There are thousands of apps and many are educational.
1. Look at the 2 poll boxes to the right. Choose answers. How do you predict this poll will play out?
2. Comment on why you think more teachers don't use mobile devices in class.
3. OK...now go for it! You have been commissioned to speak at the next teacher staff meeting. Highlight the attributes of ipods/smart phones. Convince teachers of the potential benefits in using these devices in their classroom. Consider what their objections might be and comment about how you'd alleviate those concerns.
1. I voted assuming ipod means itouch. I think that a majority of votes will go towards more students with them than teachers using them.
ReplyDelete2. Teachers don't use them mostly because I'm pretty sure that the average math teacher (example) does not have the droid (example) and even fewer will use them in class. The only teachers I know of who use them are Mr. Klasky who plays music on his itouch when we have to do cancion assignments and Mr. Storey when he uses apps like the countdown app or the lightsaber app either to aid in the class or attack students who give ridiculous answers (or when he is bored).
3. In regards to using smartphones, etc, in the classroom, it's like every student has their own mini laptop device for working. It also will make worksheets obsolete, causing a reduction in paper use which means saving money, and make learning more fun. With the apps like various Spanish tutor apps, the itouch provides if not a fun alternative than a different alternative to learning Spanish rather than the traditional way of looking up words and writing them down. Also, various apps such as the note card (flash card) app can be used to take notes or make flash cards for any class that takes up about the amount of space as one note card and is kept neat and organized in the device. It will also make taking notes easier/unnecessary because all the teacher would have to do is make a podcast, upload it to the itouch, and have the students listen to it, and as the students have questions they write them down to be turned in and all the biggest questions can be answered at a later time with all the individual questions answered one on one to save class time. These podcasts can also be uploaded to the school's shared itunes so that if a student either misses a day and needs to catch up or wants to learn about something extra that they are not learning in a class (like a second or third language) then it would be available for the student. And while it is virtually impossible to my knowledge on how to prevent students from doing other things not school related on their phones, it is very crudely possible by placing giant mirrors around the room so the teacher can occasionally look around the room and see who is on task based on the mirrors.
1. I think that just about every kid at school has either a smart phone or ipod in his/her backpack. I don't think that any teachers use ipods/smart phones in their lessons.
ReplyDelete2. Many teachers don't seems to be "up with the times." Most teachers don't seems to own these devices, or they don't use them in school for fear of setting a possibly bad example for kids. Another section, though very small, do indeed use them in class, but it is for playing music, not for teaching lessons.
3. Devices such as smart phones and ipod touches can be an excellent way to not only keep kids organized, but drastically reduce that amount of paper used in the classrooms. With the Notes app, the school could save money by not having to purchase so planners. Notes could do it all for you for organization. Teachers as well could use interactive apps to further a learning environment in the classroom. While many kids may think of doing other things on these ipods, the teacher can always go around and check to see if the kids are on task because, unlike a computer with separate windwows or a mac with spaces, the ipod cannot hide what the kids are doing.
1) There are a good number of students at Shadow that have access to smart phones and it is probably in the upper ranges. However, I think that there is a significant number of students that do not have access to them that will hold those with them back. Sure many kids have texting but I certainly don't, at least not in a truly mobile form. Some kids don't even have cell phones. The teachers are reluctant to use them because they don't know how they would use them.
ReplyDelete2) Teachers just don't have any idea of how to use them. While the stigma of ipods as toys is still a very legitimate statement it is very difficult to feel motivated to use them in the classroom setting. Also with the laptop carts available they have a more powerful tool at their disposal. Those are a few of the reasons teachers don't use them.
3) The portability of ipods and other smartphones are ideal for short and quick teacher student interactions during lectures. Instead of relying on students coming up to the board they can interact with the screen directly on their smartphones at their desks. They take up less room and are significantly cheaper than laptops and provide very similar features.
1. Less than 50% of people have a smart device in their pockets. While it may seem larger, it's because the people who do have them make them very visible while people who don't don't talk about it.
ReplyDelete2. It's really difficult to find a good way to use them, because a laptop is much better as a presenting device while not enough kids have iPods to make creating an entirely new lesson plan for those devices. Laptops are much better tool for teachers to have kids write essays and look at websites (especially flash/education websites).
3. iPods Touch are an awesome tool because they're extremely underutilized in the entire school. Instead of signing out unwieldy laptops, we can hand out iPods with applications designed to take advantage of their form factors. Instead of needing to install applications on an entire cart of computers, we can quickly download and install apps that deal with a specific problem the students are learning about. Using multitouch screens gives an intuitive understanding of the concept that is also mutable. It does take some time to create these lesson plans, but finding those apps that can create physical understanding of a concept is definitely worth the time investment.
