I'm sure all of you saw some part of the Olympics this summer. No matter what event I had time to watch I thought over and over again about the sacrifices the athletes had made, the support system of family, coaches, friends they had, and their perseverance.  I also continually thought about the great moments for us as a global society to support a system of healthy competition and togetherness when often as a globe we hear so much about the opposite.  It was a display of greatness in many ways.  

How do we inspire greatness in our students and achieve greatness ourselves?

How do we achieve greatness in our iPad program, I'd like to think of it as our program, not technology as a separate entity, but as a means for learning.  There's no doubt that other schools are using iPads in some way, they see the potential benefits that we do...  So how do we use iPads in the classroom that's different?  How do we achieve greatness in our  program? I'd love to see us lead the way and have others come to see what we are doing.  Here are a few ways I think we'll get there.

1.  Slow and Steady - Incorporating iPads to their full potential doesn't happen overnight. We'll move ahead as the girls and you as a teacher are comfortable.  As I referred to last week, I think that your wisdom and experience as a teacher is the ultimate factor in orchestrating the classroom. You know the age of your students, and trust your intuition for when and where the iPad will work for you and your students. Here is one teacher’s reflection on her experience.  I'm here to help and looking forward to conversations about how this will work best.  There are all new processes to put in place; storage, management, and of course, careful use.  I think that slow and steady will benefit you and your students.

2. Take a risk - Doing something new is often uncomfortable, and doing it with 15 students is often even more uncomfortable!  But, moving forward, we’ll have to take risks in order to achieve greatness.  Here is an infographic of more complex ways to use the iPad in the classroom geared towards Grades 3-5, for those of you who need a challenge!  

3. Collaborate - I think I've touched on this theme before, but I think that a lot can be learned from others.  How could I use that idea myself? How could I learn from what someone else did? I like to think of learning from others as a series of circles.  If I only learn from my grade level peers at Bryn Mawr, then my learning network or circle is only the size of the lid to the applesauce jar.  If I connect with other grade levels, I've moved on to the size of a coffee can, if I think outside of Bryn Mawr, I'm up to a frisbee.  And if I use social media such as Twitter or Google+ I could connect with teachers that do what I do in Chicago, New York, Holland, etc.,  I could follow their blog, follow them on Twitter and regularly see what they are learning and trying out in the classroom.  Now I'm up to a hula hoop of learning. Better yet, if I share with them and they offer a suggestion, I can reflect and refine my teaching myself.  Everyone wins!

4.  Be flexible - Expect that the iPads won't work one day. Expect that something won't go as planned. Remember, how you react and handle the situation is important.  Believe me the girls are watching. How you react to a problem is noticed by the girls.  Are you calm? Do you seek help? Do you offer problem solving strategies? Do you talk these through with the student? There's learning to be had in these moments too. Do you involve yourself in the solution to better handle the situation next time? Is there something else you could have done prior to the lesson? These are great life lessons also.

And here are a few more resources to check out.  Each week the iTunes store has a “featured” section, and since it’s Back to School time, this week’s feature is education.  Check out a blog post about it here. Please be sure to check it out soon, it might not be around for long.  Apple’s curated their Educational Apps by subject area as well as by themes, and it looks well put together.  If you click on the App Store, then at the bottom, tap Featured, you’ll see the Education Collections in the corner.    

So as we get closer to the nitty gritty of school, please start to consider which Apps you want for final selection on the iPads when they arrive for your students. Here is another list of Apps for Kids.  Here is a list of Creativity Apps reviewed by Common Sense Media.  In addition, here is a well written blog about the Best Apps for Kids with thoughtful reviews.  The resources available are endless.  But greatness in our program isn’t about gobbling up all the resources, although helpful, I think it’s about how and what we do in our classroom.  Let’s proceed slow and steady, take risks when it’s warranted, learn from others and be flexible. 

I’m looking forward to partnering with you in greatness.

People often ask me about my commute to Bryn Mawr.  If you’ve asked me, you may have heard me coin the time as “my think time.” I think about conversations, problems, work, parenting, and a host of other things.  I often drive without the radio on.  Close friends refer to me as a “thinker,” a “planner.” I often spend as much time thinking about a event, conversation or problem as the actual event takes. I think that excellent teachers spend a lot of time thinking, reflecting and planning. I know you’re excellent teachers, and I’ve experienced the value Bryn Mawr places on thinking, ideas, and reflection.  In my teaching, I’ve often asked myself, “Have I spent time thinking about my teaching, or is teaching just the act of repeating the same sequence of chapters or activities as last year with different students? This is by far, the most uncomfortable line of thought to pursue. It’s painful, but it has paid off again and again. It’s painful because, I may need to spend more time reconstructing an activity, using last year’s would be easier.  It’s painful because I have to admit that the process I used this year may not have been the best.  It’s painful because, I liked doing that project that way, even though it might not have fully benefited my students.  I’d like to challenge you to take time to reflect with me this week.   

I’ve heard many questions about the exact implementation of the iPads in the classroom.  How exactly are they to be used?  What’s the expectation?  I sense that some of you feel that the iPads will give you a new perspective on your classroom and you’re ready to go... you feel comfortable with the iPad and have ideas about how you can use it. You have a vision for the implementation in your classroom. Others of you have many questions, even trepidation about how to use them.  What am I supposed to actually have the girls do with them? How often are they supposed to use them?  

