Year two of the 1:1 iPad initiative in my school is progressing, and as time has passed, I've been realizing that a fundamental assumption I was making was completely wrong.
In 2001, Marc Prensky wrote that, "our students today are all "native speakers" of the digital language of computers, video games and the Internet." (You can read his work at: http://www.marcprensky.com/writing/prensky%20-%20digital%20natives,%20digital%20immigrants%20-%20part1.pdf) I read this at the time and thought he was correct in his description of the "digital native," and I accepted that I was a "digital immigrant." However time and experience has helped me to realize the error of his and my assumptions.
I agree with Prensky that there is a difference between the students today and the teachers who teach them in terms of levels of comfort with the technology. My students are fearless with their handling of devices. (Often too fearless, as evidenced by the rising number of cracked, chipped and spider webbed screens in my classroom...) However, there is a difference in being fearless with handling and being fearless with using! They are not native speakers of the technology they hold. Here's why I think so:
1) A digital native would instinctively utilize digital tools. When I ask my students to articulate their understanding of a topic and give them a free choice of how to do it, they automatically gravitate toward something that they draw, hand write or compose on paper. They do not gravitate toward anything on the iPad. They have to be anywhere from encouraged to required to leave the comfort of paper and writing implements to make use of the digital tool they hold in their hand. Their default is analog, not digital.
2) A digital native who spoke the language of computers and the internet would be able to do more than a rudimentary search for a topic in a search engine. They would be able to ask sophisticated questions in a way that would actually use the search engine to find answers to their questions without me having to teach them how to use the tool. Yes, they all go to Google to do research, and they prefer that to researching in books. But, all the ways to refine a digital search continue to elude my students at the deep, native level, and instead this trait exists on a superficial level.
3) A digital native would be able to creatively take advantage of digital tools available to them. They would be able to generate ideas in a digital format and see them through to completion without the instructor having to model the use of the format, the composition and the creation. This I have to do every time we do a project in my class. Any app we use must be explained and demonstrated by me before my students will make use of it in an independent fashion. And even then, they will only use the tool in the way in which I showed it to them; they neither take risks with it nor do they innovate with the tool to combine it with other tools.
I have stopped giving my students a wide open range to express themselves while using the iPad. The results are disappointing. The students say it is overwhelming, they don't know how to use the iPad and its many apps to articulate their understanding, and they need me to show them how, tell them what to do, and translate their paper desires into a digital format.
Perhaps, now that my district has pushed iPads down to middle school and will expand into the elementary schools in the coming year, when a student who is currently in kindergarten arrives in my classroom having had this device as a part of his or her educational life, I will not have to lead them in the use of technology, and they will begin to resemble the digital native Prensky described.
This is all not to say that the iPad isn't working well, for in many ways it is, it is just to say that we teachers can't assume that our students are going to be any more knowledgeable, creative and comfortable with digital learning tools than we are. At this point, I may be older than my students, but I remain a level above them when it comes to knowing how effectively to use technology to learn. And that means that sadly, Mr. Prensky was wrong.
Showing posts with label iPad. Show all posts
Showing posts with label iPad. Show all posts
Friday, March 15, 2013
Tuesday, August 21, 2012
Common Core Social Studies activity for 11-12
Continuing with our posts (my colleague Michael Milton (michaelkmilton.com) and I), below is a sample activity for 11 and 12th graders using the Social Studies Common Core Literacy standards.
I decided to make use of John Locke's Second Treatise of Civil Government, particularly his views on Natural Law in Chapter II, because that helps our students to see how the Enlightenment thinking practically impacted the creation of the primary documents of American government. These could be directly used in any US history course, AP US, or AP Government, and indirectly could be useful in AP World History and AP European History course. You can, of course, use more or less of the document as you see fit and to fit the needs of your curricular standards!
Once again, I am breaking down the standards into our Green Circle, Blue Square and Black Diamond levels, and incorporating some technology into the activities. However, each of the activities could be done with no technology at all; just good old pen and paper would be fine!
At the end of the activities (linked as before to the standards) I will include links to the documents I would use as supporting these lessons. These do not necessarily translate well to the 9-10 or 6-8 Common Core standards, but, with some creativity and alterations, they could be adapted to those levels.
RH.11-12.1. Cite specific textual evidence to support analysis of primary and secondary sources, connecting insights gained from specific details to an understanding of the text as a whole.
RH.11-12.2. Determine the central ideas or information of a primary or secondary source; provide an accurate summary that makes clear the relationships among the key details and ideas.
RH.11-12.3. Evaluate various explanations for actions or events and determine which explanation best accords with textual evidence, acknowledging where the text leaves matters uncertain.
RH.11-12.4. Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including analyzing how an author uses and refines the meaning of a key term over the course of a text (e.g., how Madison defines faction in Federalist No. 10).
RH.11-12.5. Analyze in detail how a complex primary source is structured, including how key sentences, paragraphs, and larger portions of the text contribute to the whole.
RH.11-12.6. Evaluate authors’ differing points of view on the same historical event or issue by assessing the authors’ claims, reasoning, and evidence.
RH.11-12.7. Integrate and evaluate multiple sources of information presented in diverse formats and media (e.g., visually, quantitatively, as well as in words) in order to address a question or solve a problem.
RH.11-12.8. Evaluate an author’s premises, claims, and evidence by corroborating or challenging them with other information.
RH.11-12.9. Integrate information from diverse sources, both primary and secondary, into a coherent understanding of an idea or event, noting discrepancies among sources.
3. Read the selection from the textbook pertaining to the writing of the Declaration of Independence, and the Declaration of Independence (Document 5) itself. The textbook claims that Jefferson was heavily influenced by Locke’s work and beliefs. First, find two selections from the Declaration of Independence that support this claim and post them to your blog. Then compose answers to the following: Are the authors of the textbook correct in making this statement? Why does the textbook place Jefferson in the same context as philosophers like Locke, Hobbes, and Rousseau? Is this comparison valid? Why or why not?
Second (or as a separate activity), explain in a blog post why would Jefferson not embrace Hobbes’ views on the state of nature and natural law? What events in America’s early colonial history would predispose the Founders to reject Hobbes and embrace Locke? If they had embraced Hobbes, how would the Declaration of Independence have been written differently?
Document 1: John Locke's Second Treatise of Civil Goverment, Chapter II, sections 4, 6, 7, 8, 15. Document is available at: http://www.constitution.org/jl/2ndtreat.htm
Document 2: Painting of Adam and Eve, by Lucas Cranach the Elder (1472–1553). A digital copy of this image is available at: http://traumwerk.stanford.edu/philolog/2009/09/lucas_cranach_the_elder_adam.html
Document 3: selections from leviathan, by Thomas Hobbes, CHAPTER XIV, section 1, 2, 3, 4 available at: http://oregonstate.edu/instruct/phl302/texts/hobbes/leviathan-c.html
Document 4 is selections from your own textbook account of the writing of the Declaration of Indepenence. (If your book doesn't have this, or, fortunately for you, you don't use a textbook, you can use wikipedia's entry on the subject.)
Document 5 is the Declaration of Independence, located at: http://www.archives.gov/exhibits/charters/declaration_transcript.html
I decided to make use of John Locke's Second Treatise of Civil Government, particularly his views on Natural Law in Chapter II, because that helps our students to see how the Enlightenment thinking practically impacted the creation of the primary documents of American government. These could be directly used in any US history course, AP US, or AP Government, and indirectly could be useful in AP World History and AP European History course. You can, of course, use more or less of the document as you see fit and to fit the needs of your curricular standards!
Once again, I am breaking down the standards into our Green Circle, Blue Square and Black Diamond levels, and incorporating some technology into the activities. However, each of the activities could be done with no technology at all; just good old pen and paper would be fine!
At the end of the activities (linked as before to the standards) I will include links to the documents I would use as supporting these lessons. These do not necessarily translate well to the 9-10 or 6-8 Common Core standards, but, with some creativity and alterations, they could be adapted to those levels.
Key Ideas and Details (Green Circle)
RH.11-12.1. Cite specific textual evidence to support analysis of primary and secondary sources, connecting insights gained from specific details to an understanding of the text as a whole.
1. What is the overall purpose of Locke's Second Treatise? How do you know? Compose a 5 sentence paragraph on your blog in which you describe his purpose and state your evidence in your own words.
RH.11-12.2. Determine the central ideas or information of a primary or secondary source; provide an accurate summary that makes clear the relationships among the key details and ideas.
2. What is the most important idea of Locke's Second Treatise? A) Compose a paragraph in which you support your answer with 2-3 pieces of evidence. B) if you feel ambitious, distill his idea into a 140 character tweet.
RH.11-12.3. Evaluate various explanations for actions or events and determine which explanation best accords with textual evidence, acknowledging where the text leaves matters uncertain.
3.
Is Locke correct in his descriptions/depictions of how people act when
left to their own devices? Provide three real-world examples in the
behavior of teenagers that proves or disproves Locke’s ideas.Tweet your examples (in words or pictures) with the hashtag #stateofnature
Craft and Structure (Blue Square)
RH.11-12.4. Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including analyzing how an author uses and refines the meaning of a key term over the course of a text (e.g., how Madison defines faction in Federalist No. 10).
