reading fluency and decoding. There are also really good apps to help students with practicing writing their letters and basic math skills. At my school we have developed an "Appy-Hour" where all the teachers come together to share ideas about apps we have found to be useful in our classrooms. It has really helped for me to get new ideas and incorporate them into my own classroom. It would also be a good idea to look into a projector to use with your tablet, if you do not already have one. It allows you to engage the whole class in using the tablet at the same time.
Integrating technology is the classroom is a must now a days, but what extent would be a good question. I think a mixture of old fashioned pencil and paper teacher face to face and use of technology is what should be taught. Students still need need to learn how to write, penmanship, spelling, etc as well as a teacher right there to guide them, but it is also important that students learn about technology as this is where the future is headed. For the early elementary school students I still believe in centers but you can add different types of technology devices in those centers such as an a computer station, and I pad station and even a Nook station. So for me I believe teaching needs to still have a little old fashioned ways with technology added.
With so much of information load piling up in education sector, input of technology is a must for all be it education sector or any. Technology can really make things smart and easier to learn and apply. For instance we may teach a kid as what are various types of sound of animals but if that can be made visual through application of technology, then it would definitely yield better results.