In my previous post I pretty much stated that I’m not currently in favour of school iPad programs, where a class would have 1:1 tablets per students. This is based on my current knowledge of tablets, computers and software that is available for them. However, I haven’t tried having my students use iPads in class (hence the conditional “current”!). I would be extremely interested in getting feedback from educators that have spent some time with 1:1 iPad/student programs.
With the instant popularity of the iPad last year, tablets were finally thrust into the computing spotlight. People have been purchasing the iPad for many different purposes but it remains to be seen as to what tablets are really good at. Originally it was said that the iPad would be about media consumption, but this was idea has been eclipsed by the proliferation of IOS apps. Many educators have touted the iPad as being a useful part of classroom and online learning technologies, while I don’t necessarily share this enthusiasm.
One of the most intriguing aspects of using technology in the classroom is the concept of blended learning. Blended learning, loosely stated, is a model where students are involved in a mix of distance/remote instruction combined with face-to-face (f2f) instruction. I think in many ways blended learning epitomizes some of the ideas behind 21st Century Learning. Obviously the infusion of technology is one area, but I consider the technology angle to be more of an enablement of the other concepts in 21st Century Learning.
Last Friday our secondary school had a non-instructional day where the staff worked on some professional development. The afternoon was spent working on the School Goal Plan, as all schools are mandated to do by the Ministry of Education I believe. A couple of really interesting things came up. First, we were given some results from a student forum on what the students think helps their critical thinking. Secondly, we had about a dozen of students join us for a session where we broke into smaller groups and had a chance to talk with a student.
One of the best lessons I’ve done in Physics was an introduction/inquiry into friction. It was one of those classes where the students were doing something meaningful and were part of a process of discovery. Certainly the lesson wasn’t perfect but being able to reflect upon it will give me the chance to not only improve it, but also transfer ideas and methodologies to other lessons and contexts.
I should definitely point out that the overall idea of the lesson was lifted from an article written by Campbell and Neilson (2009).
I’m always interested in ways that technology can be expanded, and one of the big areas for all types of tech is the expansion of mobile computing; therefore, I set out to see what options are available for a mobile Moodle.
A few google searches didn’t reveal a lot. There seemed to be a couple of apps that were aimed at making a mobile moodle solution but it wasn’t clear as to the maturity of these solutions of if they were even being actively developed.
