You can read about the first days of this challenge and how frustrating it was to discover so quickly how many things I couldn’t do on my iPad.

• Edline
• Atlas Rubicon
• ALEKS

These are 3 tools I’m required by my school to use, and none of them can be edited on an iPad.  So I’m labelling them as “outdated”.

I was discussing this with my tech-y friend and teaching partner and he brought up a good point … if we had a class set of iPads, or our students all had iPads, or our school passed out iPads to students and teachers … then we would build our classrooms around the use of an iPad.  It would be different, but terrific.   However, we’ve built our classrooms around the availability and use of laptops, and that’s that.  That’s how it is.  And he’s right …. the tools our school uses, and the tools I’ve set up with my classrooms …. even Edmodo, (which is one of my favorite web apps to use in the classroom, was challenging on an iPad because it doesn’t sync with dropbox, or someother way to upload files that don’t have a URL) are all in use because we use them on laptops.

But this leads me to think about what if we did have a classroom set up with iPads… what would that look like?  How would we use them?    I know there are many iPad classrooms out there, I would love to hear how they are integrating the use of this technology.

You can read about the first days of this challenge and how frustrating it was to discover so quickly how many things I couldn’t do on my iPad.

• Edline
• Atlas Rubicon
• ALEKS

These are 3 tools I’m required by my school to use, and none of them can be edited on an iPad.  So I’m labelling them as “outdated”.

I was discussing this with my tech-y friend and teaching partner and he brought up a good point … if we had a class set of iPads, or our students all had iPads, or our school passed out iPads to students and teachers … then we would build our classrooms around the use of an iPad.  It would be different, but terrific.   However, we’ve built our classrooms around the availability and use of laptops, and that’s that.  That’s how it is.  And he’s right …. the tools our school uses, and the tools I’ve set up with my classrooms …. even Edmodo, (which is one of my favorite web apps to use in the classroom, was challenging on an iPad because it doesn’t sync with dropbox, or someother way to upload files that don’t have a URL) are all in use because we use them on laptops.

But this leads me to think about what if we did have a classroom set up with iPads… what would that look like?  How would we use them?    I know there are many iPad classrooms out there, I would love to hear how they are integrating the use of this technology.

In order for change to take place, you have to be willing to go through a period of discomfort, willingly, until it becomes familiar.  that’s how it’s been this week with my iPad.   Aside from the frustrations of not being able to print or access java/flash based websites, I find that I am turning to my laptop without even thinking.  Or when I’m using my iPad, I think “this would be so much easier on my laptop”… and I know it’s just because it’s unfamiliar, I’m not used to it like that.

But that’s what this challenge is all about … stretching myself and forcing myself out of my comfort zone to try something new.  Today was a “hump day” indeed – it was just one of those days.  Everything seemed like it would be easier on my laptop…. my comfortable old familiar laptop.

Jade spent the day with her ipad in her bag because she thought her teachers wouldn’t let her use it.   LOL!   The funny thing is that since I teach 6th grade too, her teachers are my close friends and colleagues.   She’s such a nut (but a quiet and respectful student) – she did ask “permission” to usepuppet pals for a story she’s writing… which of course was OK!

One exciting thing that happened today is I recieved my ikeyboard in the mail.   I was REALLY excited to get this, and most excited that it would arrive during this week of my #ipadchallenge!  However after trying it a couple times at home tonight … my initial impression is that its kind of a pain in the butt.  Maybe I’m spoiled with my wireless keyboard but I did not enjoy typing with the on-screen keyboard at all.  It’s so small, and despite being able to feel the keys, it was hard to navigate the tips of my fingers into each little bubble/cubby.  Boo.  I suppose I’ll give it a fair shot tomorrow, but I’m disappointed so far.  I’ve also pre-ordered the Touch-Fire and look forward to reviewing that as well.

So that’s it for me – I hope to wake up energized tomorrow for another great day with my iPad!

Today was an interesting day for my iPad Challenge.  The novelty had kind of worn off for me (already???), and I felt like Day 1 had brought to the surface the majority of the issues and problems I would encounter.   But it was exciting to wake up and find comments on my blog (my first!!) and a couple retweets on Twitter that got me thinking – yeah!  Other people might be interested in this, this is a good thing!   Even people at school were talking about it.