1. Locke states in Chapter II, Section 6: “But
though this be a state of liberty, yet it is not a state of licence:
though man in that state have an uncontroulable liberty to dispose of
his person or possessions, yet he has not liberty to destroy himself, or
so much as any creature in his possession, but where some nobler use
than its bare preservation calls for it.”
A. Based upon your understanding of the document create a near definition (which means you may not use a dictionary or word defining app of any sort to reach a definition) of the following terms in the context of the author’s work.
Liberty--
Licence--
Possession--
B. Using your new understanding of the terms above, rewrite the sentence that begins Chapter II, Section 6. Post the near definitions and your new sentence on your blog.
RH.11-12.5. Analyze in detail how a complex primary source is structured, including how key sentences, paragraphs, and larger portions of the text contribute to the whole.
2. Read Chapter II, Sections 7 and 8. Explain in a blog post: how do they both lead to the final sentence of section 8?
3. In a paragraph you post to your blog, answer the following question: Why does Locke conclude Chapter II, Section 15 with the statement “But
I moreover affirm, that all men are naturally in that state, and remain
so, till by their own consents they make themselves members of some
politic society; and I doubt not in the sequel of this discourse, to
make it very clear.” Is this consistent with how he began Chapter II, Section 4?
RH.11-12.6. Evaluate authors’ differing points of view on the same historical event or issue by assessing the authors’ claims, reasoning, and evidence.
4. Show, using educreations or showme, how do the documents (Second Treatise of Civil Government and Document
3) define the State of Nature? Do Locke and Hobbes use the same concepts
to reach their definition(s)?
Integration of Knowledge and Ideas (Black Diamond)
RH.11-12.7. Integrate and evaluate multiple sources of information presented in diverse formats and media (e.g., visually, quantitatively, as well as in words) in order to address a question or solve a problem.
1. Use Document 2 to compose a blog post in which you demonstrate why Christianity's creation myth supports the notion of a state of nature for human beings.
RH.11-12.8. Evaluate an author’s premises, claims, and evidence by corroborating or challenging them with other information.
2.
Read Document 3. Compose an argument for/against Locke’s explanation of
natural law and either write on your blog or record yourself (using audioboo or your iPad's camera) giving it. You must use
the contents of Document 3 and at least two examples from current
events to support yourself.
RH.11-12.9. Integrate information from diverse sources, both primary and secondary, into a coherent understanding of an idea or event, noting discrepancies among sources.
3. Read the selection from the textbook pertaining to the writing of the Declaration of Independence, and the Declaration of Independence (Document 5) itself. The textbook claims that Jefferson was heavily influenced by Locke’s work and beliefs. First, find two selections from the Declaration of Independence that support this claim and post them to your blog. Then compose answers to the following: Are the authors of the textbook correct in making this statement? Why does the textbook place Jefferson in the same context as philosophers like Locke, Hobbes, and Rousseau? Is this comparison valid? Why or why not?
Second (or as a separate activity), explain in a blog post why would Jefferson not embrace Hobbes’ views on the state of nature and natural law? What events in America’s early colonial history would predispose the Founders to reject Hobbes and embrace Locke? If they had embraced Hobbes, how would the Declaration of Independence have been written differently?
Document 1: John Locke's Second Treatise of Civil Goverment, Chapter II, sections 4, 6, 7, 8, 15. Document is available at: http://www.constitution.org/jl/2ndtreat.htm
Document 2: Painting of Adam and Eve, by Lucas Cranach the Elder (1472–1553). A digital copy of this image is available at: http://traumwerk.stanford.edu/philolog/2009/09/lucas_cranach_the_elder_adam.html
Document 3: selections from leviathan, by Thomas Hobbes, CHAPTER XIV, section 1, 2, 3, 4 available at: http://oregonstate.edu/instruct/phl302/texts/hobbes/leviathan-c.html
Document 4 is selections from your own textbook account of the writing of the Declaration of Indepenence. (If your book doesn't have this, or, fortunately for you, you don't use a textbook, you can use wikipedia's entry on the subject.)
Document 5 is the Declaration of Independence, located at: http://www.archives.gov/exhibits/charters/declaration_transcript.html
Wednesday, August 15, 2012
iPad Activities for the Common Core in High School Social Studies
My colleague, Michael Milton, and I have been working this summer on how to integrate the Social Studies aspects of the Common Core's reading and writing standards into our 1:1 iPad environment. Over the next week or so, we'll be rolling out our ideas and rubrics on this blog and on his: michaelkmilton.com.
We broke down the standards into three categories: Green Circle, Blue Square, Black Diamond. Mike came up with the idea, mostly because he misses skiing in the summertime, but they do represent the degree of difficulty that the standards pose, not only for to students to attain, but also for teachers to implement!
The standards themselves are linked up here. Inserting them into this document would make it incredibly lengthy, so I'll cross-reference them based on their number. (RH refers to Reading Standards for Literacy in History/Social Studies, and the # refers to the numbered standards in the 9-10 band) However, though these are the 9-10 standards, the activities work just as well in the 6-8 and the 11-12 band. (or, if you prefer, Padawans, Jedi Knights and Jedi Masters can do all of these too...)
Below, I've compiled a preliminary list of ways that the iPad could be used in class to hit the various standards laid out for grades 9-10. Wherever possible, I am using only free apps. This is by no means an exhaustive list, but it is what came to mind while thinking about the standards and how to use them in my class.
Green Circle ideas:
RH-1, 2, 3 History Head activities (picture of an empty head in profile, use any drawing app to draw or write or paste in words and images inside and around it): what was the author thinking? What's the purpose he or she was trying to express? What are images that represent the ideas of the document? Students can then post the filled head to their blogs, email it to the teacher, share (using Bump) with a partner and write about what you included that the partner did not. You could also do this using VoiceThread and students can comment/write back to each other.
RH-1 Timeliner activity. At the start of the class, students should create a chronology of events (or the teacher can provide one) that they modify as the class proceeds. Students should place the documents they analyze on the timeline of contemporaneous events made using dipity.com, constructed through other apps like doodlebuddy/educreations, or on paper and photographed and shared via bump, email, blog, twitter or edmodo.
RH-2 Summarizer activities: What do you know, what do you think you know, what do you want to know about what this document tells you, use educreations/showme to create slides and record the students voices articulating their answers to the above prompts.
RH-3 Cause and effect: what happens first, second, third, and show causation using educreations or showme--talk through the events of the document with accompanying text. Students could also use a diagramming app like InFlowChartLite to map out the events using different geometric shapes to contain the event sequence.
Blue Square Ideas:
RH-4 Twitter vocabulary activities: tweet the word, an image to define the word, a sentence that uses the word, hashtags for the document so the teacher can project the tweets on the board with an lcd, or students can follow using Hootsuite's app to view the feed, then vote on which images best capture the meaning of the word in a Google Form, or again, through Twitter itself by re-tweeting their favorites. (Note: Sadly, many schools block Twitter. You can get much of the same functionality through www.twiducate.com--it isn't exactly Twitter, but it is, as they say, a "walled garden" social network that schools should find acceptable. It's free and web-based, but doesn't have an app as far as I know. www.edmodo.com would also do for this type of activity as well.)
RH-4, 5 Electronic take a sip: import a PDF'd document into Notability/SundryNote/Evernote, and go through and indicate the most important word/sentence/point in a paragraph, or in the document by highlighting/circling/underlining/color-shifting, then share with partner to see his or her agreement/disagreement with the selections. Students can then share into a group of 4 then report out to the class by any of the following: plugging into the LCD projector to show, use bump to share, tweet the document, post on their blogs. Students can also decide what tags/labels to apply to the document, rendering it then searchable within their notes, and compilable with similar documents
RH-4, 5 Wordle creation: political words, economic words, track repetition of terms and create a wordle. The problem with www.Wordle.net is that it doesn't work on the iPad (Flash based). So students could compile words and share them with the teacher (through any cloud-based app), who can then use a laptop to create the Wordle, which can then be shared with the students to discuss the meanings of the words, why it is that some words were more prominent than others, and what that says about them as a group that they chose these words
RH-4 Blog post/wiki/Google doc/form with definition of terms: originate and share a running term sheet that students add to using their own words. The teacher can create a Google Form with the words ahead of time and provide space for the students to write in a definition to the term and suggest alternative words--synonyms and antonyms, for example. The final spreadsheet can then be shared back with the students, or incorporated into the Wordle activity above.
RH-5 Students can demonstrate their understanding of the structure of a document by using InFlowChartLite or another diagramming app like educreations/showme to diagram the structure of the document. Prompt them with questions like: How is it set up? What is the order of the presentation of information? What are the points the author wishes to convey and what is the evidence he/she uses to support those points? What if you re-order his or her argument? Does that make it more or less effective?
