I’ve been thinking a lot lately about iPads, Chromebooks, Android
Tablets, and Linux laptops. In planning the next 5 years of technology
in my school district, I know it will be mobile, but what device should
I be thinking about? And then I noticed something very curious about the
iPad and how people interact with it.

In the past, when I’ve done professional development, there would always
be some participants that would question the complexity. “Why are there
so many steps?” “I’ll never remember all these!” Now with iPad training,
I very seldom hear these comments. In fact, with all the hoops one must
jump through on the iPad to do some tasks, people almost seem to enjoy
it. These are the same people that would be overwhelmed with the
complexity of doing the same task under desktop operating systems.

Is this the epiphany that techies are missing? A device that defies
our expectations of technology? The iPad with its touch and non-window
interface turns the last 20 years of technology use on its head. For the
first time in 15 years, people are realizing that they can use a
computing platform that doesn’t have Microsoft Office on it.

I’m reminded of a situation when I first bought the Nintendo Wii. At the
time, motion control was brand new, and I was playing my brother in a
first person shooter. He couldn’t quite get the hang of using the
controller, preferring wild swings instead of using the controller with
style and finesse. It was the first new gaming interface he had used
since the analog stick was added to the Nintendo 64 and he was
struggling. It seems we get too comfortable with what we know, instead
of pushing through to see what we can do.

These same discussions are taking place with the new interface of
Windows 8. People are lamenting the loss of the desktop, even as
Microsoft assures them that the desktop will still be there when using
Windows 8 on a desktop or laptop computer. It’s funny in a way, I
remember these same arguments when the switch from Microsoft DOS to
Microsoft Windows was taking place. The writing is on the wall for the
desktop metaphor. People don’t want to manually manage their
documents anymore. Or the apps. And most importantly, their
computer. They want to use it to get stuff done, and they’ve found that
the iPad allows them to do it.

As districts buy more and more iPads will the new paradigm of touch
computing with a tablet be the future?

 

I’ve had the new iPad for 24 hours, and it has already ruined me for all
other displays. I noticed it yesterday, as I was working on my 24″
1920×1080 monitor at school. It just looks bad after using the new iPad.

As an upgrade to the iPad 1, the new iPad is a no brainer upgrade. The
speed is amazing, but it’s the display that is the future. I don’t even
want to use my 11″ Air anymore.

You can read more in-depth reviews from around the web, so I’m going to
try to pull out the little bits that may not be covered but I feel are
important:

• The #1 feature is the display, 2058×1536 in a 9.7″ package is just
  amazing. This is the highest resolution screen I’ve ever used, and
  text looks as good as e-ink on it.
• Speed of the device is a substantial improvement over the iPad 1 or
  iPhone 4. I haven’t used the iPad 2 or the iPhone 4S enough to
  compare the two.
• iPhone/iPod Touch apps at 2x use retina resolutions for the devices,
  giving the apps a more pleasant display. If you are running an iPad
  that is already jailbroke, there are apps to allow you to do this
  with the older devices.
• I’m using my ZAGG/mate bluetooth keyboard from my iPad 1 on it. The
  new iPad is very loose in the keyboard case, but it’s useable.

If you’re still rocking an iPad 1, it’s pretty much a no brainer to
upgrade. The decision from an iPad 2 is better left for others to help
you decide.

By the way, the Apple Store online has refurbished iPad 1s for \$299
right now.

 

[][]

Slides: Beyond Paperless – eTech 2012(pdf)

Audio: Beyond Paperless – eTech 2012

[]: https://ryancollins.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/2012-02-13-at-10.19.33.jpg

One of the first accessories I purchased with the original iPad was the
Apple Bluetooth Keyboard. I had grand plans of replacing my laptop with
the iPad. That didn’t happen, Apple introduced the MacBook Air and I was
hooked, but I still held onto the BT keyboard.

Lately, I’ve been using it with my iPhone when I’m out and don’t have
access to wifi. It works ok, but I was getting tired of constantly
moving the iPhone, trying to get it in a good place to use it with the
keyboard. I started looking online for solutions, since there were a ton
of iPad cases with BT keyboards, I was hoping there would be something
for the iPhone. It was then I stumbled across the Wingstand.
Consisting of two pieces of plastic, it can be used with or without the
BT keyboard to prop up your phone or tablet. It’s not Apple specific. At
\$14.95 shipped it seems a little pricey for a couple pieces of plastic,
but it is made here in the USA and it does work really well. I’m typing
this post with my BT keyboard and using the iPhone (unfortunately I have
to use the iPhone in the portrait orientation since the WordPress app
doesn’t appear to switch to landscape). My original iPad fits with the
Apple case on, and so does my HP Touchpad.

If you are going to use an external keyboard with your iPhone or iPad,
this might be an inexpensive way to work. Let me know if there are any
other solutions I’ve missed in the comments!

Madison Local School District
Ohio School Public Relations Association

AJ Huff – Coordinator of school community public relations

The Senior Experience
– class

What
– 21st century teaching and learning
– language arts credit
– students apply, 6 students in class
– blog about their senior year.
– Also go to the other buildings
– They get a MacBook
– Digital camera this year
– Taught to be responsible with social media
– Real life experience. Work in the administration offices during class
period

Student videos

The project is the 4 Cs.

Why did we need the senior experience?
– additional help
– Social media experience
– Main Street Madison – parent lead public forum. People were visiting
it for information instead of going to the school’s website.