I met another teacher at the top of the stairs this morning and he mentioned that he was reading my blog!  EEK!!   A real live human was reading it – isn’t that funny how real life friends are different from the twitter-ers and bloggers I interact with online?   Anyway, he was really great and supportive – interested in what I was doing.  That was so nice.  He showed me this really great incase origami workstation that his wife brought back from the US for him.

Right off the bat -like before 7:30am – I figured it out I couldn’t print from my iPad.  My school usescloud printers, and we have to install special print drivers that align with our user ID’s so we can sign in at the printer and find our very own print jobs waiting for us.  This was a big – DUH!  I should have seen this one was coming, but it shows me how much I take the simple things, like printing, for granted.

I emailed our tech department to let them know that I was interested in the possibility of printing from my iPad and I was told it’s possibly coming, but that I could/might be able to print to some of the wireless Xerox printers we have on campus.   This is a possibility that I hope to explore more this week.  It would be the best if I could print from the cloud printers, but I would take printing from a wireless printer too … you would think that our cloud printers could be wireless (or connect by bluetooth???).  If you have any experience with printing from an iPad I would love to hear about it in the comments below.

My other frustration was with Rubicon Atlas (is it flash-based??) which wouldn’t allow me to edit my curriculum maps in safari or iChromy browsers… any suggestions for that?   Normally this wouldn’t be a big deal, but since I’m beginning 2 new units this week, I was pokin’ around in Atlas editing and copying vocabulary lists, uploading resources and copying down my essential questions – so for today, it was a problem.

We use ALEKS with our students and I assigned an assessment to be done in class today.  Typically I like to spy on my students while they are taking the assessment (LOL) and see how they are coming along, but since ALEKS is java based, I couldn’t do that on the iPad.  I know they are in the process of devleoping an app – but come on!!   Get with the times.  And while they’re at it, could they update the website too?  LOL!

It was a good first day.  Tomorrow I will be recording student presentations, pushing a survey out to them on Edmodo, and distributing vocabulary lists via google docs.   I think I can handle it all, but have concerns about creating a google doc.  I’ll be fair and wait to create the vocabulary list tomorrow morning – just to have an authentic experience creating and sharing a google doc from the ipad.

Any other tips, comments, or suggestions for me – I’d love to hear them.  I’m tweeting about my iPad Challenge at #ipadchallenge for any who want to follow.

Last week I attended a session by my colleague, Ryan Kuhl on “Replacing your laptop with an iPad“, which is something I’ve been wanting to try for quite a while.   He has a lot of great ideas and made it all look and sound so easy.

In many ways, my iPad is so much lighter and easier to use than my MacBook Pro.  However, because I’ve never completely replaced my laptop with my iPad, I worry that it’s missing the software and my bookmarks that I’ve come to know and love and use every single day, thereby posing challenges in its solitary use.   Many of the digital applications we use every day in class are downloadable apps on my iPad, but I can’t help but think that there are some things I can’t do on my iPad.

Enter …. the iPad Challenge.   I’m calling all educators, or really anybody with an iPad, to connect with me and either take the challenge, or just share your thoughts or comments on the possibility or actuality of replacing your laptop with an iPad.   I’m going to try to go for one week using only my iPad.  I’ll document what works and what doesn’t work and hope that others will share their experiences by commenting on this blog.

I teach at an international school in Seoul, South Korea in a 1:1 6th Grade classroom.  I teach math and science, and this week I’ll be starting a new unit in each subject, which could potentially create some problems without my normal laptop.

To start out, here is what I have on my iPad & how I think it’s going to go:

• Edmodo – I can post and reply to my students, but can’t upload files.  I will have to manage the distribution of documents to my students through links, probably google docs.
• Google Docs- not great on the iPad.  I think I’ll be able to view and upload easy enough, but I’m not sure about creating or contributing to docs.  We’ll see.
• Evernote, safari, google, live binders, diigo – obvious apps that will be used plenty to find information, take notes, store information for later.
• PowerTeacher – for entering grades and taking attendance – this could be a little tricky because the app is much slower than using the laptop.  Or is it that I’m just not used to it?  We’ll see.
• Pages – Maybe this will help when google docs fails me???
• Socrative – this is a new app I hope to get a chance to explore this week!!!
• Atlas Rubicon – I won’t be able to edit our units on the iPad, but since we are beginning new units, maybe it will be OK for this week?
• Typing – super challenging and frustrating – I just know it’s going to “slow me down”.

I’m not going to limit myself to my iPad.  Obviously, if I feel like I need to use my laptop, I will – and I’ll just make a note of that.

