Tuesday, May 13, 2014
Sunday, May 11, 2014
30+ iPad Resources
20. iPad Livebinder
25. The 4 iPad Apps Needed to Run a One iPad Classroom
26. 30 Of The Best Apps for Group Project-Based Learning
27. 100 of the Best Educational Games for the iPad
28. The Quick-Start Guide for iPads for Learning
29. 10 Steps to a Successful School iPad Program
30. 9 Tips for Teachers Who Just Got iPads
31. 10 Things to Know About iPads in the Classroom
32. Bloomin' Apps by Kathy Schrock
33. iPads in the Classroom by Kathy Schrock
26. 30 Of The Best Apps for Group Project-Based Learning
27. 100 of the Best Educational Games for the iPad
28. The Quick-Start Guide for iPads for Learning
29. 10 Steps to a Successful School iPad Program
30. 9 Tips for Teachers Who Just Got iPads
31. 10 Things to Know About iPads in the Classroom
32. Bloomin' Apps by Kathy Schrock
33. iPads in the Classroom by Kathy Schrock
Monday, May 5, 2014
10 Must-Follow Mobilists on Twitter
Here is a list of ten people that have had a huge impact on the mobile learning world.
Friday, May 2, 2014
Sunday, April 27, 2014
Are You Leading with Fear? #BYOD
As the temperature begins to rise, I reminisce back to a
warm summer day while sitting on a bench next to the pool watching my
five-year-old son climbing the never-ending ladder of the high dive. As he reached the summit, he casually walked
to the edge of the board with a smile on his face. Without a care in the world,
he leapt into the water! His confidence and tenacity allowed him to complete
this act with faith in his ability. As
he plunged to the surface, several questions formulated in my mind. When does
fear creep into our consciousness? Is it
a learned behavior? Or are we innately born
with these trepidations?
Throughout
the world of education, I feel as though many are leading with fear. There are major concerns regarding social
media and the fear of allowing students to use their cell phones for
educational purposes. As an educator and
parent, I have come to the realization that, like it or not, social media and
mobile learning devices are going to be an integral part of our children’s
lives. Aren’t we supposed to be
preparing today’s youth for the real world?
Should we allow our fears and apprehension to hinder the technological
education our children need to advance in their field of study?
Some of the
uneasiness in allowing students to bring their own devices to school revolves
around cheating, stealing, broken devices, and the inability of some students
to bring a device. In reality, these
challenges have always been present within the classroom. We cannot move forward technologically based
upon the “what ifs.” Instead, we must
find solutions to these possible dilemmas and move forward to allow our
students the ultimate learning experience.
We must maximize student usage of mobile learning devices to encourage
the safe and meaningful use of technology within the classroom setting. It is up to the school district to set clear
and stringent guidelines. Some simple ways to do so includes requiring students
to keep the devices flipped over on top of their desks while taking a
test. Also, having a “responsible use
policy” in place is a must. The students
and parents should have a clear understanding of what is appropriate use in the
classroom. They should also have a clear
understanding of consequences of misuse.
When teachers give students the opportunity to be responsible, the
results are inspiring. Teachers modeling proper usage are also beneficial. It
is important to understand that “bring your own device” allows the students the
opportunity to learn in a way that is most conducive to them. It allows them to think independently and
critically in a manner in which they are most familiar. We are allowing them to bring the technology
they are comfortable with at home into the classroom setting. It is not a replacement for a 1:1 initiative;
instead it provides students with opportunities to enhance their learning while
incorporating the necessary technology skills to compete in our rapidly
changing world.
Resources to Ease the Fear of BYOD
Friday, April 25, 2014
Verizon Mobile Learning Academy
New National Research Indicates Teacher Professional
Development Program to Integrate Mobile Technology May Have Positive Impact on
Students’ Standardized Math Test Scores
Verizon, the Program’s Creator, and its
partner, International Society for Technology in Education, to Launch Verizon
Mobile Learning Academy to Train More Teachers Nationwide
NEW CARROLLTON, Md. –
New national research indicates
that training teachers to integrate mobile technology into instruction may have
a positive effect on students’ standardized test scores and academic
achievement. The research comes
from an evaluation study, conducted by the International
Society for Technology in Education, of an innovative and comprehensive teacher
professional development program, Verizon Innovative Learning Schools. A collaboration of the Verizon
Foundation and the ISTE, VILS is one of
the few training programs of its kind focused on supporting the effective integration
of mobile technology in the classroom.
