Made my day...

Sometimes the simple things can make my day.  I created a video about adaptations for my science class last year.  I left it to public view on YouTube.  I didn't always do that, because sometimes copyright made me nervous.  Almost a year later, I get a comment on my video...

And just because I was curious where Keira was from and I was surprised to see that she goes to school in Vancouver!  It was pretty cool to think that a student in Canada is learning from my video.

It made my day...

iPad and Collaboration Frustration

So, today I am stuck.  I never thought that I'd say this, but I am frustrated with the iPad.  I have always been an iPad supporter.  I have used to to create videos in a flash using iMovie, using ExplainEverything to create unique tutorials, and Skitch to annotate and create unique images.  I believed that this was the ultimate creation tool!

And then I ran into this.... a teacher approached me and explained that his district switched from a MacBook 1:1 initiative to an iPad 1:1 initiative.  With the MacBook program, he had transformed his classroom into a collaborative world using Google Apps for Education.  Students were able to collaborate on presentations in a way that he had never been able to before.
Now as a iPad school, iPads are not proving to be collaborative.  In fact, the Google Slide app is so limited that students can not even put images into a presentation created on the iPad, only text.

I have found a few apps that allow for a creative, collaborative whiteboard space.  But they are very informal and do not have the sleek look of a presentation.  I have started to explore some web 2.0 tools to see if they will work on the iPad.  But, I am starting to realize that the free world of web 2.0 now has dollar signs in its eyes.  Many of the programs I learned about 4-5 years ago now have fees associated with them or are very "clunky" on the iPad.

So, where does this leave my teacher.  I'm still looking, if you have any suggestions, please let me know.

Guide on the side...considering Hapara

As teachers begin the journey from the sage on the stage to the guide on the side, there often begins the worry of "What is that group doing over there?" I think that one of the biggest hurdles to get over is the idea of trust of in your students.  Most students really do want to be at school and be challenged to collaborate and create when they are there.  We as teachers need to create the environment that allows students to practice this style of learning.  When we have that environment established, it is easy to trust that your students because they will be engaged in the learning process.
But, when teachers are making the first steps towards this process, which I plan to elaborate on in later blog posts, it's hard for them to feel comfortable in this newly created environment.  It's easy to know what to look for when everyone is working on the same task, but when we allow students to have choice in the learning process it can be a little harder to spot the off-task, the confused, and those students that need the personal conversation.  More veteran teachers have a higher teacher "spidey sense" to alert us when a group of students is starting to go awry, but sometimes technology and student computer use can make it harder to detect.
Are there some tech tools that can assist us?
There is one product that can, at a glance, give us a nice snapshot of what students have open on their computer.  Hapara allows there to be a teacher dashboard where you can see all of the tabs that your students have open on in their Chrome browser.  It can be super-easy to see who has appropriate and non-appropriate sites open.  It also gives teachers the ability to close those tabs as well.
Two things to be aware of:
1) it only monitors the Chrome browser.  Great if you are a Chromebook school, not so great if students have access to other browsers.  Hopefully, students see how awesome the Chrome browser can be especially when you teach them about the different Chrome extensions to improve their computer use.
2) You don't want to be chained to the computer.  Being the guide on the side, you need to be able to be at different table groups.  You need to be available to chat, guide, and question students who are at different points of the learning process.  Keeping an eagle eye on the Hapara page will definitely hinder this process.
It has good potential, but it's important to remember the downfalls of this program as well.  I'm going to continue to think about this topic for future blog posts and if you have any suggestions, please let me know!