The plan:
– First year the students were hand picked for the pilot.
– Wanted it to be part of the main website
– want video and pictures in the blog
– promoting the seniors
– highlight videos

How is it evaluated
– Students are earning language arts credit
– students still have to take senior English
– problem based learning
– website hits
– a lot less misconceptions posted on main street Madison
– track top pages on site, blogs are consistently in the top 10

People do want to hear about the academics

Risks
– safety: signed aup, contract, loan agreement for equipment,
– Money: permanent improvement funds,
– Responsibility: AJ Huff

“Don’t be afraid to take risks, especially smart ones. ” – Steve Jobs

Q: did you have to turn people away the 2nd year?
A: received a list of 40 recommendations from the English dept.
Widdowed it down to 20, then discussed with the principal. 12 were asked
to apply, of which 10 did.

Q: comments are blocked on the blogs, what about the FB page?
A: FB page is new, but hopefully can turn negative comments to
positive.

Q: Any plans to open it to others?
A: not at this time

Q: How did you come up with 6?
A: Original plan was they would be paired, because they work
unsupervised in the office.

Q: How will you use Facebook?
A: Ultimate goal is to still drive traffic back to the website.

Q: How often do the students post?
A: In the beginning they tried 1 to 2 times a week, but that became an
issue with all the other projects. Now it’s around once every 7-10 days.

Q: How do you handle their personal FB pages?
A: That’s really outside of the jurisdiction of the school.

Q: How much do you change their articles?
A: Quick edits, try not to change the message. Did have a problem with
one post, student talked about the whole family going to Florida for
spring break.

Q: Controversal issues in the school?
A: Situation hasn’t come up

Pandora Gilboa Local Schools
R. Todd Schmutz – Superintendent
Dr. Gene Lloyrd – Director of Technology

As part of the project the student get to keep the machine when they
graduate from school.

The netbooks weren’t powerful enough, so now they’ve moved to more
robust laptops.

How the idea was born
– Textbook costs and weight in book bags
– Utilize 21st century learning skills and tools

Need for change
– Only 28% of Ohio students (2011) who took the ACT met all four
college readiness benchmarks
– 1968 Divergent Thinking Study by George Land – Created tests to
identify geniuses.
? example question: How many uses of a a paperclip? 10 is normal, 200
is genius
?? 3-5 year olds, 98% genius
?? 8-10 year olds 30%
?? 13-15 year olds 12%
?? Adults (31 year average) 2%
?? (The same group of students)

Finite curriculum that we assess with a series of multiple choice
questions.

Need to focus on how we are teaching students, we currently focus too
much on the what.

Educators spend too much of their class time transferring knowledge.
Then assign homework to be completed when the teacher isn’t around.

If you’re using the iPad in the same way you used the textbook, you
haven’t fundamentally changed the delivery of content.

Flip the classroom
– Transfer knowledge is the homework
– Class time is spent answering/clarifying the knowledge that was
learned for homework.

Example old lesson:
Round robin reading of the material, teacher adds their commentary
through a powerpoint, then homework is assigned.

Flipping the classroom
Transfer happens on student’s time, classwork consists of working
through questions about the material.

Barriers to flipping the classroom
– Availability and reliability of technology
– Teacher resistance to change
– The learning to read, reading to learn curve. Starting in grades >4
it’s easier to work, students can read for instruction.
– Educating parents about this chift in teaching

Advantages of flipping
– More time is spent on applied learning
– 3Cs communication, collaboration, creative thinking
– Student centered classroom

If the presentation was flipped
– Participants would have been required to watch the presentation
before hand
– Broken up into groups, watch videos of teachers in the classroom,
discuss
– Present findings to the group

Implementation
– What’s the home situation like? How many siblings share a computer?
– Ownership of the laptops, students take care of the equipment.
– Started with 8th graders
–

Q: Internet access for free/reduced?
A: Not provided.

Q: Buying textbooks?
A: Up to the textbook companies. Should they even buy textbooks?

Q: How do teachers with multiple preps do it?
A: Building it out slowly. Once it’s done, it’s done.

Where do good ideas come from?
– Does chance favor the connected mind?
– Steven Johnson video
? Recurring patterns to innovations
?? Slow hunch
??? Good ideas come from the collisions of other ideas that are
stewing
??? Tim Berners-Lee, WWW. Took ten years
??? Sometimes it takes a hunch from someone else to combine with
another hunch for the eureka moment.
? Great driver in innovations is connectivity

Important to provide
– Quality tech
– Adequate bandwidth
– Adequate tech support
? 7:15am on Tuesday, 3:15pm on Thursdays

William Daggett Rigor/Relevance Framework

Filtering
– We filter, exercise in futility
– By law, not necessary at home
– Ultrasurf: Created by the government for Egyptians to surf

Move to year round usage?

8th grade student
– Watching the lecture gives him the freedom to pause/rewatch and
repeat.
– Can just ask a question if totally lost

Science teacher
– Gives students the ability to take responsibility of their own
learning.

Some students don’t like the flipped classroom, they’re used to the
currecnt way instruction is given.

Q: How do you do teacher training
A: Training during the week. Additional training for the teachers with
classrooms that have netbooks.

Q: What do you say to someone who’s afraid of failure on the state test
due to the change in structure?
A: They’ve never had a student come back and say they didn’t do as well
on a state test, they come back and tell how much better they are at
communicating. Supt: I want to know how the students are learning, and
believes that they do well on the tests.

Q: How much time is spent on homework?
A: More time right now, as they learn, and not all teachers are doing
it yet.

Q: How are you planning on staying up with technology? Software
upgrades?
A: Cloud computing has helped.

Teachers aren’t excited about how easy it is to be fact checked. 🙂

Q: How long is a video?
A: Ten minutes average.

Q: How is video delivered?
A: Google Apps with Google Sites

Q: When they leave what happens to licenced materials?
A: District takes it off when the student leaves