Comprising students and
teachers from 24 elementary, middle and high schools across the country, VILS
provides individualized, on-site and virtual professional development tailored
to address specific areas for improvement at each school as identified by a
preliminary needs assessment.
The key findings of the
evaluation and research, conducted in January by the ISTE, indicate that, in
general, students of VILS teachers showed stronger gains in mathematics than
students from comparison schools. While many comparison schools used existing mobile
technology, they did not participate in any systematic, schoolwide professional
development program focused on using the technology effectively to teach
students. Key findings include:
·
Standardized test scores in math of students
participating in the program increased by 4.13 percent, while the test scores
of students in a control group of schools that are using mobile technology but
are not participating in the program (and did not receive teacher training on
how to use mobile technology) declined by 4.62 percent.
·
Teachers in the VILS program reported that 35
percent of their students showed higher scores on classroom assessments; 32
percent showed increased engagement in the classroom; and 62 percent
demonstrated increased proficiency with mobile devices.
·
Sixty percent of the teachers also reported that
by using their mobile devices, they were providing more one-on-one help to
individual students, and 47 percent said they are spending less time on
lectures to the entire class.
Due to these promising
initial results, the Verizon Foundation and ISTE are launching an online
teacher professional development program called the Verizon Mobile Learning
Academy to
enable teams of teachers across the country to participate in mobile technology
training through free, moderated virtual courses that will earn participants
Continuing Education Units. The program aims to train 1,000 teachers over the
next year, beginning this fall.
Rose Stuckey Kirk, Verizon's
vice president of global corporate citizenship and president of the Verizon
Foundation, said: “Verizon’s corporate social responsibility efforts seek to
use our resources to help solve some of the world’s most pressing problems in
underserved communities. We are encouraged that our VILS schools are
demonstrating meaningful benefits from these efforts.
“Students at these
schools are now more adept in using mobile technology to access useful learning
resources, and significant portions of students have exhibited an increased
ability to solve problems. Our new online initiative will extend the benefit of
VILS professional development to educators across the country and help them
turn mobile devices into educational tools.”
The rigorous,
multimethod, longitudinal VILS evaluation measured student performance and
program impact through teacher and student surveys, classroom observations, and
pre- and post- standardized math and science test scores for participating
schools and comparison schools. Six of the 24 VILS schools were included
in the evaluation study: Assabet Vocational High School (Marlborough, Mass.);
Charles Carroll Middle School (New Carrollton, Md.); Hartford Middle School
(Canton, Ohio); Lewisville High School (Dallas, Texas); Long Branch Middle
School (Long Branch, N.J.); and Niemes Elementary School (Cerritos, Calif.). Six
schools, each of them near a school in the VILS program, were in the control
group. Soon, ISTE will conduct an analysis of 12 schools in the VILS program and
comparison sites, strengthening its ability to make conclusions about the
program.
Dr. Wendy Drexler, ISTE director
of innovation, said: “The VILS program demonstrates the important principle
that mobile learning initiatives in schools require leadership to be
effective. School administrators, tech coaches and teacher leaders have been
engaged and supportive of the VILS program, and this has led to the success of
the professional development implemented in these schools. The Verizon Mobile
Learning Academy will provide support for school and district leaders as they
prepare mobile learning initiatives to help ensure that their efforts will be
successful.”
More information and
pre-registration for the Verizon Mobile Learning
Academy can
be found at http://responsibility.verizon.com/learning-academy, and more information about
the findings of the Verizon Innovative Learning Schools evaluation study are
available here http://responsibility.verizon.com/education/2013#vils.
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