RH-6 You can also modify the above History Head (RH 1, 2, 3) activity to show different points of view on the topic. Or you can use an app like Instagram to encourage students to take and then modify pictures related to the document. For instance, the famous painting of Washington crossing the Delaware, or Columbus arriving in this hemisphere. What do they wish to convey through their modifications to the image? How do the modifications change the impact or meaning of the original document?
RH-6 Venn Diagrams: compare and contrast two documents for similar and different points. There isn't a good app that I've found for creating Venn Diagrams including text yet. So they would have to make their own diagram. They could do this in their own notetaking/productivity app, or they could draw them by hand, then snap a photo and upload it to their blog.
Black Diamond Ideas:
RH-7, 8 Data: make graphs and charts using population/demographic data; share graphs and charts through qr codes and then have students answer questions that are posted in a google form. (Apps like Graph, Glimpse allow for this creation; a Google Form can also be used to generate charts, graphs, etc. similar to what excel can do, but this works best on laptops, not iPads. So far...). They can also create their graphs/charts the old-fashioned way and snap photos of them. Students can then embed their data into blog posts that analyze the document in light of the data--are the claims accurate? does the author's use of data match up with a secondary source's use of the data?
RH-8 Two columns of opinion vs. evidence. use educreations/showme/inflowchart/sundrynote to discriminate between the two opinions. Use the same apps to present the evidence used in more than one document and record themselves talking about which is better, then share it. Students can chart out the author's argument and point to areas of strength and weakness in the claims and evidence used in support. In the event that the author is still living, students can also see if he or she has a Twitter feed or Facebook page and then contact the author to discuss his or her argument. Students could also model the authors' argument via a wikispace. One student represents one point of view the partner takes the opposite. Students must then write their argument in the wiki and incorporate evidence to support their points. Because most wikis will only allow one person to write at a time, they have a built in wait time to see what the other student writes before they jump in. A Google Doc will do the same thing, just allow for simultaneous writing. At the end, have the class decide who "won" based on who used the better evidence, and who presented the clearer opinion as a result of the better use of evidence.
RH-8, 9 Students can use Blogger, WordPress, Posterous, or Tumblr apps to compose a blog post reflecting on comparing and contrasting different treatment of the same topic in several primary and secondary sources. They should be encouraged to select the "best" document and explain why that is their choice as the most effective document of the options. They should then be encouraged to post back and forth on the blogs about the contents of the original posts. Their posts do not have to be only words either. They could use a series of scaled images to represent varying degrees of effectiveness, again, Wordle could be used, collages of facts...blogs can be more than just words on a screen!
We broke down the standards into three categories: Green Circle, Blue Square, Black Diamond. Mike came up with the idea, mostly because he misses skiing in the summertime, but they do represent the degree of difficulty that the standards pose, not only for to students to attain, but also for teachers to implement!
The standards themselves are linked up here. Inserting them into this document would make it incredibly lengthy, so I'll cross-reference them based on their number. (RH refers to Reading Standards for Literacy in History/Social Studies, and the # refers to the numbered standards in the 9-10 band) However, though these are the 9-10 standards, the activities work just as well in the 6-8 and the 11-12 band. (or, if you prefer, Padawans, Jedi Knights and Jedi Masters can do all of these too...)
Below, I've compiled a preliminary list of ways that the iPad could be used in class to hit the various standards laid out for grades 9-10. Wherever possible, I am using only free apps. This is by no means an exhaustive list, but it is what came to mind while thinking about the standards and how to use them in my class.
Green Circle ideas:
RH-1, 2, 3 History Head activities (picture of an empty head in profile, use any drawing app to draw or write or paste in words and images inside and around it): what was the author thinking? What's the purpose he or she was trying to express? What are images that represent the ideas of the document? Students can then post the filled head to their blogs, email it to the teacher, share (using Bump) with a partner and write about what you included that the partner did not. You could also do this using VoiceThread and students can comment/write back to each other.
RH-1 Timeliner activity. At the start of the class, students should create a chronology of events (or the teacher can provide one) that they modify as the class proceeds. Students should place the documents they analyze on the timeline of contemporaneous events made using dipity.com, constructed through other apps like doodlebuddy/educreations, or on paper and photographed and shared via bump, email, blog, twitter or edmodo.
RH-2 Summarizer activities: What do you know, what do you think you know, what do you want to know about what this document tells you, use educreations/showme to create slides and record the students voices articulating their answers to the above prompts.
RH-3 Cause and effect: what happens first, second, third, and show causation using educreations or showme--talk through the events of the document with accompanying text. Students could also use a diagramming app like InFlowChartLite to map out the events using different geometric shapes to contain the event sequence.
Blue Square Ideas:
RH-4 Twitter vocabulary activities: tweet the word, an image to define the word, a sentence that uses the word, hashtags for the document so the teacher can project the tweets on the board with an lcd, or students can follow using Hootsuite's app to view the feed, then vote on which images best capture the meaning of the word in a Google Form, or again, through Twitter itself by re-tweeting their favorites. (Note: Sadly, many schools block Twitter. You can get much of the same functionality through www.twiducate.com--it isn't exactly Twitter, but it is, as they say, a "walled garden" social network that schools should find acceptable. It's free and web-based, but doesn't have an app as far as I know. www.edmodo.com would also do for this type of activity as well.)
RH-4, 5 Electronic take a sip: import a PDF'd document into Notability/SundryNote/Evernote, and go through and indicate the most important word/sentence/point in a paragraph, or in the document by highlighting/circling/underlining/color-shifting, then share with partner to see his or her agreement/disagreement with the selections. Students can then share into a group of 4 then report out to the class by any of the following: plugging into the LCD projector to show, use bump to share, tweet the document, post on their blogs. Students can also decide what tags/labels to apply to the document, rendering it then searchable within their notes, and compilable with similar documents
RH-4, 5 Wordle creation: political words, economic words, track repetition of terms and create a wordle. The problem with www.Wordle.net is that it doesn't work on the iPad (Flash based). So students could compile words and share them with the teacher (through any cloud-based app), who can then use a laptop to create the Wordle, which can then be shared with the students to discuss the meanings of the words, why it is that some words were more prominent than others, and what that says about them as a group that they chose these words
RH-4 Blog post/wiki/Google doc/form with definition of terms: originate and share a running term sheet that students add to using their own words. The teacher can create a Google Form with the words ahead of time and provide space for the students to write in a definition to the term and suggest alternative words--synonyms and antonyms, for example. The final spreadsheet can then be shared back with the students, or incorporated into the Wordle activity above.
RH-5 Students can demonstrate their understanding of the structure of a document by using InFlowChartLite or another diagramming app like educreations/showme to diagram the structure of the document. Prompt them with questions like: How is it set up? What is the order of the presentation of information? What are the points the author wishes to convey and what is the evidence he/she uses to support those points? What if you re-order his or her argument? Does that make it more or less effective?
RH-6 You can also modify the above History Head (RH 1, 2, 3) activity to show different points of view on the topic. Or you can use an app like Instagram to encourage students to take and then modify pictures related to the document. For instance, the famous painting of Washington crossing the Delaware, or Columbus arriving in this hemisphere. What do they wish to convey through their modifications to the image? How do the modifications change the impact or meaning of the original document?
RH-6 Venn Diagrams: compare and contrast two documents for similar and different points. There isn't a good app that I've found for creating Venn Diagrams including text yet. So they would have to make their own diagram. They could do this in their own notetaking/productivity app, or they could draw them by hand, then snap a photo and upload it to their blog.
Black Diamond Ideas:
RH-7, 8 Data: make graphs and charts using population/demographic data; share graphs and charts through qr codes and then have students answer questions that are posted in a google form. (Apps like Graph, Glimpse allow for this creation; a Google Form can also be used to generate charts, graphs, etc. similar to what excel can do, but this works best on laptops, not iPads. So far...). They can also create their graphs/charts the old-fashioned way and snap photos of them. Students can then embed their data into blog posts that analyze the document in light of the data--are the claims accurate? does the author's use of data match up with a secondary source's use of the data?
RH-8 Two columns of opinion vs. evidence. use educreations/showme/inflowchart/sundrynote to discriminate between the two opinions. Use the same apps to present the evidence used in more than one document and record themselves talking about which is better, then share it. Students can chart out the author's argument and point to areas of strength and weakness in the claims and evidence used in support. In the event that the author is still living, students can also see if he or she has a Twitter feed or Facebook page and then contact the author to discuss his or her argument. Students could also model the authors' argument via a wikispace. One student represents one point of view the partner takes the opposite. Students must then write their argument in the wiki and incorporate evidence to support their points. Because most wikis will only allow one person to write at a time, they have a built in wait time to see what the other student writes before they jump in. A Google Doc will do the same thing, just allow for simultaneous writing. At the end, have the class decide who "won" based on who used the better evidence, and who presented the clearer opinion as a result of the better use of evidence.
