iLearningiLearning iTechiTech iPerceiveiPerceive Ed AppsEd Apps Out of BoxOut of Box

CostCost iNspiringiNspiring Arts EdArts Ed Arts Ed 2Arts Ed 2

General EdGeneral Ed Gen Ed 2Gen Ed 2

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Validating iTech in the 21st Century Classroom

DevicesDevices SourcesSources ResourcesResources

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iLearning• The use of iPod, iPad, and other

interactive digital media devices and apps to access knowledge.

• The use of interactive media devices and apps to synthesize and convey information.

• The use of interactive media devices and apps to create projects.

iTech• The iPod was introduced by Apple, Inc. in

2001 as a portable MP3 player and external hard drive.

• The view of much of the institution of education is that music and some other interactive digital media tend to distract students rather than guide their learning.

• How do we change this perception? (KQED)(EQ)

iPerceive• We will not change the perceptions of

digital “entertainment” (iTech) devices just by using what are referred to as “educational apps”.

• We must think outside of the box.

• And, who’s to say that listening to music or watching videos is not educational?

Educational Apps

• An educational app is one which is in the Education genre at your favorite app vendor such as Apple’s App Store or iTunes Store.

• Many educational apps exist.

• Choose your apps for the classroom carefully and be sure they will, in fact, be useful to the educational goals you have set for your students. (Course Notes, Wolfram, Shakespeare, Art Authority, Dictionary)

Outside the Box• Changing perceptions of digital devices in the

classroom will take great imagination and pragmatism.

• Using an iPod as incentive for students to work actually helps, but will not ,in and of itself, encourage administrators to remove the ban.

• We need to focus on how iTech can lower the cost of education, how it inspires learning, and raises the all hallowed test scores of all students.

Lower Cost• iTech, such as iPod Touch, iPad, and the

iPhone allow students to read, research, copy, and create all without the use of books and paper.

• iTech lowers the cost of digital tech access to the individual student over such options as desktop PCs and laptops.

• Enough pragmatism. Let’s get on to the good stuff.

Inspiring• I’ve found that when students are offered options

between book reading for knowledge or web quests, they most often choose web quests.

• When offered options between pen and paper or a word processing program, they choose the word processing program.

• The future looks like it is only getting more and more digital. Fighting it is futile. We should spend our energy keeping our students abreast of the digital age and their peers.

Inspiring• Educational: expecting students to succeed and

guiding students to success requires 21st century tools and techniques.

• Inspirational: websites, apps, design, and hardware and produced by those we consider successful in our time. Our students have the opportunity to create the tools they love to use. iTech gives them the opportunity to use devices and media they love and understand how it is all made.

Arts Education• Music: educational and inspirational.

• Educational: we teach three music areas in Laurens 55: Chorus, Band, and Strings, yet we continue to block most music sites.

• Inspirational: students can use apps, such as GarageBand, to create music based on a researched musician or historic era.

Arts Education• Visual Arts: educational and inspirational.

• In the visual arts, we can access many websites and apps which allow for students to gain rich understandings of visual arts and design.

• iTech allows students to go on virtual field trips, create imagery, and connect with professional artists via the web and FaceTime or Skype at their own pace.

Gen Ed• The core curricular areas (ELA, Science, Math,

Social Studies) have much to gain from the student use of iTech.

• Students can easily access vast amounts of information from iPod Touch and connect knowledge with each other across multiple classes using class-based social media (Facebook), then apply knowledge through written assignments in Pages/Word, Numbers/Excel, or Keynote/PPT.

Gen Ed• Educational: students can gain a rich understanding of

history, math, and language using iTech, apps, and web access in the classroom. Again, beware of the apps you download. Some will help students meet learning objectives, while some will distract from learning.

• Inspirational: students love iTech. They would use it to memorize the names and birth dates of all the American presidents if you told them to. Use great apps to help students create projects in Pages, Word, 3D modeling programs, timelines, blogs, etc. The extent of your imagination is the limit.

Other Devices

• Smart Phones: iPhone, Droid, BlackBerry, HTC

• Tablets: iPad, Motorola Xoom, LG G-Slate

• eReaders: Kindle, Nook, Kobo, Sony

Sources• George Washinton Dollar Portrait

• iPad Background Image

• KQED

• Education Quarterly

• WillandUriah.com

• TakesCommunity

• iTunes

More Resources

• http://www.jimbrazell.com/

• http://www.frankwbaker.com/

• http://www.edutopia.org/