iPads in Schools
30 Nov 2011 Leave a Comment
in LIS 568
The reading on using iPads in classrooms was particularly interesting. It reminded me of an article I read at the beginning of the semester about a kindergarten class where all the students were given iPads. The teacher specifically stated that the iPads were helpful because they enabled her to keep students occupied while she could not engage them all at the same time during the school day. Despite the benefits to iPads, I think that they also have their downsides. Technology should not be a replacement for a teacher’s attention. It seemed particularly odd to me that iPads were given to a kindergarten class, for students that cannot even read yet. Technology is important, but what if students are taught to read without any physical books? What are they missing out on?
iPads can be great resources, just like any other technology, but they need to be used as teaching tools, not as the teaching itself. I think giving kindergarten students their own iPads is taking things too far, but a classroom having a few iPads and having students use them like they currently use computers can be beneficial, especially for students with different learning styles.
Facebook in the Classroom
16 Nov 2011 Leave a Comment
in LIS 568
Before I took this class it never occurred to me that teachers would actually use Facebook in the classroom. I’m positive that this is because every school district I have ever gone to/visited/done a lesson in has gone through extreme efforts to block Facebook and other social networking sites. While I agree that Facebook has its benefits in the classroom, teachers would be hard pressed to convince administrators to unblock the site. I think that teachers need to look into other sites that can accomplish the same thing. Ning is a great resource that teachers and librarians can use to promote online interaction. Even still, I am sure that a few parents and administrators will have an issue with the site, so teachers need to be prepared to persuade them as to why the site is useful.
Podcasting, Vlogging, and LiveStreaming
09 Nov 2011 Leave a Comment
in LIS 568
This week’s readings focused on using podcasting and video in the classroom. I think these technologies open up many windows for teachers and students. Podcasting in particular is a great resource for students who learn in different ways. Some students may have difficulty writing a paper on a topic but could easily produce a thoughtful podcast on the same topic that would show their talents and intelligence far more than a written paper would.
The section on video making was interesting because I have “vlogged” on more than one occasion. I know many people who vlog very regularly and thoroughly enjoy getting to produce their own content on the web. I think students, especially high school students, would very much enjoy getting to produce their own short movies and put them on youtube. When I was in high school my French class actually produced a short movie in French. We didn’t put it online since youtube was not nearly as well known back in 2005 when I did it, but we enjoyed the process.
Blogging in the Classroom
02 Nov 2011 Leave a Comment
in LIS 568
This week’s readings were on using blogs in the classroom. Blogs can be a great resource for teachers and librarians, but they need to be used to their greatest potential and they need to enhance learning. If students are just going to type up blog entries and post them then there is really no point in students having blogs. It would be just as easy for them to type up a document on a word processor and hand it in to the professor. One of the greatest aspects of a blog is the fact that other people can comment on it and students need to do this.
It would be great if a teacher could collaborate with other teachers, whether they are in the same school or clear across the world, and connect their classes via blogging. The students could learn the same topic and then create thoughtful blogs on the material. Students from the other classrooms could then comment on these blogs. It would be a wonderful way to connect students and use blogging to its greatest potential.