RH-8, 9 Students can use Blogger, WordPress, Posterous, or Tumblr apps to compose a blog post reflecting on comparing and contrasting different treatment of the same topic in several primary and secondary sources. They should be encouraged to select the "best" document and explain why that is their choice as the most effective document of the options. They should then be encouraged to post back and forth on the blogs about the contents of the original posts. Their posts do not have to be only words either. They could use a series of scaled images to represent varying degrees of effectiveness, again, Wordle could be used, collages of facts...blogs can be more than just words on a screen!
Monday, August 6, 2012
What to do with your AP students after the test?
Maybe you have this same problem: the AP exam is in May, but your school goes right along into June? Mine does this for about a month before the final exams start. So from May 17th-ish through June 20th-ish I have a group of juniors who must adopt the identities of the greatest leaders from all time and who then enter into a competition to see who the greatest world leader of all time is.
I usually have a small number of seniors and they become my accomplices in setting this up before they depart early. They create a list of leaders we've covered during the class. Their parameters are that they must be leaders who impacted more than just their immediate region, and American and European leaders are limited to 4-5. Once they compile the list, it gets cut up and juniors draw names at random out of a hat. Once the leaders are established for each class, the seniors then have to rank the leaders from 1-20 (-ish. This depends on the size of the class.) I then make up a single elimination bracket for each class on big paper, place the leaders into their numbered slots and the competition is on! Each class generates a champion, and they meet in a final round after school on the last day of classes.
All students must create a biography of their leader, and a VoiceThread (www.voicethread.com) in the first person explaining why he or she is the all time greatest leader of world history--they treat it like a campaign ad for themselves. The great thing about VoiceThread is that students can post responses through writing, drawing or recording. The website is very intuitive to use, and the iPad app retains nearly all the functionality of the website.
Students move through different debate styles with different scoring rubrics. Defeated leaders must become the minions (or lackeys...terms vary with my mood) of the leader who won, thus building up a stable of assistants to do opposition research and assist in the debates.
I share results via Twitter with the #maymadness and update the brackets in my classroom and on the class blog.
The handout describing the project is linked up here.
The description of the rounds is linked up here.
I'll share the scorecards and brackets in a bit. They have some flaws that I'll be working on next spring, so I'll come back to link them up once they are done.
I usually have a small number of seniors and they become my accomplices in setting this up before they depart early. They create a list of leaders we've covered during the class. Their parameters are that they must be leaders who impacted more than just their immediate region, and American and European leaders are limited to 4-5. Once they compile the list, it gets cut up and juniors draw names at random out of a hat. Once the leaders are established for each class, the seniors then have to rank the leaders from 1-20 (-ish. This depends on the size of the class.) I then make up a single elimination bracket for each class on big paper, place the leaders into their numbered slots and the competition is on! Each class generates a champion, and they meet in a final round after school on the last day of classes.
All students must create a biography of their leader, and a VoiceThread (www.voicethread.com) in the first person explaining why he or she is the all time greatest leader of world history--they treat it like a campaign ad for themselves. The great thing about VoiceThread is that students can post responses through writing, drawing or recording. The website is very intuitive to use, and the iPad app retains nearly all the functionality of the website.
Students move through different debate styles with different scoring rubrics. Defeated leaders must become the minions (or lackeys...terms vary with my mood) of the leader who won, thus building up a stable of assistants to do opposition research and assist in the debates.
I share results via Twitter with the #maymadness and update the brackets in my classroom and on the class blog.
The handout describing the project is linked up here.
The description of the rounds is linked up here.
I'll share the scorecards and brackets in a bit. They have some flaws that I'll be working on next spring, so I'll come back to link them up once they are done.
Monday, June 25, 2012
iPads in the classroom survey results--what I take away
I think I'll probably be spending a lot of time going over the data from this survey all summer long. But first impressions are important, right? So here they are:
1) iPads help with organization. However, for students to maximize the benefits of the iPads, they need to use one platform for organization. Evernote, Noterize, Sundry Note are all free apps that help with this, Notability is a paid, but cheap, app that was far and away the student's favorite, as it combined both writing and typing. When they use these apps, they are better able to access the information that they wrote down during their classes--notes are neater, legible, all in one place and can't be destroyed by rain, snow, siblings or pets.
I think about it this way: I spent years convincing students that when it came to taking notes, it was vital for them to use a new page for a new day, date their notes, and then dedicate notebooks to subjects. (one for math, one for Spanish, one for history, etc.) Now they need the same sort of structure, only digital and cloud-based.
Students have to learn to use their workflow app effectively. Use labels/tags to identify their subjects and topics. Keep all their notes in one cloud. They can use a different app for different subjects (so Sundry Notes for English, Notability for math, Evernote for history) or they should just stick with one for all academics. (This could be problematic, as some, like Evernote, limit the amount of data on a monthly basis...)
The problem is that there are other apps that get used (like ShowMe or educreations) that deposit other activities/class materials into a different cloud, so students need to be able to bundle all the different clouds together so they remember what they made and can then make use of the materials. I'm thinking the way to do that is to use their class blogs, but I'll need to think about that some more...
2) iPads are distracting. Students are very open about the fact that they like games, they are heavily invested in social media, and they are addicted to the internet. I need to adopt new classroom management to help them work through those distractions. There is a vital need for this, as they are all the things that the students will have to deal with in the workplace too.
The reality is that turning the iPad over renders it no longer a distraction. I've tended to let them have the iPad out on their desk even if we aren't directly making use of it, and I'll be re-thinking that next year somewhat.
BUT, the commentary also clearly indicated that when students felt engaged by the material they were not distracted by the iPad's siren song of temptation. Soooooo, I think I need to work harder to keep them engaged, while also working to limit their temptations...how? I'm not sure yet. Check back with me!
3) iPads are a tool. They are not a solution, they are not a problem. They are value neutral. They help students to access information, present what they know, and in some cases, demonstrate their understanding in new ways. But lots of other tools enable this as well, so the world does not stop turning if I have them in my class or don't have them in my class!
But I'm glad to have them, and I'm looking forward to thinking about how to use them better next year!
1) iPads help with organization. However, for students to maximize the benefits of the iPads, they need to use one platform for organization. Evernote, Noterize, Sundry Note are all free apps that help with this, Notability is a paid, but cheap, app that was far and away the student's favorite, as it combined both writing and typing. When they use these apps, they are better able to access the information that they wrote down during their classes--notes are neater, legible, all in one place and can't be destroyed by rain, snow, siblings or pets.
I think about it this way: I spent years convincing students that when it came to taking notes, it was vital for them to use a new page for a new day, date their notes, and then dedicate notebooks to subjects. (one for math, one for Spanish, one for history, etc.) Now they need the same sort of structure, only digital and cloud-based.
Students have to learn to use their workflow app effectively. Use labels/tags to identify their subjects and topics. Keep all their notes in one cloud. They can use a different app for different subjects (so Sundry Notes for English, Notability for math, Evernote for history) or they should just stick with one for all academics. (This could be problematic, as some, like Evernote, limit the amount of data on a monthly basis...)
The problem is that there are other apps that get used (like ShowMe or educreations) that deposit other activities/class materials into a different cloud, so students need to be able to bundle all the different clouds together so they remember what they made and can then make use of the materials. I'm thinking the way to do that is to use their class blogs, but I'll need to think about that some more...
2) iPads are distracting. Students are very open about the fact that they like games, they are heavily invested in social media, and they are addicted to the internet. I need to adopt new classroom management to help them work through those distractions. There is a vital need for this, as they are all the things that the students will have to deal with in the workplace too.
The reality is that turning the iPad over renders it no longer a distraction. I've tended to let them have the iPad out on their desk even if we aren't directly making use of it, and I'll be re-thinking that next year somewhat.
BUT, the commentary also clearly indicated that when students felt engaged by the material they were not distracted by the iPad's siren song of temptation. Soooooo, I think I need to work harder to keep them engaged, while also working to limit their temptations...how? I'm not sure yet. Check back with me!
3) iPads are a tool. They are not a solution, they are not a problem. They are value neutral. They help students to access information, present what they know, and in some cases, demonstrate their understanding in new ways. But lots of other tools enable this as well, so the world does not stop turning if I have them in my class or don't have them in my class!
But I'm glad to have them, and I'm looking forward to thinking about how to use them better next year!
iPad student survey--their responses
What follows are the transcribed comments from questions on the survey. I'll edit them insofar as the formatting, but the words will be theirs, typos and all... "winner, winner, chicken dinner."
If yes, what type of tasks did it help you to accomplish with greater efficiency?
contacting people or looking up information right away
Homework, test studying
it helped me keep all my notes in one place and i would always have my ipad with me so i would always have my notes with me too. it was easier to organize my notes when it was on one app like evernote. it was also easier to type and i could make bullet points and outline things faster than writing it all out.
Doing homework was so easy. Before doing homework was the hardest thing to accomplish. Now I do homework so much faster.
Writing papers, doing research
Just writing notes or watching videos to understand stuff and also just to use the web in order to find out ore info.
Keeping all my homework and notes in one place so I can remember where they are and to do them.
Note Taking, sending certain emails right in class
Notes, recording,
In a way maybe. I was able to take notes much faster on my iPads, and taking pictures were easier with the iPad. I could use these pictures to study.
