If there's one thing I know as a teacher and parent - until learners have had a chance to explore and play independently, there is no point in attempting to "teach" them anythng. So upon opening our boxes of iPad2's, we played. It's all we did. They are highly engaging devices and there was no shortage of ideas on how to use them. A great deal of laughter and enthusiasm ensued.
On the second day, though, I began to feel unsettled by these devices. I realized that I didn't really know how to integrate them effectively into my program and my students were being far from productive. They were drifting to the gaming and assembling apps and not engaged in meaningful learning. Yes, they were highly entertained, but this was not what I envisioned when I ordered them.
This brought me back to my first attempt at blogging with students. Another teacher had introduced blogging to his class and I thought I should do the same. Students opened accounts, created blogs and then the whole thing went flat. Because I did not understand blogging as a genre, because I did not understand the logic and the text features of blogs, because I wasn't even a reader of blogs, I couldn't guide my students. The project was abandoned.
In order for effective integration of the iPads, I would have to learn them as genre. I took the iPads home, went through all the settings, explored the logic of the apps, and began to think about how we might use these.
Today I entered the class with a much clearer idea of how to begin.
My 7's have been learning about Quebec history - both the founding of New France and modern day issues. Our launch into the subject was the October Crisis, the assassination of James Laporte, and the implementation of The War Measures Act that temporarily suspended civil rights in Canada. We've been looking at Quebec history through this lense. What would cause a people to be pushed to such a point that violence and a referendum on separating from one's country seem the only options?
Our second lense has been the Quebec student strike which is now into its third month. 190 000 students are marching through the streets of Montreal daily to protest an increase in tuition fees which will still be the lowest in North America. It was shocking to my students to learn that as Ontario students their tuition will be over $8 000 per year while Quebec students will pay $3 625 to attend university.
To introduce the topic, I used the projector and pictures from Google Images https://www.google.ca/search?rlz=1C1SNNT_enCA402CA406&ix=aca&q=quebec+student+protests&um=1&ie=UTF-8&hl=en&tbm=isch&source=og&sa=N&tab=wi&ei=cWagT7a-JMWBgwfA7qyhAg&biw=1138&bih=549&sei=dWagT-W4Cenu0gGehZ2kAg
My 7's were somewhat surprised by the images and the willingness of students to be so visibly present in the streets. We wondered about the cultural differences between Quebec students so willing to protest and Ontario students who passively accept tuition increase after tuition increase. Students began to ask many questions, including how does our government choose to spend its money and why isn't education cheaper in Ontario. Oh, what I wouldn't have given to have iPads at that moment. They had a compelling question that involved math, social studies, media literacy and language ... and ... I had to say, "That's a good question, you should look that up later."
We entered into a discussion: what is the responsibility of the older generation towards the younger? Should education be free? Is it our responsibility to provide free education in order to launch young adults? Is education an investment that youth need to make in order to have a higher standard of living?
Yesterday, we had computer lab time. I knew that with iPads we would be able to return to blogging which I had abandoned a few months ago because it was too tedious to try to get to the lab, log on and post with only 1 50 minute period per week. I used the lab time to refamiliarize students with their blogs. They were to explore the topic, write a post explaining the protest, include media (pictures, video and links ) and then give their opinion.
Today when we met, we discussed what was learned the previous day in the lab. Students shared and we realized that some key information was missing from their posts. Why was tuition being raised? What was the government's point of view? Ipads were distributed and the students began searching.
Ipads change everything! Students had their blogs open while they searched. They moved fluidly through sites. They followed individual paths. As they found important facts they shared orally and I posted them on the board. As they learned, they had more questions so they searched more. They truly constructed knowledge and formed opinions as they moved deeper into the topic.
Inquiry on a tablet is just so different from using a stand alone or laptop. Students used all of the critical thinking skills in The Thinking Matrix; they used high yield strategies; they used media literacy skills; they were fully engaged throughout the 100 minute period and it occurred in such a natural way. Every student met with success. Not once did I have to redirect a student.
They were very aware that the learning environment had changed drastically because of the iPads. I asked them to articulate what was different.
It easier.
I feel that we're more productive. It's more efficient.
We're learning more.
We can get more done.
It's fun.
Everyone has a computer, we don't have to go searching for one in the lab or another classroom.
