After using the iPod Touch in the classroom a little bit, I am more comfortable with it, but still have lots of room for growth. The 1001 uses for the iPod Touch assignment helped me gain a better understanding of what is out there available for use in and out of the classroom. I still wanted to try using the adding and subtracting fractions applet that I reviewed, but was not really comfortable enough yet to teach it to a student. An even bigger reason was that I think it would cause problems if only one or some of the students got to use it when others did not. It is a large math class with 31 students and I have still been trying to figure out how I can incorporate it in with my teaching without causing problems for those who do not get to use it right away. However, that is a good problem to have, really. It could be used as a motivator for students to stay on task and when they are finished with their work and it is done correctly, they could have the privilege of using the iTouch to use math manipulatives for awhile.
I have been thinking about and wondering if I/our school could get a set of iTouhes for cheap or free somehow. We have discussed in class how just getting the word out that we have a goal of teaching young students to use technology (iTouches for example) that some might come our way. My elementary school is in Kirkland in the middle of technology land, so I think we have a good chance. I will keep thinking about this and see what I can come up with.
Not all kids get to wear eye glasses, and not all kids get to do to the gifted class, and not all kid get to use the two computers in the room at the same time. It's great to think about fairness, and to keep talking about fairness with kids, but not to let children's sense of fairness dictate your adult judgments of what is fair to all kids?
ReplyDeletewhat if there was just a schedule? Competing for something that may really help kids who learn in different ways than the "regular" work in school could mean that kids who would benefit most from having a different way of learning would have the least access...
There are commitees in many schools to help decide how to use tech budgets. Will you volunteer to be on it? :)