Group projects and foreign language assignments
Voice recording or videos
Writing essays, homework, the whole kitten-kaboodle.
Worksheets, review, presentations, research
The iPad helped me to be able to prepare for tests. I could go over my notes, which were all in one place, and then go on the internet and take mini quizzes.
Research, and taking notes by typing
Yes, looking up more modern articles, showmen
Notetaking
Research, note taking
Taking notes.
Blogging. Note taking.
Note taking, oral assignments
Getting to websites, communication with teachers.
Typing up reports instead of having to do it at home, looking at things on the Internet that pertain to class
Sme note taking and projects
If you answered yes it did help you to recall facts better, how did you use it to do this?
Vocab, cuz I can use the flash cards app anywhere
Flash cards and notes taken on the iPad.
I would look up facts online with ease
Wikipanion, safari, google
I could use the Internet for research
I would just save stuff using the main idea and added tags so I could find it later on easier.
Instead of flipping back and searching through a notebook, I was able to click one thing in the iPad and have it all come up
Notes were easier to access due to easier format
Flashcardlet app, noterize
Not sure about this. I definitely used more media to study this year -- Khan Academy, Youtube videos, self-made Educreations. I think I'm a visual learner, so this likely helped, but I can't be 100% sure.
I could either use wikipanion or evernote to find anything I needed to refresh my memory
I was able to search for topics in my notes
It didn't make it any worse, or any better. I feel recalling facts is more about me no any tools.
Yes because I took notes
If you answered "yes" to any of the above 5 questions, please provide examples of how this happened for you below. (Analysis, visualization, understanding, concepts)
#3 - we used so many different apps that were capable of different things that we were able to do something other than just read a text book. For example, using showme we were able to create presentations to share with each other to simplify concepts for better understanding.
Easy to find videos, visuals, and info to understand complicated concepts and analyze them
A lot of educational apps would show me visuals and animations and I think that helped me the most because I am a visual learner.
It was easier to directly compare things instead of in notebooks
You could always look things up
Just being able to use the web and everything else allowed me to find out a lot more and helped a lot.
I was able to google information and see other viewpoints that made analysis easier.
I often found myself exploring google as soon as we talked about different lessons and concepts in class
The iPad provides a lot of different viewpoints for learning, and learning styles. But it can also be easiest to assume you know something just because it's on your iPad.
It helped me get a new perspective because I was able to do showmes and quick voices. It helped me with visualization becuas of pictures.
With many apps and information at my fingertips on one iPad, it was easy to make connections between people and ideas
I could research thins and get different perspectives if I didn't understand and it gave visuals on websites, google, etc.
Able to use more apps that's helped a lot with seeing different things such as the google search, the ap world app
Sometimes when things were difficult, it helped to search online to find a helpful resource.
Being able to look things up on the Internet and watching videos that other people made helped me see other perspectives. Being able to look up difficult topics and have them explained to me on children's websites ws very helpful. And, being able to look up pictures helped me visualize what I was learning and then be able to solve problems.
The iPad, I think, was most useful for math. Using my stylus and Notability or Penultimate, I could sketch out problems, almost as if I had my own whiteboard. For a person who hates clutter, this approach allowed for an entire page dedicated to one difficult problem. Cleaner notes probably helped me grasp topics better and visualize solutions. If I were a better note-taker, I probably could have fashioned my notes in a way that "connected concepts/facts/events" better.
The iPad helped give digital perspective using Showme
It was easy to look up questions online and to access the the Chapter outlines
I could use the internet and evernote in class search my notes and research online to find hazy subjects, and in the process, make connections between subjects.
Wikipanion have more detailed, modern information. Sowme helped with interactive projects.nFast access to interwebs
iPad was good to write essays
You have easier assess to media and graphs, primary sources
Was able to research things online and gain a greater understanding.
If I wanted to look anything up I had the iPad in front of me to look them up.
I feel like if there was an issue I had to clarify I could always rely on the iPad for help
Did the iPad help you to articulate answers in a different way than you had before?
Indirectly, less embarrassment
different apps were more hands-on and visual rather than just notes
Posterous/videos
We could post answers to things online
Because instead of just using notes you could use the web or anything else.
ShowMe, Quickvoice
Using showme helped me show and explain what I was talking about at the same time
Well, it was all online so thats different.
Through blogs, videos, extranormals, and other such things.
Doing stuff like the voice thread because normally I didn't like hearing myself talk but the project turned out good.
Show me (unfortunately for Spanish)
I was able to use show me other apps that have good visuals
I could view all the different viewpoints by looking at my neat notes and internet
Interactive presentations
Using different apps such as Showme and scanning different documents offered a different way to do things.
Because its an iPad and it is a different way to answer as before.
Blogposts
Through a class blog and personal blog
Did the iPad help you to participate in class more than you did before?
I could take notes on it more efficiently so I had all the information I needed to engage in class discussions
I could get information quicker and easier.
If we did iPad activities in class, I participated because they were more interesting,
More participating on the iPad to make up for my lack of speaking.
Teachers have activities online
If I didn't know what was going on I could look it up and then participate in the discussion.
Research class discussion topics
ShowMe app
no, I was distracted by the iPad in class.
If you answered yes to any of the above questions (making the content more real/tangible/show that you understand it), please give an example below.
#2 - it just provided me with mediums for the facilitation of learning other than simply paper and textbooks. We created maps, we created presentations, etc. it allowed for me to expand my horizons and use different tools which created a totally different experience in school.
Ipad did help me show my teachers that I understood the material because there are such apps known as Showme or Educreation, in which we have to make presentations and email it to teacher. This shows my ability to understand the material. Also, not only in this class, but in my spanish class, we did some random recordings at random days on showme or educreation or quickvoice, in which either we had to teach the teacher about a specific topic or just give a presentation. Yes, this presentation was graded so we had to make it better. Doing presentations within a class period puts us under pressure, thus, by doing this, I did learn things.
Videos and visuals
we emailed assignments to teachers so they could check if we knew it or not. and it wasmore tangible because we could do different things rather than just ttakenote
I could email my teacher the work I've done and show thm how I understood the material and then she could email me back with feedback.
It was easier to do work in school without the need of going home on the computer
I was able to have material more readily
I was able to do projects and work in different ways, showing my understanding in ways I could not without the iPad.
The ability to access the internet allowed for more in depth studying of facts, I was more organized due to Inclass, and the internet allowed me to talk about history and then google it
There are lots more ways to learn and present info.
With google earth, history felt more tangible and real life
Winner winner chicken dinner
Easier to organize
The material became more tangible as we wrote blog posts and did projects with the ipads.
With Dropbox and such apps, it makes working with material much easier
With ShowMe I could show teachers how well I understood the material and use the material in a more tangible way.
In general, there was more immediacy to classes. Something in class might remind us of an example, that we would promptly Google and gain information about. In AP Bio, we would Google any taxonomic group that the book mentioned.
Understood the material = show mes
It was more interactive
I could type and revise responses to show my teachers how my opinion
Being able to interact with other classmates and such, and fast access to the Internet.
Online work
More hands on with media
I was able to write notes on worksheets that were emailed
You could view actual images of the places or people you were talking about, it varied the way you could do assignments
In what way did it impact your attention, positively or negatively?
It was quite distracting with constant msgs being exchanged through my friends and the notifications that I kept recieving.
"Positive- better organization
Negative- less focus"
technology is always distracting just because of all the games and opportunities to lose focus.
It depended on the class. In a class where I understood the material and was not engaged enough by the teacher, it lurked in the corner of my desk, tempting me to explore its vast social networks.however, in a class where the teacher was engaging and conducting an interesting or important activity I wouldn't think of touching it.there were some classes this year that I couldn't tear myself away from the iPad during. There were also some classes in which I never thought of touching it.
At the beginning, I used to get distracted but I learned my lesson very quickly. In fact, most of the times the class work is so busy that I do not have time to do some other things such as facebook or twitter on ipad. The only time I had time would be between the periods or during lunch. By taking AP classes, I made use of ipad in more of positive way rather than getting distracted all the times. I did pay attention in class with my ipad in front of me and I took notes on my ipad. It just has helped me more with being organized with notes and everything. Really, to be honest, it is in a person's hand about how to use ipad in class. It is their choice and it does pay off if they choose not to pay attention in class.
iBooks distracted me
Because there are games, and messaging apps, and yeah, I get distr- ohhh shinyyy thingie!!!
i was always on reddit or facebook or imessage and teachers just don't know / care
The iPad is and iPad. It is educational piece of technology, sure, but it is also a music player,a video game, a time passer. So no matter what u use it for, it will always distract you in some ways.
I was sometimes distracted by Reddit, Facebook, and games. But I realized that these affected how well I paid attention so I learned to do it on my own time.
Negatively, would get distracted by games or facebook very easily
I was on social networking sites, games and espn occasionally.
Games were disttactions
It impacted my attention mostly positively, there were times when it was negative but otherwise it was ok
The negative way in that I would zone off so days and just play games which was not good
iPad activities helped me pay attention more, but games did distract me.