Will iPads change Education?

In the Educational Technology World, there is a churning question.....”Will iPads change education?  Yes or No?  Of course Apple would like to think so, and even advertises to this end, and proposes that it will.  
Will iPads change your classroom next year or the following year?  Maybe the question should be, Should iPads change your classroom?  or maybe it’s just fundamental questions... What should I be changing about my classroom? What should I not be changing about my classroom?  

Research has shown that “the single most influential school-based factor affecting student achievement is teacher quality.”  That’s you, the teacher.  Your classroom is artfully yours.  Nothing will change in the classroom unless you change your art of teaching.  Having an iPad in the classroom will only “change” your classroom as much as you want, need, or desire to implement change.  

If you use the iPad only as  a drill and practice tool, well, then I would argue that your classroom probably hasn’t “changed” much.  You’ve probably always used some form of drill and practice, maybe math flash cards, or math fact worksheets. So your classroom really hasn’t changed that much, you’ve just replaced one tool with another. Yes, the iPad may be more visual, or motivating, but I would argue that your teaching practice hasn’t actually changed.

The Task Force asked, "Why?"

The Task Force had a large list of reasons for choosing iPads, one of which was to “Support the current educational shift in teaching students how to think instead of just memorizing facts.”  I love this quote by Tony Wagner:  

Today knowledge is ubiquitous, constantly changing, growing exponentially… Today knowledge is free. It’s like air, it’s like water. It’s become a commodity… There’s no competitive advantage today in knowing more than the person next to you. The world doesn’t care what you know. What the world cares about is what you can do with what you know.  

So how do you teach students in a way that prepares them for this.  How do you teach them to use information and “do something” with what they know. This reminds me of a recent conversation with my 4-year-old son.  If you know 4-year-olds, you know they are inquisitive.  Our girls are very inquisitive. Hudson asked me while chasing fireflies: How do they light up? Why would they need to light up anyway? It was just about time for bed, and I replied “I don’t know Hudson we’ll have to look it up tomorrow”. To which he responded:  “No Mommy, we can know right now, just get out your phone and look it up.”  Of course we’ve had other incidences or questions that I’ve “looked up” the answer.  But, I think his comment demonstrates the world our students live in. Any kind of information is accessible all the time, anywhere. It has been all their lives. Our questions can be answered and we move on.  We’ve moved away from a time where the teacher simply asks the factual questions and receives the “right answer” or marks the worksheet question right or wrong.  Our students need to learn more and be challenged in a different way to be successful in our society.  If I can look up the answer on my phone, iPad or computer, I can always access the information when and if I need the information again.  It no longer needs to be memorized or proven to the teacher.  So how can you use the ipad to “change” your classroom to give the girls the skills they need for their future world?

Another reason the Task Force wanted 1:1 iPads in the classroom was to “Allow students to express themselves in different ways according to how they are most capable of demonstrating their knowledge.”  The Task Force visited Flint Hill, a school that implemented 1:1 iPads in JK-4th grade.  One of the experiences that we had there, remained in all of our heads, and it wasn’t part of the planned tour.  We wandered down the hall asking questions to our guide, and happened to see a Science teacher using the iPads in class.  We watched from the door unable to really tell what was happening, but it was apparent that they were working in groups.  One group, boldly came over, and wanted to share their creation. They had created a rap to demonstrate their knowledge. They used garage band for the music, Pages to write the Lyrics, and the video recorder to tape themselves singing the lyrics with their music.  The final product was impressive, they were clearly demonstrating knowledge of the Science vocabulary terms, and concepts but also very motivated by the challenge and creation process of choosing which applications to use and how it would all come together to make a nice final product.  Another group of girls also came over to share their project.  It was done in a Pages, but was clearly outlined, had bullet points, incorporated pictures, and information, colors and styling.  It was more of a traditional display of information, but they also had to work together with their group to plan their process and product. You could tell by the way they shyly demonstrated their work that this way of demonstrating their learning fit their personality. So How can you allow your classroom to support diverse learners?  How can you offer choices for students?  How can you let students be in charge or the creation process or have a choice about what the outcome looks, sounds and feels like? The teacher at Flint Hill didn’t give an example of what the project should look like, she didn’t say use this type of application, and I bet she didn’t say it must be this long or have this many facts.  She just allowed the students to demonstrate their knowledge with the tools and resources they had, and I bet she got more in return this way than if she would have required certain things, or given an example.  And I bet the student’s learning was greater because she allowed for choice, creativity, and group collaboration.  How would this apply in your classroom?

So I think that all of the questions surrounding the implementation of the iPads this year have to be grounded in thoughtful reflection on your current teaching practices and a vision for what you would like for your classroom. There is no doubt that the iPad does provide many opportunities for “change.” but ultimately you are the grand orchestrator in the classroom.  You are the teacher.   

Will the iPad transform the classroom?  Believe it or not, my opinion is No. You the teacher change the classroom. I challenge you to reflect on your teaching practice, your classroom, your strengths, and answer the question “Will the iPads transform my classroom?  Be confident in your practice as a teacher and the questions will answer themselves.

Lanette