iPads in schools? Are you mad?
‘University just got difficult’, the phrase I have just uttered to my Mum in response to the generic ‘how is Uni going?’ question. Ask anybody at University and they will agree the transition between 1st and 2nd year into 3rd year is a huge challenge, and one which I am relishing in undertaking. As of last night, things got serious; I am now leading a research project in the use of iPads in a KS1 classroom, as part of my dissertation.
Sitting in my dissertation meeting last night, the question was posed to me: ‘why do you use an iPad in your daily life’? The response in itself was irrelevant (a nervous mumble from myself), and it was in fact the smile that erupted upon my face which truly painted a picture of what my iPad meant to me. A single smile on my face told a 1000 words and masterfully demonstrated the importance of this object not only in my life but for millions of other users around the world. Worldwide consumer tablet sales are estimated to reach 118.9 million units in 2012, according to market research firm Gartner, is this trend likely to continue for the foreseeable future? Of course it will. What is more important, is that how we as practitioners harness this technology, embed it within our practice and most importantly enrich the lives and education of our children.
What strikes me within the current curriculum and ‘tablet resistance’ mindset that many practitioners face is that the curriculum is grossly out of date, and has failed to deliver a learning space within schools which is alike the space children find themselves within outside of school. Yelland (2007) argues that
We should not be mapping the use of new technologies onto old curricula,rather, we need to rethink our curricula and pedagogies in the light of the impact that we know technologies can have on learning and meaning‑making in contemporary times.
The influential Jobs (1996) famously argued that ‘what’s wrong with education cannot be fixed with technology’, and he is now more right than ever (a statement given in 1996!). Let’s face facts, a school going out and buying 100 iPads for their school without a ‘learning vision’ is quite frankly a fantastic waste of money, I know students that could utilise this money better.
What I really want to know is if I was to come into your school, armed with a crate of tablets…what would you do with these? How would your implementations improve, enrich and engage your pupils? How far does your pedagogy go in order to accommodate these devices into your practice?
I appreciate all responses as this will go a long way in informing my research into this area. The title of my research project is likely to be ‘how do new pedagogies arise as a result of the emergence of new technologies’?
References:
Jobs, S (1996) The Next Insanely Great Thing. Interviewed by Gary Wolf [in person] Wired, February 1996.
Yelland, N (2007). Shift to the Future: Rethinking Learning with New Technologies in Education. Oxon: Routledge. 1-2.
Posted on January 16, 2013, in Uncategorized and tagged education, iPads, pedagogy. Bookmark the permalink. 16 Comments.
I’ve only had one experience of iPads in the classroom so far, on my last placement. I did ask to use them in a lesson, but was told that they would be being used. We got one slot a week to use them – over the eight weeks I was there, we used them once.
In the lesson, the children used the 8 iPads in small groups to aid their research into the Tudors. OK great, they are being used… but the school has plenty of laptops available for this. In this case, I might have used a history app such has Historypin. However, someone else’s lesson = someone else’s rules!
Having access to iPads in the classroom is a fantastic thing… as long as they are used for more than just a Google search which seems to be my experience so far in the classroom.
Amy
Can’t help but think that getting the iPads out was a case of ‘showing off’ in this example! Clearly a laptop would have sufficed, however the thrill of holding and interacting with an iPad was what the teacher wanted. Did the children respond well to the iPads being used? In his research, Labbo (2006) found that in classrooms where computers are available, they are more likely to be used for letter- and word-recognition tasks than for playing games and animating avatars, so it’ll be great to see what other ideas people can have to use the iPads in the class to release their full potential.
https://docs.google.com/present/view?id=0AclS3lrlFkCIZGhuMnZjdjVfNzIxZ2RrNWp0ZDg&hl=en&pli=1
Some really cool ideas on this site for iPads!!
You should come to @priorygeography where we have a class set and use for all manner of activities including live blogging on fieldtrips, controlled assessment research, using translate for students for whom English is a second language, setting geocaches, creating coastal erosion animations, etc,. Our kids have featured on the BBC news for using tech in lessons. Not just the iPads but their own mobiles in class too. It’s a very contentious issue across education, and you’ll get some interesting responses I’m sure. But to us, they are just another tool in the box to engage and inspire. It’s not about the tech, it’s about the teaching that the tech assists with.
Hello Jo!