1. I'd say about 50-75% of kids have a smart phone/ipod touch. I don't know any teachers that use them in their lessons.
ReplyDelete2. Most teachers don't have any idea that ipods can be used for education.The ones that do know they can be used for education think not enough have students have them or that it's different than their usual lesson plan.
3. ipods are easier to carry around and move than laptops and would allow students to collaborate with other students through the internet and text messages. Accessing the internet and researching problems can now be done with the touch of a few buttons.
1. I'd say that less then 50% of kids have a smart phone or ipod touch simply because when I think about my friends, about 5 out of every 10 would have one, give or take one or two. As far as teachers integrating them in the classroom, I think less then 10% if any.
ReplyDelete2. I don't think teachers want to go through the hassle of the length of time to pass them out and give details in full. Plus there's also the thought of kids breaking them and/or damaging them. Personally, it would be a little too much, but in the end it would be beneficial.
3. Although it may seem not worth it to join fun with education, it could definitely improve some test scores in the long run. There are over thousands of apps, and many influencial ones as well so the students can have fun while learning as well. Yes, there are laptops but those are limited to what a student can do, you also can't be sure the stay on task. I-pods are small and hand-held, prior to the session, to ensure they do their own work, have seperate groups use seperate apps.
1) I think 50-75 because most students on campus own one. The only teacher that works with stuff like that is you Mrs. K.
ReplyDelete2) I think it would just be complicated . But if you can play games and learn would be better in my opinion. This is much better than doing work sheets and handouts.
3) Evne though laptops can do so much more itouches are better because students enjoy using them. So now instead of playing widgets on the computer they can just play the educational game.
1. I do not think as many people have smart phones, and iPod Touches as we think, just because our friends have them does not mean the school has them. and as far as teachers go... I redirect you to number 2
ReplyDelete2. I do not think teachers and Students for that matter are willing to change the way they learn. Ipod touches and gaming in education (I know there separate but the mean the same.) change the way students learn, something that has not been changed since, my mother was in school at least and that was... well you know what I mean. It seems that school are teaching in a way-- for example in 3rd grade you may be taught that 2+2=4, then you know 2+2=4 and when the teacher asks you what is 2+2 you will respond with 4, but the student will not know anything about 3+3 or 4+4, because they are not taught why, or how (not how until later). What I mean by this is that when we begin to add in these tools which change how students lean you need to be able to change the way there are being taught, and it seems the way there are being taught happens at such a young age, it is hard wired almost, and this creates fear. The Goal is Awesome, it is the convincing and reworking that will be the challenge.
3. The iPod touch is a personal, and portable tool, and as such it will begin to change the way students look at learning, it will go from time wasted in the class room to time utilized on there own. Learning will go from paper based to project based, learning will go from a - b to brilliance and imagination. Let the students take hold of the rains and allow the teacher to be a guide rather then a chauffeur.
1. For the first poll i chose that 50-75% students do have a ipod or smart phone in the backpack while at school. I think this will be the most common answer. For the second poll I think that only 0-25% of teachers use ipods or smart phones in the class room, I think it really is 0% because I don't know of any teacher who does.
ReplyDelete1. I think that a lot of students at shadow have smart phones that can carry out most of the basic functions i think we are going to be looking for. Definitely no teachers use smart phones or ipods in the class room.
ReplyDelete2. Teachers dont use mobile devices because they are very distracting. Even in a well managed classroom kids are off task. It is easier to get off task with a smart phone because the game is better and internet is not filtered.
3. Smart mobile devices are good in the classroom because it brings active participation from all students. It will help engage people that never really got into any other learning styles and can open a whole different world of interactive lessons that you can do with your classroom.
2. Most teachers are afraid to have electronics in their rooms because they are usually afraid that it will interfere with the learning of their students. the way the see it, or well most of them, is that they went to school to get there teaching degree and they worked hard for it, why should that be taken away form them by a bunch if kids with electronics?
ReplyDelete3. As a student, as most in the school, i personally like electronics. They are fun, but as a flip side to the coin they can be very distracting. I do believe that that problem can be overcome though. instead of fighting the "wave of electronic bombardment" why not encourage it? while electronics provide many nuisances they can also be proven t be a great benefactor to the school. For example, how often does the school spend money on replacing books that were lent to kids and never returned? how much do they spend in postage, ink, and paper sending out notifications to the parents about said equipment? well, what wold happen if we went to e-books? they are not as expensive to buy and usally once you bought it once you dont have to buy it again because you have the file saved onto a device of some sort. an example of said devices is the Ipod touch. there is an application called "wattpad" that allows its users to download, update and stream 100,000 books (with more being added every day) using this application would eventually save the school money in the long run.
Using iPods in classrooms is a bad idea. They are made to be personal and herrings them for one day isn't a good idea in a classroom. I already typed this blog, and 2 more. It took my all classhour. On a laptop it would have taken 20 minutes max and it wouldn't have crashed due to an overload in resources, like it did on my iPod.
ReplyDelete