1. February 1st, 2013 Published by: daabraham
iPads in The Classroom
Need To Be About
Learning Not About
Technology
They have grown up in the digital age. So, as long as adequate
iPads in The Classroom Need apps are loaded and teacher preparation has been done, the
To Be About Learning Not technology will take a back seat to the learning, which is
perfect. iPads in the classroomshould transform learning,
About Technology improve the process of learning and engage students like never
…”We’ve done something that’s not often tried – we before. Teachers can then focus on inventive ways to engage
brought in technology and didn’t tell people how to use the gifted or struggling students to achieve even higher levels
it”. Instead of thinking of the iPad as a digital textbook, than projected.
it’s become a research and creativity tool across all
subjects; because of this, minds are being expanded
and experiences broadened, not restricted. Once, the
school focused on iWork, iLife and Safari, but now
pupils access dozens of varied apps.
Teacher methods change using iPads in
the classroom
Although schools are implementing 1 to 1 lap top and 1 to 1
iPads in the classroom, often times the “technology” of it all
seems to be the overwhelming theme, rather than the focus
rather than the creativity and the learning. IT leaders need to
take heed and be sure that the focus is 100% on learning and
it cannot be an infatuation with technology for technologies
sake.
iPads in the classroom are for
learning
The entire focus of iPads in the classroom is engagement
of students, creativity in the learning process, and reaching
students that otherwise might be lost. The technology itself One Check out Educational Collaborators, and look at their
if overwhelming to teachers is useless. Students will pick it focus in working with schools on 1:1 projects and the culture
up intuitively and take to iPads in the classroom naturally.
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2. February 1st, 2013 Published by: daabraham
change in learning. Whether we as educators like it or not, the
digital age is transforming how students experience the world,
and there’s no going back. The device, whether iPads in the
classroom or lap tops, is important, but the transformation
happens when teachers, admin and students change the
learning culture within a school. The curriculum stays the
same, the goals stay the same, but the path is different.
The classroom becomes student centered rather than teacher
centered. The days of teachers standing at the front of the
room talking “at” students who sit quietly and taking notes
is a thing of the past. Teachers are leaders and mentors
who give guidance and steer the learning process. Students
construct their own learning. They learn on their terms, in
a similar fashion to what Maria Montessori envisioned, but
using digital tools rather than manipulative tools. If this is not
the vision of your administration or your teachers, iPads in the
classroom will fail. Students will embrace the technology, but
the guidance will be missing. Teachers need to view their role
differently.
Some apps that teachers might find engaging to get started:
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