Think you could handle it?  Have you already done it? Did it 10 years ago?  Please share your experience, the good, the bad and the ugly here in the comments!   Follow me on twitter@laurenteather for updates or to share!

#ipadchallenge

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When I sat down initially to write this post my mind was absolutely swimming.  Having just learned about MOOC‘s (am I the last one to hear about this acronym?) – all I could think of was how completely up in the air the future of education is.  In addition to endless possibilities, the widespread accessibility of education is also overwhelming.  With 2 simple things (a device and a connection) we all literally hold all the knowledge in the world at our fingertips.

Just let that sink in for a minute.

I experience this personally all the time.   Anytime I want to know ANYTHING, my first thought is not who to ask – I just google it.  And that, my friends, is a very broad generalization of how I think about the future of education.  It’s all about finding the information you’re looking for – whether it’s to connect with someone, watch a video, join an online discussion, or find out where to go in person

As I struggled with this blog post, not knowing how to pick a topic, or what to write about – I ended up asking some of my students for some help.  I created a short survey which I posted on Edmodo on a Saturday and asked my students to help me by completing it if they had time over the weekend.  It was not required.  Many of my students were very interested in my continuing education, asking questions about Masters Degrees, and what I write about on my blog, ect.   It was nice to be able to connect with them as a learner, commiserate over homework, and show a more vulnerable side as I was struggling with an assignment, something they know all too well.  They also provided a very interesting image of the future of education.   These are the questions I asked:

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1. How do you think you’ll be learning in 5 years (you’ll be in 11th grade)?  Pretty much the consensus here was that however it was would involve a TON of technology – computers and devices that haven’t even been invented yet.
2. Will it be important for you to have a teacher?  Why or why not?  Hands down, every student replied that a robot could not do a teachers job!  
3. Think ahead 10 years.  What will be the most important things for you to know in 10 years?  (you’ll be 21 or 22)  Most of the replies involved math (is that because I’m their math teacher?), some said problem solving, some mentioned the core subject and I had 2 students who said the most important thing would be to learn how to work with other people.  Again –   I love my students.
4. Is there anything you’re learning right now that will be helpful to you in 10 years?  We just finished a math project called the “Road Trip” – they have to budget money, make a spreadsheet, use coordinate mapping, blog, learn about insurance …. almost all the student answers for this question were along the lines of something we did in this project – which also makes me smile.
5. How does education need to to change in the next 10 years?  What’s the most important thing that needs to change? Very entertaining – many said less homework, and that school shouldn’t stress students out.   But several students wrote something to the effect of education being individualized and allowing the students flexibility and to learn about things they wanted to learn about.

Jim Carroll is a “Futurist, Trends, & Innovation Specialist” (wow – what a title!!) and he has some interesting thoughts about the future of education.  Especially the discussion regarding “just-in-time knowledge” and how important it will be to get quality information quickly and easily.

I’ll leave you with one of his quotes that resonated the most with me:

“The reality of the future of meetings is that learning is what most people will do for a living in the 21st century,” he said. “There will be a requirement to constantly replenish that knowledge, and a huge focus on knowledge delivery.” – Jim Carroll

What are your thoughts on the future of education?

• be present – walk around the room, make sure the kids know you’re engaged in what they’re doing
• proximity – move students who have been off task in the past closer to your desk
• time – give the students an appropriate time frame to accomplish tasks – such that there is no time for them to be off task
• be prepared with consequences – ask students to complete their work at home, during recess, or to put their computer away and look on with a neighbor (obviously depending on the task)

Edmodo

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Last year while attending the EARCOS teachers conference, I had the opportunity to get involved with this CoETaIL program headed up by The Fabulous Jeff Utecht and The Marvelous Kim Cofino. These two, along with a group of amazingly brilliant colleagues absolutely cracked my mind wide open with their awesome ideas, incredible knowledge and inspiring passion for using technology in education.   I was so excited and anxious to get back to my classroom and try some of their new ideas. I especially fell in love with the idea of flipping the classroom, or reverse instruction.

On our first day back to school after this conference, I opened the door after my first period class, looked across the hallway to meet my teaching partner, Nathan Walker, and we just looked at eachother and said “Flipped it!”  - HIGH FIVE!!  We were both so excited about the idea that we tried it on the first day back!!  I was so excited to rid myself of the part of teaching that I felt most uncomfortable about – content.  Ugh!   I started using some instructional video’s from The Khan Academy and even tried my hand at creating some screencasts of my own.  In addition to video, I was also assigning articles, note taking, and even textbook reading.  When students arrived in class, we would often dive into mathematical practice, scientific discussions, or collaborative group activities – all requiring students to make sense out of the previous nights homework.