Thank you so much for this contribution and I will most certainly have a look at your work in school! It sounds fantastic. What sort of response are you getting from the children? What about the parents? Was it difficult getting them ‘on board’ with your projects? Thanks again
Funnily enough I just presented this to SLT tonight. If you came tomorrow with 100 iPads nothing would change. What would be implemented however is really good staff CPD, over time , to encourage and develop staff in how to use the devices to enhance their curriculum. They would be shown how using the device can create a personalised curriculum that is relevant to today and tomorrow. Staff would then start to create new resources, new lesson structures, new ways to inform and track progress that take in to account EVERY learners style of learning and personal ways to present their understanding.
In time you would then see the change, the new curriculum that challenges the modern world and a well equipped team of staff to implement it.
Hello Mat!
What frustrates me about the curriculum and the teachers that I have met during my teaching experiences is the unwillingness to ‘give it a go’. Dede (2005) argues that “millennial learners need to be taught using the technology they are accustomed to”, which is exactly what we need to do. The gap between school and home lives is vast in terms of ICT use, and the whole ‘lockdowned’ state in which ICT is delivered is out of date and doesn’t allow for the the exploration and ‘play’ which is invaluable for children. At home, families provide children with scaffolded experiences in “technoliteracies” (Marsh, 2004) allowing for children to pave their own way into literacies by “playing at” using computers, iPads, or mobile phones as they try on technologically savvy user identities – surely we must be striving to create a learning environment which bridges the gap between these areas of children’s lives.
Here in Hackney we have used iPads in a variety of settings with a variety of results. Feel free to get in contact if you want more information! http://www.learningwithipads.co.uk
Fantastic news Rebecca!! I will be in touch shortly to see how you have implemented the Pads into your school
For me the reason why my ipad makes me happy is that I use it for things that i find interesting. It has books and resources in ibooks that reflect my interests, it has great mobile apps for twitter and news. I like drawing so i have drawing apps installed, I like to collect interesting articles so I use evernote and I like writing so I use notes etc etc
I fear that if we get a set of ipads out in the classroom and tell the class to all use the ipad with the same app etc we will be missing something and it will very quickly become a fairly pedestrian classroom tool.
It seems to me that the ipad is an exciting learning tool when we are allowed to use it as we want and perhaps we should find ways to transfer that freedom of use to the classroom.
We are dreaming that dream as I type. Head announced today that he is prepared to looking into funding them if they were to be used effectively. Teaching KS3-4 but having done some research this is what we would do in my perfect world
- Use them for making and posting vodcasts
- Create facebook pages on particualar topics
- APPs like evernote to compile note/revision notes
- twitter backchannels/access to twitter/experts during lesson time.
- Sharing and assessing each others work (presentations/photos of models created)
- creating animated models using timelapse photography
- contribute to class wikis
And many more… thats just a few ideas…
Hello Richard!
Wow, keep pestering the Head to get those iPads! It seems like you’ve got an excellent idea of how to implement them, a great ‘learning vision’ – how refreshing! I really love the ideas of class wiki’s and twittering, it works really well given a controlled environment! Also, blogging is a brilliant tool, and something that the children would love (also a great assessment tool for you as well!)
Obviously the wireless network is a must, get the Head to cough up a few more pennies for that! Be sure to let me know of any developments, as I would be interested to know how you get on!
Oh yeah forgot to say…unfortuantly we dont have a decent wireless network…
https://docs.google.com/present/view?id=0AclS3lrlFkCIZGhuMnZjdjVfNzIxZ2RrNWp0ZDg&hl=en&pli=1
103 iPad uses…you might find something cool in here to twist the Head’s arm a little further
Hi Lynn, thank you for taking the time to read my blog! I totally agree with you in the respect that iPads should be brought into schools only if there is a feasible and worthwhile ‘learning vision’ there to support and justify their use. If every child in the UK education system were to receive an iPad, I am pretty sure that the results would be minimal, which is why it is so important that we as practitioners update our pedagogies and willingness to implement these resources.
Also, in terms of apps, there really is an app for everything out there! And if there isn’t one for right now, I would put money on it being developed! My favourite app of course being Stumble Upon! What’s yours? Have ‘wasted’ countless hours stumbling around!!!
Hi Scott, thanks for the link to the ipad apps – lots to investigate. My favourite app has to be garageband. It works so well, is complex but can be used easily by a novice and is just so much fun. I also love Toca Band. For art I like Sketchbook Express but also ipastels and Art Set. I like Zite the best out of the news gathering apps – there’s no sign up and you can choose any subject area to add in. Will give Stumble Upon a go too now – thanks for the tip!
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