So ... what did we do today?

I had a guest speaker today come in and show Raz-kids.com, a website that helps with literacy. I hooked up my laptop to the smartboard and then demonstrated how to hook up my iPhone as a remote for the laptop. We heard the story, could read the story and had a short content quiz at the end. The guest speaker was a little shy, so didn't want to use the remote or the smartboard, but it was all good int he end....

I used Rowmote, which has to be downloaded onto the laptop, as well as an app for the iPod touch/iPhone/iPad for everything to work. As long as they are on the same wireless network, all should be good.

Just as an add on, as I was getting this post ready, I noticed that the app Splashtop Remote is free today.... it does the same thing, and is free...

...and just after I finished this post, I got this link in my head... using Pages (a piece of software for the Mac to ePublish my own book to iBook; something to save trees and further blur the line for cell phone use in the class)

Celli

Now, this is interesting - texting all of your students to remind them of work is hard - except now it isn't. Interesting that people don't want cell phones in schools and yet, they are already there.

Interesting, interesting.

Presentation today

this is a picture of me, using my iPad as a remote/wireless keyboard for my laptop


It didn't happen. I did walk into the lunch room and people were eating. I did ask if this was the right time of day to present and people did express their thoughts that it was.

All I was going to do today was point out this blog to my workmates. If you look on the right hand side are all kinds of materials that have been sent to me over the past few months that I have been looking at iPad uses in the classroom.

I was going to make sure that people knew about the Learning in Hand website, too. That Tony Vincent, nice shirts, good ideas, too.

Finally, I was going to point out some of the more interesting applications that Tony (and others) have pointed me towards. Certainly Comic Touch is one of the cool ones. Check out these from my Phys Ed class:



and also this one:



Someone also asked me to help with syncing problems. I did what I could.

s'all good. Drop a comment in the space below if there is something I should do next Thursday, May 26th.

Today's posting

ya know ... it's like time never moves. I'm still stressed, and I'm still parking articles for me to read later here.

Like this article about creative ways to use an ipad in the classroom.

Kewl.

iPad apps

As you may know, my stressful time of the year is coming -S L O W L Y - to an end. Sort of. Like crawling the last fifty meters of an ultramarathon or something.

I did get this article's link emailed to me today, about the 10 best music apps for the iPad. SOmething to explore while I recover from this negative stress.

A thought experiment

Results only work environment(ROWE) .... in a classroom.

Here is the assignment; here are unfettered computers to get the work done. Here is the deadline, say about a week for three or four projects per unit, five units per course. Tests given on the day that the assignments demonstrating your learned skills are due. I will test you on what skills you have learned for yourself.

So far, this appears to be going well. Similar set ups to online course I have taken in the past - towards a better carrot; or to not get stuck by a sharper stick.

I should think that some students would use me as an internet service provider and chat on facebook, and play online poker, if they showed up at all. As long as they hand in their work on time, I'm not concerned with how or where they get their work done, right? I think some students would fritter their time away, thinking I was an idiot until the timing caught up with them; then they'd be removed. If any piece of work is late, it is not accepted and they would have to withdraw from the course. I've had to withdraw from a course as I was too stupid to realize that I would have no time to get work done. Basically, I ran out of time every day until it was too late.

Some students would take advantage of the system, using their time semi-wisely. Looking at things they like, all the time getting a little of the work done each day. Small incremental steps towards getting the work in on time. They'd be the ones showing up "late" and leaving "early" in order to get some work done on days that it suits them. I've been successful at doing this several times in online courses, and at other times in my life.

Some students would get the work done quickly, having the work done way ahead of time and then sitting on it until it was due, or try to hand the work in early. I think I've done this once or twice in online courses, for a few assignments. I don't think most people work this way.

How might a system like this be used in a traditional classroom? I think teachers, by reason of the collective agreement, would show up to work the same ways, be in the classrooms/learning environments already established and students would appear during general business hours and at certain times. Accountability, right?

I think this is the method that the Gary Allen centre uses... however, a lot of personal anecdotal evidence does not help me think that students switch over to a new way of thinking, being stuck in that first group, listed above.

I think that Daniel Pink might say they have not yet been engaged; that they see autonomy as being something along the lines of freedom to do nothing. Which, I'm sorry to say, gets one nowhere except removed from a ROWE classroom and back into a carrot and stick one.

So .. how does one teach that ROWE can work in a classroom ... I mean I think that should be the first lesson; "I don't care what you do, as long as the assignments are complete and done to the best of your ability - anything less will not be rewarded with autonomy." As Pink says ... "extrinsic motivators vs intrinsic motivators ..."

Whoa. Game changer

This one caught me unexpectedly.

No more actual dead trees in my classroom.

Whoa.