Blog Post 2: Using Hand Held Devices in the Classroom

For this assignment, we were asked to find an article about using hand held devices in the classroom; I found quite a few that were really interesting and helpful ( I love when authors provide loads of tried and tested resources!), and will be talking about this one in particular:

Bennett, K.R. (2011). Less than a class set. Learning and Leading with Technology, 1-4.

Bennett (2011) introduces the idea that iPads are like personal electronic whiteboards. And, she suggests that they are "less of a hassle" for most school IT departments since (1) apps can all be added under one iTunes account, (2) apps are automatically updated across devices, and (3) IT doesn't have to continuously add/monitor/coordinate updates like they do for all the PCs and lap tops that share your school's site license.

Of particular interest are the many ideas Bennett offers for utilizing iPads in the classroom - the number you have available does not have to limit what you can do! Her article is based on real-world classroom experiences of pre-service second grade teachers; they are easily adaptable to other grade levels:

• Centers - if you have a limited number of iPads, but also have other media devices in your classroom such as PCs, lap tops, iPod touch, or a whiteboard, make each of them a Center that students can rotate in and out of. This lets your students experience similar apps/learning modules on different devices.

•  Partners and Trios - specific lessons work well in small groups, the number of groups can  correspond with the number of iPads you have available. Bennett (2011) suggests using an app such as DoodleBuddy (a small-group whiteboard) that lets the students use visual     representation to answer questions. They can save their responses in the iPad's photo album for teacher review.

• Teacher Only - the teacher can walk around the room showing collected pictures, use the iPad as a digital book, or use it for administrative things like attendance logs and parent contact lists. (Another source also suggested using the iPad in conjunction with a document camera so the whole class can see the screen simultaneously!).

Additionally, Bennett (2011) provides some "lessons learned" that serve as great advice for educators planning to use iPads in the classroom:

• Provide specific rules and self-navigated instructions - whether it's an instruction card or a list of instructions that is posted somewhere in your classroom, this will give your students a clear set of rules to follow each time they use the iPad so you never have to hear "no one told me".

• Organize your apps - Bennett (2011) suggests keeping all the apps most commonly used on the first page, and/or creating a folder to keep them in on the main screen - great timesaver and easy way to be sure students can navigate quickly back to an app they were working in if they close out too quickly, their finger slips, etc.

• Turn off 3G - To keep kids safe (and to limit "surfing") Bennett (2011) suggests using only your  school's Wi-Fi access to the internet, and to also make sure that any iPad you use in your classroom has to go through your school's firewall to get on the internet. She also offers the reminder that "most apps function offline, so you can still get a lot of instructional value even if your students can’t go online." - this may be a real selling point for administrators who are hesitant to introduce another avenue to the web in their classrooms!

• Think outside the app - since there are literally thousands of apps available, Bennett (2011) suggests not limiting yourself (or your classroom)  to content specific apps. Look especially for those that require problem solving skills and creative thinking - answers can be saved in the iPad camera roll or photo album, or even added to an app such as Dropbox or Evernote, so the teacher can check it later.

In addition to a list of resources, at the end of the article, Bennett (2011) provides a full page list of classroom apps that her pre-service teachers helped her compile - they include apps for curriculum, language arts, math, science, social studies, special education, productivity/creativity, and reference - very generous!

Bennett (2011) really provided a lot of "food for thought" since all of the methods and suggestions she introduced would be applicable to a library setting as well as a classroom. Libraries that are fortunate enough to have iPads can use them for teaching library skills, access to ebooks, as a reference tool, or as administrative tools. As Bennett (2011) points out, there are thousands of apps available, so depending on the needs of the library, there is likely to be some sort of app available that will make the lesson/task more interactive, more accessible, more entertaining, faster, more efficient - or a combination of all of those things.  A presenter at ALA mid-winter last year spoke about how the Dallas Library system is utilizing iPads - they have them attached to shelves throughout their stacks so patrons have easy access to their online catalog. So many ideas…so many apps….such a fun journey to find the best fit for your own classroom/library/students/colleagues, etc!

And, because I can never stop at just one.......here are a few other articles I read and would recommend to educators wanting to learn more about iPads or other tablet devices in the classroom:

Berson, I.R., Berson, M.J., & Manfra, M.M. (2012). Touch, type, and transform: iPads in the social studies classroom. Social Education, 76(2), 88-91.

Foote, C. (2010). Checking out the iPad. Multimedia and Internet@Schools, 17(6), 17-19.

Kendall, K.E. (2010). Continually emerging technologies: Will the iPad really change the way we live and work? Decision Line, 11-13.

Roschelle, J., Tatar, D., Chaudhury, S.R., Dimitriadis, Y., Patton, C., & DiGiano, C. (2007). Ink, improvisation, and interactive engagement: Learning with tablets. Computer, 42-48.

Blog Post 1 - Thoughts on Technolgy for Educators and Information Professionals

We're off to a great start, getting to know each other online, creating LiveBinders and blogs......To get us going on blog posts, we read a great article by Melissa Lamont, a digital collections librarian at San Diego State University (at the time of writing):

Lamont, M. (2009). Gender, technology, and libraries. Information Technology and Libraries, 28(3), 137-142.

As a UNT student, I was able to retrieve it through Ebscohost on https://www.library.unt.edu. If you happen to be a visitor who is not connected to UNT, you should be able to find it through your local library.

