Marcinek's article focuses on how teachers at Burlington H.S. in Burlington, MA are using iPads to create engaging, project-based assignments for their students that integrate technology. Marcinek argues that teachers are not teaching "to" the iPad or teaching apps, but are instead "teaching skills and assessing student learning in a more dynamic way."
For example, students in a calculus course created music videos demonstrating specific skills. Here is an example:
I know nothing of calculus, but these students seem to understand the rule they are explaining, worked together to create a video explaining it, and had fun in the process. I will say that, without a TL involved in the process, there is a lack of documentation (no citation for the Bruno Mars song parodied in the video, for example).
This one, from a French class, allows the teacher to assess spoken language easily while giving students the opportunity to interact with language in a way that traditional "taped" tests does not.
Again, there is no documentation in the video, but it is easy to see the potential for the iPad in the classroom (it can do so many different things--these videos were shot, edited, and uploaded using the iPad) and how, with the help of a Teacher Librarian, these experiences could be even more valuable.
Teachers are creating assignments with a "real world" outlook. For example, a Trigonometry teacher had students use an app called show-me to describe a problem and how they tried to solve it. He wrote, "in business you often have to present a problem or solution to coworkers, and with video conferencing and email output I felt this would allow the students a chance to work on their presentation skills as well."
Another teacher used blogger and twitter to allow students to have "conversations" between different philosophers. He writes: "My students really got into the activity, particularly when they realized that they were playing for a larger audience. For 83 minutes (a long block), my students were in research and publication mode. They were engaging with those outside of the classroom, as well as with each other. I played the role of the facilitator ensuring that all students were engaged. Overall, my students were able to form a deeper understanding of the philosophers of the Enlightenment and were introduced to both Twitter and Blogger."
Marcinek's point is that none of these activities are specific to the iPad. All could have been completed with other devices. However, taking their school to 1:1 has given teachers the opportunity to embed technology into their curriculum in a way that had not previously been possible. It is the access to technology, not the specific type of technology, that is creating a difference in teaching and learning at their school.
As the TL, it is important to offer support to students and teachers as they learn new technologies and to advocate for better, more flexible access through multiple devices, bring your own devices--really any device that gets technology into the hands of students and teachers. None of these teachers had to schedule time in a lab for students to complete this work--it could be completed in the classroom, at home, or anywhere students had an internet connection. They weren't restrained by the fact that some students didn't have access to technology at home or not having enough of whatever resource to go around. That is the power of technology in education, and if TLs can both increase access AND help teachers understand how to use technology, we will make a big difference in our learning communities.
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