Tuesday, March 20, 2012

TOOL NINE

I am not getting/using ipads in my classroom, so some of this doesn't apply to me. I have 24 desktop Apples, though, so of course my students use these daily.

1. It is important to tie technology to learning because our students' world IS technology now...it is what they know, what they expect and what they need to stay engaged. I'm not sure if this is a good thing or a bad thing - probably both - but it is reality, and we have to accept it. Just as teachers have had to adapt to emerging technology in past decades - overhead projectors (!), videos, calculators - we have to understand that technology is our world now and we have to use it to our advantage to teach our students and to prepare them for success in the workforce.
2. This seems to me a pretty obvious question/answer. We have to hold students accountable because they must learn that they are responsible for their own learning and the technology that we are providing them to enjoy that learning more than they might enjoy if they were doing a "pencil/paper" assignment. The technology we are providing is expensive. Students must learn to take care of any and all equipment in a classroom. I've spent a lot of time talking to all my classes about this, as there is thousands of dollars worth of equipment being used in my room every day.
3. I won't be using stations, as I am not getting ipads. But my students can certainly use the computers I have for group work or independent work.
4. There is an endless number of apps available that relate to photography and graphic design. There is a great app version of Photoshop and hundreds of other photography apps. Many of my students already use Pinterest, both as an app and online, to save photos of their own and view others' work.
5. My students will not be using ipads/stations.

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