As a model classroom participant, there is a great deal of uncharted territory through which to navigate. Over the last few days, students have really challenged my thinking of what "freedoms" should be allowed when working with the iPads.
Our classroom iPads have restrictions enable, as they should. Lately, though, I've been questioning how much should really be restricted on the iPads. An easy answer is that students should not be allowed to purchase any apps. This is an easy restriction for us as none of us, students and teachers, knows the iTunes password. I'd like to keep it that way.
In an experiment with freedom, I've been leaving the app store available to students and the results have been shockingly good. It's been an easy and fast way to get updates through for twenty-eight iPads. It's also a lesson in technology and problem-solving, and it saves me and the tech department a great deal of time. Today, I've allowed students to navigate the app store independently, and as I type, I'm listening to my kids compete over their success with different grammar apps and Stack the States. Usually, my kids want nothing to do with grammar. When I told them I trust them to go to the app store and get grammar apps or Stack the States, they jumped at the chance. Since these free apps were previously "purchased," students simply had to get them off the cloud. No password required.
I know I'm repeating myself, but I'm literally hearing kids argue over state flags, concrete and abstract nouns, and fun facts about states.
Freedom is not something to be feared. Laying out explicit expectations and consequences give students control in an environment where they systemically have none. When students feel empowered, they are more willing to take control of their learning. Today really opened my eyes to what students need to succeed. Common Core State Standards push student choice, as done current research. If I would have given students optional grammar worksheets or crossword puzzles, I would have ended up with a pile of garbage. Choice needs to come with trust. I trusted students to be on educational apps rather than just surfing the internet or browsing YouTube, and they rose to the occasion.
I'm starting a bulletin board in my room that will include pictures of these "free time" or "I'm done" apps. Students will be able to add to this list as the year goes on. I've made it clear and will continue to remind students when it's appropriate to be on these apps. Until then, let's see what happens!
Friday, February 22, 2013
Wednesday, February 13, 2013
What I Wish I Would Have Known... Part 3
This is the third post in a series of posts dedicated to the challenges and solutions of an iPad model classroom. This post focuses on the use of iMovie in an instructional setting.
Part 3: iMovie
Completing book trailers and other digital movies takes time. In the past, students used Photostory or Windows Movie Maker for these types of assignments. I ran into a great deal of difficulty with these projects. Students could not easily transfer their work from home to their netbook here at school. It required much more than just a flashdrive; students needed to also save their images in source files on each computer. Students had to restart or replace lost images. When dealing with audio, students were in an endless cycle of recording and re-recording, only to find that this feature on their netbook was simply broken. I was sending students, two or three at a time, daily to the tech office for assistance. It made me shy away from assignments and assessments based on digital applications.
Enter: iMovie
From day one using iMovie, I was hooked. It is extremely easy to learn the app just by playing around for a few minutes. There are two options when creating a movie in iMovie: trailers and projects. For beginners, I'd recommend using a trailer. Trailers are set up like a template. Music, effects, and text placement is already programmed into each trailer. There are also a variety of themes from which to choose, ranging from "Scary" to "Bollywood."
What I Wish I Would Have Known
1) Trailer templates are extremely fixed. This can be a great feature for students who don't know what they're doing. However, for students who want to be more creative, this can lead to frustration. The timing of the pictures is sometimes extremely short (less that a second), and students want viewers to see more. An easy fix for this is to use the same picture for multiple sections of the video.
2) When putting in text, space is limited. Large amounts of text cannot be put in. To fix this, create a project instead of a trailer. (See #4)
3) Projects start from scratch. Literally. Sometimes this causes stress on students who have absolutely no idea where to start. As with any new concept, modeling is the key. Show examples, start creating one with the class, and don't forget to reteach along the way. I've seen students pay attention during demonstrations of text and audio, but they only focus on one skill at a time. They don't really pay attention until the actually utilize a different skill in the video.
4) Projects allow room for text, but the text space is limited and sometimes does not give the audience enough time to read. To fix this, students created text boxes in other apps such as Pages, took a screen shot, edited the picture, and then inserted it into Pages. It takes a few steps, but it's a relatively easy process.
5) Audio is limited. Since students do not have access to iTunes, they can only choose from the preloaded music and sound effects. This isn't a huge problem, but be prepared to hear the same theme music multiple times. Don't penalize for lack of creativity. Encourage other uses of audio, such as personal narration.
Would I do it Differently Next Time?
I don't think so. I think with any project or app, it's necessary to adjust expectations, but I would absolutely allow students to create videos again. It's a great way to have students CREATE new content rather than just spit it back at me. Students crave the opportunity to be creative (whether they admit to it or not).
Here are a few shots of projects in progress:
* Students read a novel about a character facing adversity. To assess their understanding, a book trailer containing a plot summary and answers to our unit's essential questions was assigned. Enjoy!
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Part 3: iMovie
Completing book trailers and other digital movies takes time. In the past, students used Photostory or Windows Movie Maker for these types of assignments. I ran into a great deal of difficulty with these projects. Students could not easily transfer their work from home to their netbook here at school. It required much more than just a flashdrive; students needed to also save their images in source files on each computer. Students had to restart or replace lost images. When dealing with audio, students were in an endless cycle of recording and re-recording, only to find that this feature on their netbook was simply broken. I was sending students, two or three at a time, daily to the tech office for assistance. It made me shy away from assignments and assessments based on digital applications.
Enter: iMovie
From day one using iMovie, I was hooked. It is extremely easy to learn the app just by playing around for a few minutes. There are two options when creating a movie in iMovie: trailers and projects. For beginners, I'd recommend using a trailer. Trailers are set up like a template. Music, effects, and text placement is already programmed into each trailer. There are also a variety of themes from which to choose, ranging from "Scary" to "Bollywood."
What I Wish I Would Have Known
1) Trailer templates are extremely fixed. This can be a great feature for students who don't know what they're doing. However, for students who want to be more creative, this can lead to frustration. The timing of the pictures is sometimes extremely short (less that a second), and students want viewers to see more. An easy fix for this is to use the same picture for multiple sections of the video.
2) When putting in text, space is limited. Large amounts of text cannot be put in. To fix this, create a project instead of a trailer. (See #4)
3) Projects start from scratch. Literally. Sometimes this causes stress on students who have absolutely no idea where to start. As with any new concept, modeling is the key. Show examples, start creating one with the class, and don't forget to reteach along the way. I've seen students pay attention during demonstrations of text and audio, but they only focus on one skill at a time. They don't really pay attention until the actually utilize a different skill in the video.
4) Projects allow room for text, but the text space is limited and sometimes does not give the audience enough time to read. To fix this, students created text boxes in other apps such as Pages, took a screen shot, edited the picture, and then inserted it into Pages. It takes a few steps, but it's a relatively easy process.
5) Audio is limited. Since students do not have access to iTunes, they can only choose from the preloaded music and sound effects. This isn't a huge problem, but be prepared to hear the same theme music multiple times. Don't penalize for lack of creativity. Encourage other uses of audio, such as personal narration.
Would I do it Differently Next Time?
I don't think so. I think with any project or app, it's necessary to adjust expectations, but I would absolutely allow students to create videos again. It's a great way to have students CREATE new content rather than just spit it back at me. Students crave the opportunity to be creative (whether they admit to it or not).
Here are a few shots of projects in progress:
* Students read a novel about a character facing adversity. To assess their understanding, a book trailer containing a plot summary and answers to our unit's essential questions was assigned. Enjoy!
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