Seems like it was going OK, but …….I didn’t like it.

At first I felt badly that I didn’t like it – like maybe I was doing it wrong.  And maybe I was, but in reflection, I can see there were 2 main problems with the flipped classroom that I just didn’t feel comfortable with.

1. Delivering content – it’s just not my teaching style.  I’ve always approached each lesson with active inquiry and some kind of independent investigation.  And I’m ALWAYS more comfortable with collaboration.  The idea of beginning with content just didn’t suit me.
2. Homework – Another thing I struggle with.  As a parents of two children, I’m always sensitive to how homework cuts into family time, students who balance busy after school schedules, and what I believe about work that should be sent home.  Using the flipped model required that there would always be homework, and while I know many teachers are doing this perfectly well, it’s not something I’m personally comfortable with.

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mrkinger18

I can remember 3 years ago being called to a meeting with the 3 other sixth grade teachers, our principal and the computer teacher.   I will not forget the feeling of utter shock and disbelief when we were told that the school was considering dropping thier ICT program for a model of tech-integration that involved us teachers using technology in our subject area courses.   I was shocked!!  It was so …. radical.  How could the kids learn anything about computers if noone was teaching them?  I thought this idea was so archaic and ancient … computers were the way of the future!   Why on Earth would they take them away?

Are you laughing at me yet?  Don’t feel bad if you are… I’m laughing so hard just typing this.   So I guess you’d actually be laughing WITH me.  That makes it OK.  It’s so true though … I really thought all of these things.

And yet, I find myself today not at all being able to imagine a time when I WASN’T using technology in my classroom.   While I know there are many teachers out there who are still overwhelmed, frightened and intimidated by the mere thought of asking kids to “log-on”, I have moved forward from that point.  Reflecting on this journey now, I see that I really HAD to go through all of these stages.  Even though they might seem ridiculous to me now, they were very real, very frustrating and very necessary.   My journey was certainly not perfect, but by sharing it, maybe others can relate to it and realize it doesn’t have to be perfect in order to get you there.  So without further adieu -

HOW I LEARNED TO USE TECHNOLOGY IN MY CLASSROOM:

1.  The first step was learning to NEED technology in my personal life.  I got engaged living in Cairo, Egypt and planned a wedding in Minnesota via Email with my Mom in 1999.  1999 folks.  There may not have been a wedding were it not for Email.

2.   After my girls were born, in 2001 and 2002, I did a stint as a Stay at Home Mom, or as I like to call it, the family CHO (Chief Home Officer).  I spent naptimes and evenings documenting our family memories and telling the story our life with Digital Scrapbooking.  I got involved online and found resources to teach myself how to use Photoshop.  My online persona, Ms. Scrappy Pants, became a member on many digital scrapbooking sites, forums and galleries.   My gallery can be seen HERE. 

3.  When I returned to teaching in 2007, I found that using technology to plan my lessons opened my mind to new ideas.  Using technology allowed me to see myself as a part of something much larger than my classroom.

4.  I reached the point where despite my personal dependence on technology, I had absolutely no interest in using technology WITH my students.  It just seemed too difficult, too much, and far too complicated.  I was so lucky to have a wonderful teaching partner to walk me through the process of using technology with my students.  At times, it literally felt like he had to hold my hand.  There is no way I could have started on my own.

5.   Over the years there have been various professional development opportunities and excellent teaching partners that opened my mind to new ways of using technology in the classroom and helping me understand that using technology in the classroom was necessary.

6.   And where I’m at right now …. it’s all about sharing my ideas with others.   Even though I don’t necessarily think my ideas are always the best (if you think this too, please watch the video below!!!), I’ve found that they become exponentially better by sharing them with other. You can learn so much about using technology  by sharing your ideas.

Click here to view the embedded video.

And there you have it folks.  That’s my journey in a nutshell. It’s not perfect.  It’s quite convoluted.  And it kind of feels like the long way around.   But it’s mine.  And it got me where I am today — blogging, running simulations, using spreadsheets, google docs, edmodo, collaborating online, publishing work, creating original works …. and so much more.   Education feels limitless to me with technology.   What about you?   Where has your journey taken you?  I’d love to hear your stories!!