Negatively, because even if I was surfing for something educational, my attention is still taken away from the teachers and the lesson
Twitter, Facebook, tumblr, reddit...
It allowed all of the students to access the teachers documents though google docs, etc. This in particular was useful to the class.
Twitter, facebook, reddit, email, google,
It was a distraction because some apps are hilarious
In some ways, it did keep me organized, however I often got distracted by it.
Negatively because when you have games on your ipad and the oppurtunity to waste time on the ipad....you get distracted from learning and participating in class
It made me appreciate winner winner chicken dinner
It was positive when I could research different things, but social networks distracted me
It didnt affect my attention in this class because I love this class and was never bored!
It was both positive and negative because we could use the iPad for work in class but at the same time it was a huge distraction at some points
Well, if you did not want to pay attention is class the iPad made it easier.
Negatively, because it provided a constant distraction.
The games at the beginning of the year hurt me because I was distracted. Some teachers did send class materials through email which helped.
In some cases I would take notes on it and focus more, but in other cases I would play games and not pay attention.
I cannot deny that I was more distracted. Though, personally, my grades didn't suffer. My distraction was never from playing games (except for that nightmarish week of Scramble with Friends) but usually from reading articles. At the same time, I think it really affects the morale of a class when a teacher desperately tries to keep students off their iPads.
It was hard to listen to topics I found boring when there was a plethora of interesting things right in front of me
Negatively because it would make me want to check things like twitter or my email.
It didn't really impact my focus unless I was in a class that I just couldn't pay attention in (chem) ; I think a part of this was that i took notes in a notebook
Somewhat positively
Games, facebook, twitter
Rather neutral, since I never got reddit. It was really useful for notes and being able to interact with what we were learning.
I got more essays done on time and better hw grades than last year
It was the most distracting thing I have ever had. Games were the worst thing ever
Slightly negatively because when I got bored I would just check my iPad which would take my attention away from the class.
Negatively, I was always distracted but i don't feel like it negatively impacted my grades
Negatively.
It took my attention away.
It took me away from paying attention because I was distracted by games and social media.
Negatively
"It helped because there was different material that could be shared, but it hurt because of ga,es and other apps that we're distractions"
I wasn't forced to pay attention anymore as I as able to distract myself with the iPad
Positively cause Im not distracted by games
Negatively
If yes, what type of tasks did it help you to accomplish with greater efficiency?
contacting people or looking up information right away
Homework, test studying
it helped me keep all my notes in one place and i would always have my ipad with me so i would always have my notes with me too. it was easier to organize my notes when it was on one app like evernote. it was also easier to type and i could make bullet points and outline things faster than writing it all out.
Doing homework was so easy. Before doing homework was the hardest thing to accomplish. Now I do homework so much faster.
Writing papers, doing research
Just writing notes or watching videos to understand stuff and also just to use the web in order to find out ore info.
Keeping all my homework and notes in one place so I can remember where they are and to do them.
Note Taking, sending certain emails right in class
Notes, recording,
In a way maybe. I was able to take notes much faster on my iPads, and taking pictures were easier with the iPad. I could use these pictures to study.
Group projects and foreign language assignments
Voice recording or videos
Writing essays, homework, the whole kitten-kaboodle.
Worksheets, review, presentations, research
The iPad helped me to be able to prepare for tests. I could go over my notes, which were all in one place, and then go on the internet and take mini quizzes.
Research, and taking notes by typing
Yes, looking up more modern articles, showmen
Notetaking
Research, note taking
Taking notes.
Blogging. Note taking.
Note taking, oral assignments
Getting to websites, communication with teachers.
Typing up reports instead of having to do it at home, looking at things on the Internet that pertain to class
Sme note taking and projects
If you answered yes it did help you to recall facts better, how did you use it to do this?
Vocab, cuz I can use the flash cards app anywhere
Flash cards and notes taken on the iPad.
I would look up facts online with ease
Wikipanion, safari, google
I could use the Internet for research
I would just save stuff using the main idea and added tags so I could find it later on easier.
Instead of flipping back and searching through a notebook, I was able to click one thing in the iPad and have it all come up
Notes were easier to access due to easier format
Flashcardlet app, noterize
Not sure about this. I definitely used more media to study this year -- Khan Academy, Youtube videos, self-made Educreations. I think I'm a visual learner, so this likely helped, but I can't be 100% sure.
I could either use wikipanion or evernote to find anything I needed to refresh my memory
I was able to search for topics in my notes
It didn't make it any worse, or any better. I feel recalling facts is more about me no any tools.
Yes because I took notes
If you answered "yes" to any of the above 5 questions, please provide examples of how this happened for you below. (Analysis, visualization, understanding, concepts)
#3 - we used so many different apps that were capable of different things that we were able to do something other than just read a text book. For example, using showme we were able to create presentations to share with each other to simplify concepts for better understanding.
Easy to find videos, visuals, and info to understand complicated concepts and analyze them
A lot of educational apps would show me visuals and animations and I think that helped me the most because I am a visual learner.
It was easier to directly compare things instead of in notebooks
You could always look things up
Just being able to use the web and everything else allowed me to find out a lot more and helped a lot.
I was able to google information and see other viewpoints that made analysis easier.
I often found myself exploring google as soon as we talked about different lessons and concepts in class
The iPad provides a lot of different viewpoints for learning, and learning styles. But it can also be easiest to assume you know something just because it's on your iPad.
It helped me get a new perspective because I was able to do showmes and quick voices. It helped me with visualization becuas of pictures.
With many apps and information at my fingertips on one iPad, it was easy to make connections between people and ideas
I could research thins and get different perspectives if I didn't understand and it gave visuals on websites, google, etc.
Able to use more apps that's helped a lot with seeing different things such as the google search, the ap world app
Sometimes when things were difficult, it helped to search online to find a helpful resource.
Being able to look things up on the Internet and watching videos that other people made helped me see other perspectives. Being able to look up difficult topics and have them explained to me on children's websites ws very helpful. And, being able to look up pictures helped me visualize what I was learning and then be able to solve problems.
The iPad, I think, was most useful for math. Using my stylus and Notability or Penultimate, I could sketch out problems, almost as if I had my own whiteboard. For a person who hates clutter, this approach allowed for an entire page dedicated to one difficult problem. Cleaner notes probably helped me grasp topics better and visualize solutions. If I were a better note-taker, I probably could have fashioned my notes in a way that "connected concepts/facts/events" better.
The iPad helped give digital perspective using Showme
It was easy to look up questions online and to access the the Chapter outlines
I could use the internet and evernote in class search my notes and research online to find hazy subjects, and in the process, make connections between subjects.
Wikipanion have more detailed, modern information. Sowme helped with interactive projects.nFast access to interwebs
iPad was good to write essays
You have easier assess to media and graphs, primary sources
Was able to research things online and gain a greater understanding.
If I wanted to look anything up I had the iPad in front of me to look them up.
I feel like if there was an issue I had to clarify I could always rely on the iPad for help
Did the iPad help you to articulate answers in a different way than you had before?
Indirectly, less embarrassment
different apps were more hands-on and visual rather than just notes
Posterous/videos
We could post answers to things online
Because instead of just using notes you could use the web or anything else.
ShowMe, Quickvoice
Using showme helped me show and explain what I was talking about at the same time
Well, it was all online so thats different.
Through blogs, videos, extranormals, and other such things.
Doing stuff like the voice thread because normally I didn't like hearing myself talk but the project turned out good.
Show me (unfortunately for Spanish)
I was able to use show me other apps that have good visuals
I could view all the different viewpoints by looking at my neat notes and internet
Interactive presentations
Using different apps such as Showme and scanning different documents offered a different way to do things.
Because its an iPad and it is a different way to answer as before.
Blogposts
Through a class blog and personal blog
Did the iPad help you to participate in class more than you did before?
I could take notes on it more efficiently so I had all the information I needed to engage in class discussions
I could get information quicker and easier.
If we did iPad activities in class, I participated because they were more interesting,
More participating on the iPad to make up for my lack of speaking.
Teachers have activities online
If I didn't know what was going on I could look it up and then participate in the discussion.
Research class discussion topics
ShowMe app
no, I was distracted by the iPad in class.
If you answered yes to any of the above questions (making the content more real/tangible/show that you understand it), please give an example below.
#2 - it just provided me with mediums for the facilitation of learning other than simply paper and textbooks. We created maps, we created presentations, etc. it allowed for me to expand my horizons and use different tools which created a totally different experience in school.
Ipad did help me show my teachers that I understood the material because there are such apps known as Showme or Educreation, in which we have to make presentations and email it to teacher. This shows my ability to understand the material. Also, not only in this class, but in my spanish class, we did some random recordings at random days on showme or educreation or quickvoice, in which either we had to teach the teacher about a specific topic or just give a presentation. Yes, this presentation was graded so we had to make it better. Doing presentations within a class period puts us under pressure, thus, by doing this, I did learn things.
