This past Saturday I had the privilege to present at an iPads in Education conference. The conference started out with a keynote speaker, a former professor at Millersville University, and currently a top executive at Apple.
He shared a multitude of points and thoughts. First he showed how the ability to be connected was growing. There was a graph and somewhere in 2013, the amount of used using a non-mobile device for the internet will equal the amount of mobile devices (Note laptops count as non-mobile).
He continued to talk about the role of teachers. He stated that teachers were once important for their information, but now days the information is out in the world already and that teachers are no longer an essential step for content. Instead teachers need to build relationships with students and guide them through their own education. This is a really neat model, that I hope to develop into more as I progress in my teaching. He then talked about how technology is great, but it is not a replacement to education, but a tool that can be used. Lastly he added that schools should not have a 1 to 1 iPad initiative, but rather a 1 to 1 student initiative with technology. He feels education wants to brag about having the best technology without regards to what the students need to be successful.
After the keynote speaker, I held one of the few sessions available immediately afterwards. In my presentation we discussed using technology to facilitate a dynamic classroom that meets the needs of the students. We discussed various apps that can be used, including the several I have developed, "WileD Math". Along with that, teachers learned some neat tricks such as guided access and other things we can do on our iPads to make them usable and safe in the classroom.
I also attended other sessions, such as using the iPads to make claymations, using the website TodaysMeet, to facilitate a classroom discussion without talking, but typing. Other sessions shared apps they use in the classroom, as well as how to flip the classroom using the website Edmodo (which is a very neat website that I will blog about next!).
Back to Business
The current intentions of this blog is to post once a week a significant post on a technology we can use, a smaller post once a week sharing some simple strategies to try in the classroom, and an app review of an app that is under the education branch of the app store. If you have an app or want an app reviewed, feel free to let me know!
Stay Effective!
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