13/01/2015
One of the newest approaches to using technology in the classroom is called the 1-to-1 initiative. Many districts across the country have begun to equip their students and faculty with iPads: One iPad for every person.
This at first appears very exciting and is a novel way for using technology in the classroom. After all, some of the most advanced technology for reading, learning, and communicating is literally at our fingertips. However, simply providing everyone with an iPad and saying, “Learn!” will not automatically make the world a better place.
There are many advantages to providing iPads to everyone in school. But using technology in the classroom doesn’t automatically make rainbows appear. Any district considering implementing an iPad 1-to-1 program, or any teacher who will be part of such a program, needs to consider both the pluses and the minuses that come along with the change.
Simplify the collection and retention of materials. Students are notorious for claiming “I lost it” or “I was absent when you gave that out.” When they have iPads, however, they can’t use this excuse: All materials are available electronically at all times. This is also true when it comes to their own work. Students can often create their work on their iPad, then use the iPad to store it or submit it to their teacher. Papers are easily lost or destroyed. Electronic files last forever, and both the students and the teachers can permanently retain all work and materials. This is especially helpful during any type of research process. Now students can collect and organize all their research electronically.
Reading and annotating paperlessly. Many books and files are available electronically. And with the marking features available in certain apps, they are able to be annotated nearly as effectively as hard copies. What’s even better is that many hard copies can be transferred into an electronic format. Students can now even use apps to take pictures of texts and immediately begin annotating them electronically. This helps to keep all of their documents in one place and to permanently keep their annotations.
Shared access to files with students. The transfer of information between students and teachers has never been easier. Students can create documents and immediately upload them to a teacher’s electronic folder. Teachers can then view the documents immediately, and keep them permanently stored. It works in reverse, too: Teachers can upload assignments, links, or feedback for students via these shared resources or folders.
Free classic books available online. Nothing beats free! Traditionally, students have either needed to purchase copies of their English literature from the store or have borrowed a heavily used school copy. Now any books that are public domain are available for free for download.
Numerous resources for anything you can imagine. “There’s an app for that” is true for just about anything you might desire in your classroom. No matter what kind of task you want to do, or what kind of problem you encounter, it is likely that there is an educational app designed to help address that specific need. And if there isn’t one, you can make one!
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