Videos and visuals
we emailed assignments to teachers so they could check if we knew it or not. and it wasmore tangible because we could do different things rather than just ttakenote
I could email my teacher the work I've done and show thm how I understood the material and then she could email me back with feedback.
It was easier to do work in school without the need of going home on the computer
I was able to have material more readily
I was able to do projects and work in different ways, showing my understanding in ways I could not without the iPad.
The ability to access the internet allowed for more in depth studying of facts, I was more organized due to Inclass, and the internet allowed me to talk about history and then google it
There are lots more ways to learn and present info.
With google earth, history felt more tangible and real life
Winner winner chicken dinner
Easier to organize
The material became more tangible as we wrote blog posts and did projects with the ipads.
With Dropbox and such apps, it makes working with material much easier
With ShowMe I could show teachers how well I understood the material and use the material in a more tangible way.
In general, there was more immediacy to classes. Something in class might remind us of an example, that we would promptly Google and gain information about. In AP Bio, we would Google any taxonomic group that the book mentioned.
Understood the material = show mes
It was more interactive
I could type and revise responses to show my teachers how my opinion
Being able to interact with other classmates and such, and fast access to the Internet.
Online work
More hands on with media
I was able to write notes on worksheets that were emailed
You could view actual images of the places or people you were talking about, it varied the way you could do assignments
In what way did it impact your attention, positively or negatively?
It was quite distracting with constant msgs being exchanged through my friends and the notifications that I kept recieving.
"Positive- better organization
Negative- less focus"
technology is always distracting just because of all the games and opportunities to lose focus.
It depended on the class. In a class where I understood the material and was not engaged enough by the teacher, it lurked in the corner of my desk, tempting me to explore its vast social networks.however, in a class where the teacher was engaging and conducting an interesting or important activity I wouldn't think of touching it.there were some classes this year that I couldn't tear myself away from the iPad during. There were also some classes in which I never thought of touching it.
At the beginning, I used to get distracted but I learned my lesson very quickly. In fact, most of the times the class work is so busy that I do not have time to do some other things such as facebook or twitter on ipad. The only time I had time would be between the periods or during lunch. By taking AP classes, I made use of ipad in more of positive way rather than getting distracted all the times. I did pay attention in class with my ipad in front of me and I took notes on my ipad. It just has helped me more with being organized with notes and everything. Really, to be honest, it is in a person's hand about how to use ipad in class. It is their choice and it does pay off if they choose not to pay attention in class.
iBooks distracted me
Because there are games, and messaging apps, and yeah, I get distr- ohhh shinyyy thingie!!!
i was always on reddit or facebook or imessage and teachers just don't know / care
The iPad is and iPad. It is educational piece of technology, sure, but it is also a music player,a video game, a time passer. So no matter what u use it for, it will always distract you in some ways.
I was sometimes distracted by Reddit, Facebook, and games. But I realized that these affected how well I paid attention so I learned to do it on my own time.
Negatively, would get distracted by games or facebook very easily
I was on social networking sites, games and espn occasionally.
Games were disttactions
It impacted my attention mostly positively, there were times when it was negative but otherwise it was ok
The negative way in that I would zone off so days and just play games which was not good
iPad activities helped me pay attention more, but games did distract me.
Negatively, because even if I was surfing for something educational, my attention is still taken away from the teachers and the lesson
Twitter, Facebook, tumblr, reddit...
It allowed all of the students to access the teachers documents though google docs, etc. This in particular was useful to the class.
Twitter, facebook, reddit, email, google,
It was a distraction because some apps are hilarious
In some ways, it did keep me organized, however I often got distracted by it.
Negatively because when you have games on your ipad and the oppurtunity to waste time on the ipad....you get distracted from learning and participating in class
It made me appreciate winner winner chicken dinner
It was positive when I could research different things, but social networks distracted me
It didnt affect my attention in this class because I love this class and was never bored!
It was both positive and negative because we could use the iPad for work in class but at the same time it was a huge distraction at some points
Well, if you did not want to pay attention is class the iPad made it easier.
Negatively, because it provided a constant distraction.
The games at the beginning of the year hurt me because I was distracted. Some teachers did send class materials through email which helped.
In some cases I would take notes on it and focus more, but in other cases I would play games and not pay attention.
I cannot deny that I was more distracted. Though, personally, my grades didn't suffer. My distraction was never from playing games (except for that nightmarish week of Scramble with Friends) but usually from reading articles. At the same time, I think it really affects the morale of a class when a teacher desperately tries to keep students off their iPads.
It was hard to listen to topics I found boring when there was a plethora of interesting things right in front of me
Negatively because it would make me want to check things like twitter or my email.
It didn't really impact my focus unless I was in a class that I just couldn't pay attention in (chem) ; I think a part of this was that i took notes in a notebook
Somewhat positively
Games, facebook, twitter
Rather neutral, since I never got reddit. It was really useful for notes and being able to interact with what we were learning.
I got more essays done on time and better hw grades than last year
It was the most distracting thing I have ever had. Games were the worst thing ever
Slightly negatively because when I got bored I would just check my iPad which would take my attention away from the class.
Negatively, I was always distracted but i don't feel like it negatively impacted my grades
Negatively.
It took my attention away.
It took me away from paying attention because I was distracted by games and social media.
Negatively
"It helped because there was different material that could be shared, but it hurt because of ga,es and other apps that we're distractions"
I wasn't forced to pay attention anymore as I as able to distract myself with the iPad
Positively cause Im not distracted by games
Negatively
Friday, June 15, 2012
iPads in the Classroom--The student perspective; data!
The student responses to the iPad survey are as follows. I'll just give the raw numbers in this post, then talk about what I think it all means in a subsequent one, and pull together some of the non-number responses (i.e.: app suggestions and commentary).
A total of 50 students, all juniors at BHS enrolled in AP World History, responded to the survey.
1) Did the iPad help you to accomplish tasks more efficiently?
Yes 25
No 11
Neutral 14
2) Has the iPad helped you to be more organized?
Yes 32
No 10
Neutral 8
3)Did you use the iPad to help you keep track of assignments?
Yes 26
No 19
Neutral 5
4) Did you find that the iPad helped you to recall facts better?
Yes 16
No 20
Neutral 14
5) Did the iPad help you to make connections between concepts/facts/events better?
Yes 14
No 15
Neutral 21
6) Did the iPad help you to analyze concepts better/easier than before you had an iPad?
Yes 14
No 20
Neutral 16
7) Did the iPad help you to explore different perspectives in new/better ways?
Yes 25
No 9
Neutral 16
8) Did the iPad help you to understand difficult topics?
Yes 17
No 17
Neutral 16
9) Did the iPad help you to visualize solutions/answers when confronted with academic problems?
Yes 18
No 16
Neutral 16
10) Did the iPad help you to express yourself clearly?
Yes 11
No 17
Neutral 22
11) Did the iPad help you to articulate answers in a different way than you had before?
Yes 19
No 14
Neutral 17
12) Did the iPad help you to participate in class more than you did before?
Yes 8
No 36
Neutral 6
13) Did the iPad help you to show your teachers that you understand the material?
Yes 16
No 20
Neutral 14
14) Did the iPad help you work with class material in a more tangible way?
Yes 26
No 11
Neutral 13
15) Did the iPad help you feel the course content was more "real" or authentic or applicable to your life?
Yes 9
No 25
Neutral 16
16) Did the iPad impact your attention in class: 1 it hurt my ability to pay attention, 10 it made it more possible for me to pay attention
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
7 1 7 5 16 7 3 2 1 1
A total of 50 students, all juniors at BHS enrolled in AP World History, responded to the survey.
1) Did the iPad help you to accomplish tasks more efficiently?
Yes 25
No 11
Neutral 14
2) Has the iPad helped you to be more organized?
Yes 32
No 10
Neutral 8
3)Did you use the iPad to help you keep track of assignments?
Yes 26
No 19
Neutral 5
4) Did you find that the iPad helped you to recall facts better?
Yes 16
No 20
Neutral 14
5) Did the iPad help you to make connections between concepts/facts/events better?
Yes 14
No 15
Neutral 21
6) Did the iPad help you to analyze concepts better/easier than before you had an iPad?
Yes 14
No 20
Neutral 16
7) Did the iPad help you to explore different perspectives in new/better ways?
Yes 25
No 9
Neutral 16
8) Did the iPad help you to understand difficult topics?
Yes 17
No 17
Neutral 16
9) Did the iPad help you to visualize solutions/answers when confronted with academic problems?
Yes 18
No 16
Neutral 16
10) Did the iPad help you to express yourself clearly?
Yes 11
No 17
Neutral 22
11) Did the iPad help you to articulate answers in a different way than you had before?
Yes 19
No 14
Neutral 17
12) Did the iPad help you to participate in class more than you did before?
Yes 8
No 36
Neutral 6
13) Did the iPad help you to show your teachers that you understand the material?
Yes 16
No 20
Neutral 14
14) Did the iPad help you work with class material in a more tangible way?
Yes 26
No 11
Neutral 13
15) Did the iPad help you feel the course content was more "real" or authentic or applicable to your life?
