Instructional Technology

http://ets.berkeley.edu/

Technology in the classroom - all teachers have complained about it at one point or another.  It never feel as though we have what we want in our classroom in the area of technology.  You end up comparing your classroom to someone else's or something you read on Twitter, hear on Voxer or see at an edcamp.  Maybe your projector sits on a cart in the middle of your room with wires laying on the floor or you have to work out a plan 3 weeks in advance if you want to borrow the cart of computers from the teacher down the hall.  Or maybe what would make you happy is a simple document camera in your room!

These are some of the things I have been thinking about the last few weeks.  But I am looking at it with a different lens - not what I would want as a teacher, instead, what is best for the students in the classroom.  I want to move from putting technology in the hands of adults and putting it in the hands of our students.  We are very lucky in our district - a few years ago our community passed a bond that will fund many things - one of which is an upgrade to the instructional technology in our classrooms.  We are very fortunate now, but like many other districts we have some areas where we can improve.

So here I am again, comparing our classrooms to others - looking at short throw vs mounted in the ceiling projectors, interactive boards vs interactive projectors, doc cams, voice lift systems, panels on the wall to turn everything on/off and so much more.  As a teacher I use say to anyone who would listen, "Why can't they just mount my projector?  I'd do it myself if they would let me!"  Now that I am in the tech dept I understand why I was never able to just do it myself.  So many reasons - if you want to know...send me an email.

Anyway, now I am looking at the potential of using LCD screen (like the TV in your house) instead of an interactive short throw projector.  And possibly using a tablet instead of a doc cam in the classroom.  At #edcampLA last weekend I saw a great set up at Winward School in Los Angeles.  They had a 70" display at what must have been the front of the room (you couldn't tell other than the large display) and a 40" display with a whiteboard on the other three walls.  I imagined being a student in this room and I was excited!  It wouldn't matter where I sat in the class I would always be able to see the screen.  I thought about being the teacher and having students display their projects on the screens for others to see - there could be 4 mini-classes in my room all working and showing different things.  I thought I was in classroom A/V utopia!  It is difficult when you start comparing yourself to private schools that have a $35,000/year price tag!

http://explodingsink.com

Back to reality...  A few years ago I applied for a grant to buy an iPad to use in my classroom, both as a tablet and as a doc cam.  I had found some nice DIY stands that would sit on to my science demo table where I could slide the iPad in and use the camera as a doc cam.  I also asked for an Apple TV so I would be able to use AirPlay to put my images up on the screen.  I did not receive the grant - but I am looking at that option again for other teachers in our classrooms.  Why not have a tablet (it doesn't have to an iPad) as a doc cam so that you can also use it to be more mobile in the room and give you some of the interactive features of much more expensive boards or displays?  I have heard pros (mobility, apps) and cons (lighting, low megapixel camera) to this idea - but I feel the ability to use it for more than just a camera that points at the table all day long makes it a great instructional tool for teachers.

I'm not going to drone on and on about these things - but just start to think about these items in your own classroom.  If you could start over and redo your classroom AV, what is your utopia?  What do you want/need to allow students to be successful in your room?  I have talked to many others and there are many ideas.  We obviously can't put in everything everybody wants - we need to standardize  items so we can give teachers the training they need to use the equipment and so a tech can go in the room and repair the equipment if needed.  But put together a list and share it with your tech leader...it may just lead to some much needed changes in your classroom for your students!

Do you ever turn off your iPad?

About 2 years ago I was lucky enough to win a video contest from Turning Technologies for an iPad - here is the video I created that won first place!  Since I received the iPad I have downloaded many apps - some are educational (TED, Elements), some keep me connected (Twitter, Edmodo), some are for a purpose (Evernote, Diigo), some are specifically for my kids (Fish School, Alphabet Games) and some are just a waste of time...but they are fun (Turbo, Hill Climb Racing).  But in the 2 years that I have used my iPad...I have only turned it all the way off two times!  Once was at a school in-service when another teacher said, "You know you need to turn it off at some point to let it reset" and another was this morning - because some of my apps were not working correctly (Google+ and Feedly).

This got me to thinking - as teachers I suppose we need to be turned off and restarted at some point too.

My family and I just returned from a week long vacation where we had no cell service and no electricity - we were "off the grid".  We stay in a little cabin in the mountains of Colorado with my in-laws and the cabin has no electricity.  This gives us family time with out the distractions of cell phones, computers, iPads or television.  To some this may sound horrible...and others may think it is the best thing in the world - it just depends on what you like for your vacation.  As for me I am happy to spend time with the family and fishing with my little girls is a great way to be together...but after they are in bed I would enjoy reading through a few blogs, checking my Twitter account and maybe play some mindless game.  But before you start to feel sorry for me let me explain that we were not totally out of reach to the real world!  If we wanted (or needed) to be a part of civilization again all we have to do is drive in to town (about 30 minutes) and we can get a signal on our phones - back "on the grid".  So I was not totally out of touch for the entire week...but to someone like me who is typically always "plugged in" - it sometimes felt like it!

Anyway, back to my thought about turning off the iPad.  When I turned my iPad off and let it restart, the apps I was trying to use worked.  This is something that we all do...but never really question - if a computer (or electronic device) isn't working...restart it and see if that works - and it typically does!  So as teachers we need the summer as our time to "restart".  Some people (who are not teachers) think that we have 2.5 months off in the summer and that is our time to rest, relax and re-energize for next year.  But if you are like me...and if you are reading this in August you probably are - you spend a large part of the summer months planning for next year.  We try to find new things/ideas to use in our classroom - new apps, different ideas, work on fresh strategies and just try to make our classrooms a better place for students.  So while we are not waking up at 5am and driving in to school - we also are not powering down and restarting either.

So I am glad that I was able to take this past week to unwind, unplug and relax.  I officially am due back to school in 2 days...though I was at school today and I'll be there tomorrow.  I am hopeful that my trip to Colorado will serve as my "restart" and will give me the energy and excitement for the first week of school.  I also hope that you have found time during the summer for your "restart"!  Have a great last few days of sleeping in, reading a book and not grading papers :)

How can you not be happy and relaxed when you see something like this?
Don't worry...she ate the fish :)