Going 1:1...

Many teachers are worried that technology will distract students and take away from learning. If your school/district were to go 1:1 (one laptop/tablet per student) or BYOD (students bring own devices), how would you approach this issue (e.g., behavior management strategies, have a conversation with students, have students develop an acceptable use policy)?

I think that in going 1:1 or BYOD, management would be a huge issue, like addressed in both articles - however I believe it could be a huge benefit to the learning environment, if used correctly.  In the Social Media and School...Ugh article, the teacher let his students use their devices in the classroom - which I agree with, if used for academic purposes, they should be able to utilize them during appropriate class times.  I would love to utilize Twitter, Instagram and other social media sites for academic purpose; Ms. Welsh does a cool demo? #Ilovebiology

In the second article, For Teachers, Wired Classrooms Pose New Management Concerns they discuss some really useful management techniques that I would definitely implement if my school went 1:1.  They suggest wandering the room, which I would do anyway in my teaching, however it would be really helpful in ensuring the students be on task on their devices.  If they know that the teacher will be walking around the room, then they are less likely to be getting off topic.   Another suggestion that I really liked was putting the students in charge.  With that responsibility and ownership, I feel that they are much more likely to keep each other in line, and listen and respect each other.  I thought it was an even better idea to put a student in charge of hacking the system - what a great idea! Utilize this students' talents in order to protect the school's system... I would definitely do this. 

I really believe that technology in the classroom has potential, however I know that it comes with many challenges.  In my content class last placement, we took our students to the computer lab to work on their Science project write-ups.  In walking around the room, I caught a lot of students off-task.  It makes sense, the technology provides them with a lot of opportunity to become distracted.  That's why I feel like the technology should only implemented for something that's really worth using it for - not for tasks than can be done without it (using it just to use it).  

Free Tech 4 Teachers Dot Com

Critically analyze one of the blogs in your PLN: 
Free Technology for Teachers @ freetech4teachers.com

What is the author's background? 
Richard Byrne: High School Teacher for 8 years where he started a 1:1 laptop to student program and a tech support group called "The Laptop Squad"; Google Certified Teacher (which, if you click here you can find out more about); organizes tech workshops for schools and conferences

"I believe that when used correctly, technology has the power to improve student engagement and student achievement. I also believe that technology gives teachers the ability to form powerful, global, professional learning communities."

What type of posts are written? 
The main purpose of this blog is to share information with teachers about free resources that they can use in their classrooms.  Blog posts are categorized into topics such as: IPad Apps for School, Android 4 Schools, Google Tutorials, Free Guides, Alternatives to YouTube, Advertise Here, Work With Me, Favorite Resources, Creating Blogs and Websites, and Video Creation Resources.  

I love the fact that Mr. Byrne provides multiple examples and types of technology, and doesn't require his followers to fall under the only-one-type-of-technology-allowed category (cough, Apple Products, cough). Not that Apple isn't wonderful, I'm an owner myself, I just think it makes it really beneficial across the spectrum of tech users. 

How credible is the information? 
45.000+ Daily subscribers
Given the Edublogs awards for... 
2008: "Best Resource Sharing Blog"
2009: "Best Resource Sharing Blog," and "Best Individual Blog"
2010: "Best Resource Sharing Blog," "Best Ed Tech Support," and "Best Individual Blog"
2011: "Best Ed Tech Blog" by Edublogs

How is technology used? 
How is it not used?!  This site is simply here to provide examples of every type of technology possible for your classroom... Like I said before, I really appreciate the spectrum of examples as well, from Mac to Android to Apps, to Alternatives to YouTube (who knew?!).  It's really great that he provides so many choices. 

Are the ideas/apps/resources in the blog worth trying in your classroom?
My favorite section of the blog (pardon the pun) is the Favorite Resources tab, in which after looking at the html link, is really called "multidiscipline-projects-with-web-tools" which is awesome and really makes it my favorite tab.  The author provides not only the Top 20 visited resources/posts from his site, but provides his Top 10 favorites - which I will definitely explore and potentially use in my classroom. 

When should technology be used as a learning tool?

When tech should be used...
Technology is an amazing attribute to education that is available now to us more so than ever.  There are definite uses for it in the classroom, however with it's extensive availability, I think it's important to use only when it's necessary - i.e. the task can't be done (or in some cases, can't be done as well) without it. Some examples (especially in a science classroom) include: 

• Simulations
• Social Media communication
• Cross-cultural collaboration - (so awesome!)
• Presentation

When tech shouldn't be used...
And with my point above, I think it goes without saying that technology shouldn't, and doesn't need to be used all the time - first because it risks losing the intrigue and excitement technology can provide, and second because it disconnects us from personal ways of sharing, communicating, or writing (etc.) that were once the only option available.  Some examples include: 

•  Think-Pair-Share or face-to-face conversation
• Class Discussion
• Data collection  
• Note-taking or writing

Fun with Google Forms!

Technology as a Learning Tool

Assignment: Evaluate one of the examples (Science) using your technology rubric. <- (This rubric was created by myself and two of my Science colleagues in our technology class last week) 

How is technology used? 
This example was such an awesome use of technology in the classroom! "Skype Science" involved two physics classrooms, one in China and one in Chicago, in which lab partners communicated via Skype!  Students held video chat sessions with their international partners twice throughout the school year (due to the time differences) and collaborated in solving different physics problems.  According to our technology rubric, this is an excellent example of a Constructivist Communication activity. 

What are the strengths/weaknesses of using technology as a learning tool? 

     Some challenges that this example of technology in the classroom faced are ones that teachers often worry about when utilizing technology in their classrooms.  First, the reliability of the internet 
connection - with 30 students trying to access Skype all at once in a computer lab, the promise of the connection is limited.  I've been experiencing this problem at my school, and I know that lack of internet connection is happening district-wide. Today in my classroom, our devices couldn't recognize the Apple TV for our room (brand new, installed last week), so we could project (through mirroring) the video that we wanted to. Relying on internet for activities in your classroom, especially those that require a strong connection (like Skype), is a risk that teachers have to be willing to take in order to use technology in the classroom. 
     A second problem that this particular example faced was the time difference between the two locations in communicating via Skype.  This is something that you would only run into in this situation (international collaboration) so it has to be feasible and worth it for you to involve your students in (which I 100% think it is!)

How would you improve the use of technology as a learning tool in this example?
      The only thing I would change about the use of technology in this example is the frequency of international Skype communication! - I'd try and make it more that 2x per year, however this corresponds directly with the problem of internet connection, so I understand the difficulties that would go along with that. I really love this idea, it incorporates collaboration, communication, and seeing things from multiple perspectives!