Now for some questions posed by our instructor that deal with both the article and our own thoughts about technology in the library and the classroom:

How do you feel about the author’s assertions?

Lamont (2009) made several points about IT in general and within libraries in particular. She asserts that although the presence of women in IT is growing, the majority of IT professionals that are titled as such are male; male IT professionals also tend to earn higher salaries than women IT professionals, and of the journals she reviewed, males tend to publish IT-related articles more frequently than women.

While the journal sample that Lamont (2009) presented does  seem to show this, I don’t think either her sample size or length of review was large/long enough to make a broad generalization about the mix of male/female publishing about IT-related topics. Certainly a good starting point for further research, but not a truly representative sample of the field.

I’m interested in reading the full article by Hargittai and Shafer (2006) that Lamont talks about, particularly their conclusion that “women test at the same skill level as men but consistently underrate their technical ability”. I’d love to find out the “real world” result of such a test among my colleagues –we are not teachers or librarians, but we do utilize technology every day, and most of us are women.

I also hope to find and read Benokraitis’ (1997) book about “subtle sexism”; I agree with Lamont’s summation that “women are made to feel less competent and less comfortable with technology” and would like to know if Benokraitis offers any suggestions on how to not only recognize signs of “subtle sexism” but also ways to counteract it in the workplace.

Overall, I enjoyed Lamont’s article – lots of food for thought as I move forward in the program and decide what the pros and cons will be of declaring either Library Science or Information Science as my major and the impact that decision may have on future job prospects.

Describe your technology strengths and weaknesses.

I’m a child of the 80s, so I grew up with chalk boards, hand-written papers, card-catalogs, word-processors, typewriters, and overhead projectors. The only computer I ever used as an undergraduate was an Apple Lisa, and that was in the graphic design office where I worked – most of our layout/design work there was still done on drafting boards, letter-presses, etc.

I’ve tried over the years to learn about, acquire, and use new technologies as they become available, but I’m by no means claiming a “techie” or “computer-wiz” label! Nowher close to a Luddite, but still learning about most of the applications/products/gadgets that I don’t use on a daily basis.

My kids (part of the digital generation) have never experienced a technology-free world, so they tend to jump right in to all the “new” tech advances – they had Ipods, so they “taught” me the basics of the Iphone; they are masters of the TV/cable remote, so they “taught” me how to program the DVR and use On-Demand.

I’m not scared of learning new programs or using new tech “things”, but I’m usually not the first in line when the latest models come out – I’m hoping that’ll change a bit as I learn more through this class.

As an educator and/or information professional, how do you plan to use your technology strengths?

My belief is that educators/information professions have both the privilege and the responsibility to introduce, engage, encourage, and explain technology to their students/patrons. I’m hoping that by the time I’m in a school and able to accept this great challenge, that I’ll be comfortable not only using, but explaining the “latest and greatest” tech gadgets and apps to my students, colleagues, and community. My goal is to learn as much as I can about as much as I can so I can speak from experience instead of from uncertainty (or unawareness).

What do you feel you need to do to overcome your weaknesses?

Try, try, and try again! I’ve found over the years that IT folks and librarians are some of the best resources on a college campus for getting hands-on advice in the technology realm – I’m pretty sure that holds true on K-12 campuses too, so I will always utilize those connections! I also plan to seek out and watch/complete as many online tutorials as are needed to become competent in using new technology – we experienced some great examples already in this class when setting up LiveBinder and blog accounts, and that’s just the tip of the proverbial iceberg in regard to technology!

How do you feel our weaknesses affect our ability to share information/teach?

I think change scares a lot of people, and because technology often changes the way we do/produce/learn things, utilizing new technology can be scary too. As an example, for many years my mom was scared to use her computer for fear that she’d hit a wrong key and cause the machine to crash or explode. But then the grandkids got Webkins and asked for help keeping them “alive” – they showed her how to play games, update their accounts, etc. which also led to them showing her other “simple” things like how to print a word document, how to send/receive email, and how to upload pictures. She’s much more comfortable using her computer now, but she’s not alone in being fearful of learning about/using technology.

I think when people (adults and kids) are allowed to watch/observe/shadow someone who knows how to use a new/updated tech feature or gadget, they feel more comfortable trying it themselves. I’m hoping to be that “expert” for the students/patrons/community I serve someday!

What would you like to learn about technology in order to improve your instructional strategies?

As I said already, I want to learn as much as I can about as much as I can! I know I’ll be a more effective teacher/info professional if I can confidently talk about and use whatever kind of technology my school/library owns. I also want to be able to confidently recommend applications/gadgets they don’t already have/use and be able to talk about the pros and cons of what the apps/gadgets can do – how they’ll enhance learning strategies, help kids gain a broader perspective, etc. Since I’m not currently in a school or library, I know there’s already a lot out there that I don’t know about, but I’m hoping by the end of this class I’ll not only have a good grasp on what my kids are using in their classrooms/libraries but also have some ideas/tools/links I can share with their teachers/administrators/librarians to make their learning environments even better!

Welcome

Hello & welcome to my blog. I'll be using this site to create posts for SLIS 5720, a course I am taking as part of the Library Science master's program at the University of North Texas. It's a quick, 10 week Summer class, so sit back & enjoy the ride with me!