Just read a post on the blog, NYC Literacy, about iPads for kindergarteners. It linked me to this video:
Although this isn't the most academic or scholarly relevant video, it is a good example of arguments and opinions that exist about Apple's iPad as a learning technology. While I believe that iPads can have a significant impact on our students' learning, I also believe that we should not conform to the idea of 'replacing' or 'substituting' our already brilliant ideas with what you can do on the iPad.
In reference to our Week 10 reading, 'iPads in the Classroom', Reid and Otashewski write that, 'Some research presents the need to focus on making use of the inherent features of handheld devices in educational contexts.' The example of the literacy activity shown on the video, to me, looked like a 'drill' game. Students aren't consolidating or synthesising their learning; they are being drilled. I could be wrong, I could be overlooking a pedagogical concept that foreshadows the app being used; but I can't help but think - isn't this just an electronic flash card? I also can't help but think that the school is using the iPad as a classroom management plan to keep the students motivated and on-task, when in fact the iPad is a learning technology or learning resource. This now leads me to think about the SAMR model. Let us REDEFINE what is being learned, not substitute or even modify. Let's not throw iPads at our students for the reason that they are not absorbing what we teach. Let's use learning technologies to add to the multifaceted learning experiences of our students.
What do you think of this video? Feel free to leave comments!
Reference List:
Reid, D. & Ostashewski, N. (2011). iPads in the Classroom – New Technologies, Old Issues: Are they worth the effort?. In T. Bastiaens & M. Ebner (Eds.), Proceedings of World Conference on Educational Multimedia, Hypermedia and Telecommunications 2011
(pp. 1689-1694). Chesapeake, VA: AACE.
Sunday, 18 March 2012
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1 comments:
This seems like a pretty interesting idea. It's not the most academic video, but the concepts raised are interesting. It does seem like a bit of a financial burden, but I can see the value of using them in a classroom as long as they don't become over-used and relied on. It's important to maintain the social aspect of learning within the classroom. The argument that it's a cheaper option than hiring a new teacher seems irrelevant and you can't replace many aspects, such behaviour management, that a teacher brings to the classroom
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