Yes 9
No 25
Neutral 16
16) Did the iPad impact your attention in class: 1 it hurt my ability to pay attention, 10 it made it more possible for me to pay attention
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
7 1 7 5 16 7 3 2 1 1
Thursday, June 14, 2012
iPads in the classroom--The student perspective part one
There's lots of buzz out there about iPads, going 1:1 and technology in the classroom. I've just completed a school year of having my students using iPads in my classroom on a damn near daily basis, and I wanted to know what they think this tool was good for. Did it help them? hurt them? make them better students?
Below is the survey I gave to my classes to try and find out. You should know that the students who completed it are all juniors in high school who completed my AP World History course. They represent, by and large, the top 20% of students in my school, and include the likely valedictorian and salutatorian. They are "good" students, in the parlance of my school. The reliable, the steady, the strong students. I have found them to be thoughtful, clear thinkers, and I value their opinions. I do not always agree with them, and there are things that they do not know about how they should learn; their training as capital S-students is admittedly poor, and they still have a ways to go. Still, they are the reason why we embarked on this experiment, and their perspective must be heard too.
They are filling out the survey now, so the next entry will be results.
Below is the survey I gave to my classes to try and find out. You should know that the students who completed it are all juniors in high school who completed my AP World History course. They represent, by and large, the top 20% of students in my school, and include the likely valedictorian and salutatorian. They are "good" students, in the parlance of my school. The reliable, the steady, the strong students. I have found them to be thoughtful, clear thinkers, and I value their opinions. I do not always agree with them, and there are things that they do not know about how they should learn; their training as capital S-students is admittedly poor, and they still have a ways to go. Still, they are the reason why we embarked on this experiment, and their perspective must be heard too.
They are filling out the survey now, so the next entry will be results.
Saturday, April 28, 2012
Helping Parents Go 1:1; Lessons from PBL a decade ago
Back in my former school, we made a serious effort to embrace PBL (Project-Based Learning). Of course, we also included Problem-Based Learning (the "other" PBL) as a matter of course. But the basic idea was that rather than spend our time skimming through the forest, we would stop to examine in depth the trees that represented vast swaths of the forest, so that students could then apply their deep understanding of a limited amount of issues to much larger numbers later in life. I enjoyed teaching this way, but I encountered a problem then that is echoing in a problem I'm encountering now: what words represent to people changes depending on the audience.
I discovered that in talking to parents of freshmen (the grade I mostly taught at the time) about PBL, they arrived at the discussion with a mental definition of the word "project." Want to guess what it entailed? Too bad, I'll tell you anyway...
Construction paper, crayons, glue sticks, scissors, string, beads... Some dads had Scouts on the brain, so they thought sawing, nailing, sanding, painting, knot tying... Regardless, they all thought nothing associated with intellectual, academic, rigorous thought. They thought: making hand turkeys. Or turtles. Or model cars. So they were skeptics from the jump. And as a result, they could not understand why their child wasn't getting an A in this, the process of making a hand turkey. Of interest is the fact that none of the conversations were bathed in a nostalgia of, "Oh, I remember when she was little she made projects. How cute!" It was all frustration of the mess, the pointlessness, the crowded refrigerator, the failed pinewood derby, etc., etc.
So the parent perception of PBL was negative from the word go, and as a result, I spent the better part of a year's worth of parent-teacher conferences working against that association to help the parents understand exactly what we were doing. So was my administration. It worked, but it was a long haul to get there, and new parents needed to be brought along into the process each year, so I was constantly in a position of defensiveness, not partnership, with the parents.
Now, fast-forward 12 years, and I'm in the classroom talking with parents about technology in the classroom, in this case the 1:1 iPad initiative. Want to guess what the parents' views are? Too bad, I'll tell you.
Games. Facebook. Frivolity. Sex. Wasting time. Surfing the web. "Twittering." Silly pictures. Sex. Crashing. Losing files. These are not happy associations. Parents associate the technology with frustration (they don't know how to do these things/their technology in their job sucks), disconnection (my children don't talk on the phone, they text, so I have no clue what's going on in their lives--I can't even eavesdrop!) and fear (the internet is full of pornographers, perverts and creeps waiting to snatch my child). They do not associate technology with intellectual, academic, rigorous thought. Sure, they get the idea of Google as a massive library of information, but they don't know how it works, so they see the crap they get when they search and assume this is what their children are experiencing too.
So I'm spending this year's worth of parent-teacher conferences and back to school nights and parent-teacher meetings and emails working against this association to help the parents understand exactly what we are doing. So's my administration. It seems to be working, but it is a long haul, there are some deep skeptics out there, and at this point I'm not sure if there is actual buy-in or just resigned acceptance of the process. Either way, teachers are constantly having to defend their practice, not partner with the parents.
To be fair, there are large numbers of parents who also use technology in their workplace and in their lives, and so have some appreciation of it as a time/labor-saving device, a presentation tool, or for organizational purposes, so it is not all bad, it's just that the overwhelming impression is that of expensive entertainment.
In hindsight, if a school is considering bringing technology into the classroom, I'd strongly encourage them to spend some time pondering the technology from the other side, the popular culture side, the parent side. Then take the time to explain, carefully and clearly how the device will enhance the culture of rigor and intellectual inquiry already in place in your classroom. Show them, don't tell them. Have the parents come to your open houses and conferences with the device, and guide them through an activity you do in class with your students. Understand that you will have to demystify it for them, for though their children may or may not be digital natives, they are definitely not, and they deserve to be brought along too. Otherwise, the teachers are in a position of constant defensiveness, not partnership, with the parents, who are in a constant state of bewilderment, disenfranchisement and apprehension about what their children are doing not only up in their rooms, but also in school.
I discovered that in talking to parents of freshmen (the grade I mostly taught at the time) about PBL, they arrived at the discussion with a mental definition of the word "project." Want to guess what it entailed? Too bad, I'll tell you anyway...
Construction paper, crayons, glue sticks, scissors, string, beads... Some dads had Scouts on the brain, so they thought sawing, nailing, sanding, painting, knot tying... Regardless, they all thought nothing associated with intellectual, academic, rigorous thought. They thought: making hand turkeys. Or turtles. Or model cars. So they were skeptics from the jump. And as a result, they could not understand why their child wasn't getting an A in this, the process of making a hand turkey. Of interest is the fact that none of the conversations were bathed in a nostalgia of, "Oh, I remember when she was little she made projects. How cute!" It was all frustration of the mess, the pointlessness, the crowded refrigerator, the failed pinewood derby, etc., etc.
So the parent perception of PBL was negative from the word go, and as a result, I spent the better part of a year's worth of parent-teacher conferences working against that association to help the parents understand exactly what we were doing. So was my administration. It worked, but it was a long haul to get there, and new parents needed to be brought along into the process each year, so I was constantly in a position of defensiveness, not partnership, with the parents.
Now, fast-forward 12 years, and I'm in the classroom talking with parents about technology in the classroom, in this case the 1:1 iPad initiative. Want to guess what the parents' views are? Too bad, I'll tell you.
Games. Facebook. Frivolity. Sex. Wasting time. Surfing the web. "Twittering." Silly pictures. Sex. Crashing. Losing files. These are not happy associations. Parents associate the technology with frustration (they don't know how to do these things/their technology in their job sucks), disconnection (my children don't talk on the phone, they text, so I have no clue what's going on in their lives--I can't even eavesdrop!) and fear (the internet is full of pornographers, perverts and creeps waiting to snatch my child). They do not associate technology with intellectual, academic, rigorous thought. Sure, they get the idea of Google as a massive library of information, but they don't know how it works, so they see the crap they get when they search and assume this is what their children are experiencing too.
So I'm spending this year's worth of parent-teacher conferences and back to school nights and parent-teacher meetings and emails working against this association to help the parents understand exactly what we are doing. So's my administration. It seems to be working, but it is a long haul, there are some deep skeptics out there, and at this point I'm not sure if there is actual buy-in or just resigned acceptance of the process. Either way, teachers are constantly having to defend their practice, not partner with the parents.
To be fair, there are large numbers of parents who also use technology in their workplace and in their lives, and so have some appreciation of it as a time/labor-saving device, a presentation tool, or for organizational purposes, so it is not all bad, it's just that the overwhelming impression is that of expensive entertainment.
In hindsight, if a school is considering bringing technology into the classroom, I'd strongly encourage them to spend some time pondering the technology from the other side, the popular culture side, the parent side. Then take the time to explain, carefully and clearly how the device will enhance the culture of rigor and intellectual inquiry already in place in your classroom. Show them, don't tell them. Have the parents come to your open houses and conferences with the device, and guide them through an activity you do in class with your students. Understand that you will have to demystify it for them, for though their children may or may not be digital natives, they are definitely not, and they deserve to be brought along too. Otherwise, the teachers are in a position of constant defensiveness, not partnership, with the parents, who are in a constant state of bewilderment, disenfranchisement and apprehension about what their children are doing not only up in their rooms, but also in school.
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