For me it was the culmination of all that I have learned over the last two years about technology, student-directed learning, inquiry, collaboration, facilitation, critical thinking, media literacy and student engagement. It was a powerful moment.
-once
On the second day, though, I began to feel unsettled by these devices. I realized that I didn't really know how to integrate them effectively into my program and my students were being far from productive. They were drifting to the gaming and assembling apps and not engaged in meaningful learning. Yes, they were highly entertained, but this was not what I envisioned when I ordered them.
This brought me back to my first attempt at blogging with students. Another teacher had introduced blogging to his class and I thought I should do the same. Students opened accounts, created blogs and then the whole thing went flat. Because I did not understand blogging as a genre, because I did not understand the logic and the text features of blogs, because I wasn't even a reader of blogs, I couldn't guide my students. The project was abandoned.
In order for effective integration of the iPads, I would have to learn them as genre. I took the iPads home, went through all the settings, explored the logic of the apps, and began to think about how we might use these.
Today I entered the class with a much clearer idea of how to begin.
My 7's have been learning about Quebec history - both the founding of New France and modern day issues. Our launch into the subject was the October Crisis, the assassination of James Laporte, and the implementation of The War Measures Act that temporarily suspended civil rights in Canada. We've been looking at Quebec history through this lense. What would cause a people to be pushed to such a point that violence and a referendum on separating from one's country seem the only options?
Our second lense has been the Quebec student strike which is now into its third month. 190 000 students are marching through the streets of Montreal daily to protest an increase in tuition fees which will still be the lowest in North America. It was shocking to my students to learn that as Ontario students their tuition will be over $8 000 per year while Quebec students will pay $3 625 to attend university.
To introduce the topic, I used the projector and pictures from Google Images https://www.google.ca/search?rlz=1C1SNNT_enCA402CA406&ix=aca&q=quebec+student+protests&um=1&ie=UTF-8&hl=en&tbm=isch&source=og&sa=N&tab=wi&ei=cWagT7a-JMWBgwfA7qyhAg&biw=1138&bih=549&sei=dWagT-W4Cenu0gGehZ2kAg
My 7's were somewhat surprised by the images and the willingness of students to be so visibly present in the streets. We wondered about the cultural differences between Quebec students so willing to protest and Ontario students who passively accept tuition increase after tuition increase. Students began to ask many questions, including how does our government choose to spend its money and why isn't education cheaper in Ontario. Oh, what I wouldn't have given to have iPads at that moment. They had a compelling question that involved math, social studies, media literacy and language ... and ... I had to say, "That's a good question, you should look that up later."
We entered into a discussion: what is the responsibility of the older generation towards the younger? Should education be free? Is it our responsibility to provide free education in order to launch young adults? Is education an investment that youth need to make in order to have a higher standard of living?
Yesterday, we had computer lab time. I knew that with iPads we would be able to return to blogging which I had abandoned a few months ago because it was too tedious to try to get to the lab, log on and post with only 1 50 minute period per week. I used the lab time to refamiliarize students with their blogs. They were to explore the topic, write a post explaining the protest, include media (pictures, video and links ) and then give their opinion.
Today when we met, we discussed what was learned the previous day in the lab. Students shared and we realized that some key information was missing from their posts. Why was tuition being raised? What was the government's point of view? Ipads were distributed and the students began searching.
Ipads change everything! Students had their blogs open while they searched. They moved fluidly through sites. They followed individual paths. As they found important facts they shared orally and I posted them on the board. As they learned, they had more questions so they searched more. They truly constructed knowledge and formed opinions as they moved deeper into the topic.
Inquiry on a tablet is just so different from using a stand alone or laptop. Students used all of the critical thinking skills in The Thinking Matrix; they used high yield strategies; they used media literacy skills; they were fully engaged throughout the 100 minute period and it occurred in such a natural way. Every student met with success. Not once did I have to redirect a student.
They were very aware that the learning environment had changed drastically because of the iPads. I asked them to articulate what was different.
It easier.
I feel that we're more productive. It's more efficient.
We're learning more.
We can get more done.
It's fun.
Everyone has a computer, we don't have to go searching for one in the lab or another classroom.
For me it was the culmination of all that I have learned over the last two years about technology, student-directed learning, inquiry, collaboration, facilitation, critical thinking, media literacy and student engagement. It was a powerful moment.
-once
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