Follow Me!

My colleagues shared ways to boost traffic to my blogspot so that I can build my Personal Learning Network and share with others.  They had several suggestions such as tweeting about blog posts, emailing potential followers, visiting other blogs and leaving comments, emailing potential followers or people who might be interested in the subjects on my blog, and posting on Classroom 2.0.

I implemented two of these strategies to increase views on my blog and have found them to be successful so far (my views went up about 50%).  One strategy I tried to reply to some discussion threads on Classroom 2.0 and then leave a link to this blog.  As I view my stats, it is evident that several visitors have come to this site from Classroom 2.0.  Doing this also benefitted me in that I was referred to several other blogs that are interesting and will be useful to the continued use of iPods in my classroom.  It's so easy to get lost in reading the blogs of others!

A news story caught my attention a few weeks back about a school system in Maine that was going to purchase iPads for their entire Kindergarten population.  After reading the story I wanted to share my thoughts but despised the thought of creating yet another profile on a news site that is not local.  Instead, I went directly to the school district's website and emailed the superintendent a link to my blog.  In the email,  I encouraged the superintendent to visit my blog and the blogs of some of my colleagues and then share them with his colleagues to inspire them and give them useful ideas and tips.  My stats prove that someone in Maine did view my blog.  I wonder if it was him?

This project of blogging has opened my eyes to the worldwide support that teachers can get if they know where to look and for that it has been a very valuable approach to learning.  We teach our students how to find answers to the questions that they have.  I appreciate being taught how to discover the many possibilities and conversations available at my fingertips and hope that this project continues to help others do the same.

Do you know of other ways to spread the word?  If so, please share!

Can Apps Make Kids Smarter? An App Review and Interesting Conversation

Can apps make kids smarter?  Donald Bell, a CNET editor for iPad Atlas, asks this question in his identically titled article (http://reviews.cnet.com/8301-31747_7-20006660-243.html).  According to a study funded by the Department of Education, some apps are proving to have a positive effect on the learning of children.  This particular study reviewed how 90 young children (ages 3-7) used an iPod Touch loaded with a Martha Speaks app from PBS that is designed to help students build vocabulary in a fun and engaging way.  They found that the vocabularies of these children increased 31% in two weeks.

As an educator who has seen first hand the benefits that technology can have on learning, I was not surprised by the findings of this study.  They support what I have experienced in the classroom.  I was, however, interested by the conversation that followed in the comments section.  Several people supported the use of this technology for young children

Commenters responded to the article by raising questions that I think are important to consider and address.


"So you've abrogated your responsibilty to personally teach your child about the world around him and life skills to an inanimate object?" (dennisl59)

Are we using iPods/iPads/iPhones to replace the teaching and interaction that should naturally occur between child and adult?  It's a question that many will ask of educators using iPods and iPads in the classroom.  As integrators of these technologies, it is important for us to share our philosophies and experiences to help others understand the benefits these tools can have in facilitating the learning of new skills.  It is also necessary to demonstrate that these technologies are not replacing the student/teacher interactions that happen naturally, easily, and often in the context of the classroom.  When used properly and most effectively, they become a supplemental tool that help reinforce the skills that the teacher has been teaching.  Yes, technology is one of the best tools we have in our teaching tool boxes but it is not the only tool.  

"When the electricity goes out and the batteries die what are you left with?"  Read an illustrated book. (dennisl59)

Are we replacing traditional illustrated picture books with ebooks?  Absolutely not!  Students in the classroom are exposed to many types of literature including picture books, chapter books, Moving Picture Books, audio books, read alouds, independent reading, Tumble Books (www.tumblebooks.com), and books read by actors sponsored by the Screen Actor's Guild Foundation (www.storylineonline.net).  Another commenter posted a reply to this question that I think addresses the feelings of many app users.  "I can imagine when paper was invented, someone might have said "What happens when the bookworms eat your book?" Use clay tablets. Who is suggesting only having electronic devices and no books?" (QuantumIguana)  I completely agree.  Improvements and change sometimes polarize people.  It is my feeling that as time passes and more information becomes available, people will be less scared about the changes that are happening in education and more likely to see the benefits that can occur through the use of technology.

What are your thoughts?  Do you have some of these questions?  How would you address them?

Plastic Eggs and Earbuds

Plastic eggs (available around the Easter holiday) from the dollar store have solved our tangled earbud problem inexpensively!  The earbuds fit perfectly in the egg and keep them stored in a confined space until the next use.  To achieve this, follow the directions below. 



