Academic Extension: Rotation 1

** Originally posted on October 2, 2012

Our first rotation of AE is complete.  During the last eighteen school days, I've successfully (I hope) taught students the basics of an iPad.  We covered the case, photos, camera, Photo Booth, eClicker, and iMovie.  iMovie, however, was the focus of our rotation.  The students were really excited to travel around the building to take pictures and videos and then turn them in a masterpiece... sort of.  

It's time to reflect on what I need to do better during Rotation #2.  Here a brief run-down of what will change this rotation:

    * Show students videos of poor camera work.  (Enter the nausea-inducing video clip.)  I won't put you in danger by showing you what I mean, but imagine watching a video that turns you in circles and shakes like a wet dog.  I can't tell you the number of videos I could not watch because of shaky hands or unfocused shots.

    *  Give students LESS time to record and MORE time to edit.  The results of this mistake is two-fold:  1) Videos did not have much structure or purpose, and 2) Some students wandered aimlessly and did not take useful videos.

    * Start with a trailer.  I briefly went over trailers, but it would have been more beneficial to have students completely understand a trailer before moving on to a project. 

    * Save more time for sharing videos!

    * Open rotation with a different video clip!  For your viewing pleasure, I've searched for a vintage clip of Steve Jobs introducing Apple's new innovation and ad campaign.  For those of you who enjoy the writing of George Orwell, this one's for you!

Beginning of the Year Reflections

** Originally posted on September 19, 2012

It's been quite some time since I've added thoughts to this site.  In the last 18 days, things around the model classroom have been slow-going.  In my content classes, Language Arts and Accelerated Language Arts, we spent a good three days getting Gmail accounts set up.  Since then, though, students have been much faster logging in and creating documents.  They've even submitted (shared) an assessment with me!  What I find amazing is that students learn a process once, and they are set!  There are a few students here and there who need password reminders or who can't find the app, but other than that, the students seem to love having a new piece of technology in their hands.  

Since our slow start, I feel like I can finally get moving through content, delivering it with style through the iPads.  From a logistical standpoint, I've spent less and less time by a copy machine getting prepared for the day.  Students have preferred reading PDFs through Dropbox or taking notes on Evernote.  They've loved showing ME how to use an app.  My students today showed me how to sync iTunes between my laptop and iPad.  They were shocked that I didn't know how!  

I think the best aspect of this experience so far has been learning from the students.  I don't have all the answers when trouble-shooting specific issues, but the student next to them does.  My kids have loved showing off their skills to each other, and I've learned more than I ever imagined I would.  My students are extremely capable of learning on-the-fly.  As we keep moving forward, I'm confident the iPad will be a seamless piece of the classroom.