Feb22

Evaluating Student Work: Apple – We Have a Problem . . .

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Evaluating Student Work: Apple – We Have a Problem . . .

I began a project today with my junior class and I ran into a few problems from the beginning. First, students are unable to upload my instructions for their assignment. Sure, I could print out the assignment, but our school is committed to going “paperless” so printing out 260 pieces of paper seems to go against this green initiative. So, I ended up projecting the assignment from my ActivBoard so each student could see what they were being asked to do in class. This is not a big deal and I ended up making copies for the rest of my classes because they complained so much in 1st and 2nd period.
Next, there is the problem of viewing videos on the iPad. Download Puffin, you may say? Sure, I have Puffin on my iPad but there is a system in place that keeps me – and anyone not in technology – from downloading apps. Since our technology department is out for 3 hour lunches/happy hour, this is not an option. At this point, I have students turning in their iPads for the PC – and I cannot blame them! My classes are 55 minutes, so by the time my students get logged on, they only have around 25-30 minutes to work.
Unfortunately, the problems do not stop here. Once everyone has done what they could in the time allowed, they begin to ask, “How do I save my work?” I am ready with a response because I know that they will ask: “It saves automatically.” They like this. Until, the next class comes in and I find them duplicating the work of the students in the previous class.
Day 1 problems . . . lets see what Day 2 will bring.

Feb19

The iPad and Teaching

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The iPad and Teaching

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For many administrators, implementing iPads can be a great political move. Ipads are viewed as “cutting edge” and using them make learning “fun and relevant.” However, most teachers worry that these “tools” are just a distraction from the real learning in the classroom. Some teachers, and I MAY be one of them, feel that iPads are only as good as your curriculum and the teacher. This blog is a place for me to post resources that I find, but also a place to explore my experiences with the iPad in my high school ELA classroom. As my dad likes to say, I don’t have a dog in this fight – if iPads work great, then I will be happy to tell you what works. However, if there are glitches and problems, I hope to find a way to fix the problems. If not, I will toss the iPads aside and go back to my books and pencils ~ somewhat happily . . .

Feb19

Hello world!

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Hello world!

Welcome to WordPress.com. After you read this, you should delete and write your own post, with a new title above. Or hit Add New on the left (of the admin dashboard) to start a fresh post.

Here are some suggestions for your first post.

  1. You can find new ideas for what to blog about by reading the Daily Post.
  2. Add PressThis to your browser. It creates a new blog post for you about any interesting  page you read on the web.
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