1.  Wrap earbuds neatly around your hand/fingers.  This makes it easier to place the earbuds in the eggs.

2. Place the earbuds in the egg.  Close the egg



3.  Store earbuds until next use.  (We use plastic sandwich containers and they work really well.)

4.  When ready to use, remove earbuds from eggs.  Let the cord drop and naturally straighten.  No knots!

Though it takes a minute to get the earbuds put away like this, I feel this new system of headphone storage will be a huge timesaver for my students.

IPads and Autism

I first saw this video on a blog by Mrs. Coffey  (www.tcoffey.edublogs.org) and wanted to share it with you.  It demonstrates the use of apps that can be used to help students with autism communicate.

Remediation

Two weeks ago, I made a decision to begin remediation with a student that is struggling to master literacy skills such as letter recognition, rhyming, phonological awareness, and concept of word.  This child is completely enthralled with using the iPod Touch and it seemed logical to spend time during remediation using the iPod to learn the skills mentioned above.  What better way to create motivation and an opportunity for learning?  However, it seemed necessary to not only give this chid an iPod and send him on his way, but to spend time with him one-on-one talking about the skills that he is trying to master and engaging in conversation (a pre-literacy skill) about some of the pictures on the apps that he is using.  Everyday, we spend about 15 minutes after school (between the time the first bell rings and the time his bus arrives) playing, talking, and learning. Some of the apps that we have used during this remedial time include ABCMatch, ABC Train, AlphaChomp, and iWriteLetters.   In just two weeks, I have noticed a difference in this child's ability to recognize letters and even connect a few of them to sounds.  His participation in class during whole group opportunities has increased and he begs to meet with me after school for time to play and learn.

As always, it takes time to gather data to gauge effectiveness.  I will continue to monitor this child's progress during remedial times to determine the long term benefits of using the iPod in this setting.  Short-term data, however, demonstrates the engaging and educational potential of using this type of technology in a tutoring/remedial situation.

Tangled Headphones No More!

Tangled headphone wires have become a big problem when using the iPods in the classroom.  Each time an assignment is given, it seems that several frustrating instructional minutes are spent unknotting and untangling the earbud wires.  This is especially a problem in my classroom because my students have two choices for headphones: earbuds or normal headphones.  The two options get tangled together in the students' boxes and many of the children do not yet have the fine motor skill to fix this.  I have been on the lookout for ways to fix this problem but have not yet found any solutions.  However, the following website http://www.ehow.com/how_5261546_keep-ipod-earphones-tangling.html provides several suggestions and solutions.  Though I have not tried any of these, I intend to try putting the earbuds in plastic capsules as mentioned on the site.  If this option is not successful, there are several other options I will try.

There are professional options available for purchase, the coolest and most child friendly one, being the "Earbud Yo-Yo."  However, considering the budget situation at our school, I will first try several Do It Yourself options before purchasing a class set.  http://www.covington-creations.com/

I will keep you updated on how my class responds to this solution.  If you have any great ideas about earbud storage, please share!

iPods and Reading

Several weeks ago, I posted about the listening to reading option that my students have during Daily Five reading instruction times.  I stated that a goal of mine was to sync these stories to the iPod Touch so that the children would have more options.  For the first time this week, my students were able to listen to reading using their own, personal iPod and it went really well.  Before using them, students were given a mini lesson on how to access the books, adjust the volume, and clean the space when they were finished. Next, students were sent to practice what they had learned and they did so with little difficulty and a lot of excitement.  When I felt that they were comfortable and able to access the stories independently, we broke into independent work time, with some students listening to reading on iPods, others writing, Guided Reading, and independent reading.  The noise level in the classroom was drastically reduced (we have been using the computer, and though the volume was low, the stories were still audible in all parts of the classroom).  A student, Y.P., commented during reflection time, "I could concentrate better at my center because I didn't hear the computer!"

Students were given the opportunity to reflect at the end of the experience.  There were many celebrations as well as a few challenges.

What did you think about using the iPod during Daily Five?
A.K.- "You can pick your own book!"
A.D.-"You don't have to share!  You use your own."
K.C.- "You could push all the buttons by yourself!" (She was not trained on how to access books on the computer and therefore was not allowed to push the buttons)
K.G.-"You can read the books you want to read."
S.C.-"Because you get to have it all for yourself and you get to like, put headphones on and slide buttons."
T.A.-"No books were hard to read!"

Was there anything difficult?
Y.P.-"The sound was moving where I didn't want it to be."
T.D.-"Like, you didn't know when to turn the page.  On the computer, it has that ding."

We are working to fix these two challenges to make the experience of using the iPod Touch easy and beneficial to the education of the students in the class.  However, the experience today was positive and effective overall.  I believe that the use of this technology during independent work times will increase students' literacy skills because it allows for children to choose literature that is high-quality, high-interest, and highly accessible at the touch of an icon.