Technology Reflection: Instructional Use of iPad

Description/Experience

In the last class we learned about the use of iPads in the classroom. The presentation showed how the tablets can be implemented, detailing certain apps and lesson ideas that can be used to give the students a better insight into the material through this use of technology.

Application

An activity I could do with an iPad is to use an app called Geography Quiz. The app, obviously, tests the students’ knowledge of geography and can be set to include certain regions and difficultly level. Before using the iPads I would have extensive discussions about the geographic region that the iPads would then reinforce through the quiz. The quiz wouldn’t be graded, but it would be an effective way of giving the students a good visual to further understand where certain cities/states/countries are in relation to others. After using the iPads we could then review everything that we had just covered as a class. This activity could be brief or could take up the whole class period, depending on how in-depth the geographic area was that was being discussed.

Reflection

Pedagogy-Content:

I would represent the content to the students first through discussion and then reinforce the discussion with the iPads

The students should come into the class with some basic knowledge of geography of whatever region we’re covering, including weather, landmarks, and other key features. The higher the grade level the higher the prior knowledge coming into the class

Technology:

The iPad can serve as a way to research online, play educational games, watch video, and take assessments.

It is very easy to access iPads, virtually anything they could be used for in the classroom can be found on the online Apple apps store. Most of the time these apps are free.

Technology-Pedagogy:

As mentioned above, the iPads would be used to do an interactive geography quiz following a class discussion on the topics at hand.

The iPads would follow initial discussion and precede the conclusion of the class. They wouldn’t change how I taught the lesson, they would just be a nice reinforce of the information that I had presented.

I would have to be perhaps even more interactive than in a regular classroom setting, because when extra technology is involved the students might need more assistance

Technology-Content:

The iPad would change the way the content is presented because it would provide a more interactive visual for the students, hopefully helping them to grasp the content better and put it in a more real perspective

The students would see the geographic regions in a different way than they are presented through standard maps and textbooks, so hopefully anything that they don’t understand could be more clear

Technology-Pedagogy-Content:

I wouldn’t base the class around the technology, but rather use it as support for my lecture and discussion

The iPad would enhance the class by providing a visual aid that is 2^nd to none in terms of hands-on technology in the classroom

Being very hands-on and involved with the students is essential with this technology, because the students could run into problems and questions that they wouldn’t normally have because of the new technology

Technology Reflection: Instructional Use of Edmodo

Description/Experience

The technology discussed in the seminar was about the use of Edmodo. The main thing that I took away from the discussion was that it was very relatable to the students because of it's resemblance to Facebook. The site offers teachers and students a way to interact, distribute and turn in assignments, give and receive awards, and discuss certain points in-depth in a way that is very engaging for the students.

Application

My host teacher and I could use Edmodo for an assignment during his West Virginia history class. The objective would be for students to gain a better understanding of the civil war in West Virginia. The class could be started by an open discussion followed by an assignment on the Thinkpad laptops that the students have at their desks. The students would then submit the assignment through Edmodo, where my host teacher could provide feedback and spur further discussion if necessary.

Reflection

Pedagogy-Content
I would represent the content on an overhead projector through either a slide presentation or a short video, after opening the class with discussion. Being that the students are from West Virginia, they should bring some basic conceptions about the Civil War into the lesson, such as who won, main causes of the war, famous West Virginians in the war, etc.

Technology
The major function of Edmodo is to help students interact with their instructor via the internet, a way that is already very familiar to them. It is very accessible because you just have to get online, go to the website, and log in to use it. There is nothing else directly involved besides the student and the computer.

Technology-Pedagogy
The technology would be used as a way to submit the assignment and also further discuss the lesson after class, if necessary. The technology would change the teaching strategy in this activity because it puts the lesson almost entirely in the students hands once they begin the assignment, so it's important to monitor them so as to be available to answer any questions and provide feedback. The teacher would need to have a very active classroom management approach by walking up and down the aisles and asking if any of the students needed help.

Technology-Content
 The content would be presented in the same way as it would be if Edmodo was not used, it is a means of completing and submitting the short assignment mainly. Since the students would be obtaining most of the information from the Thinkpad laptops directly, as well as being supplemented with discussion and an additional visual aid, they should be able to retain the information at a much higher rate.

Technology-Pedagogy-Content
This technology would greatly enhance the subject matter because the information is being relayed to them in several fashions: an oral discussion, a visual presentation, a hands-on assignment, and a recognizable interface on which to submit and discuss the assignment. It's important to take a constructionist approach when teaching this lesson and using this technology