I am a reader and can get my information from some fairly dense text. But sometimes coming straight to the point is effective — as long as I can determine where to get more! I have little respect for “opinions” based on lists or quickly info graphs. That being said, I still LOVE info graphs and love the way they summarize the important points.
Here is a point that stood out to me from Speak Up linked here
According to their website, The Speak Up National Research Project provides participating schools, districts and non-profit organizations with a suite of online surveys and reports to collect authentic feedback from students, educators and parents. In addition, we summarize and share the national findings with education and policy leaders in Washington DC and your state.
Goodbye 1:1 really hits home for me. We are so fortunate to have 1:1 iPads for the students of our school. Students benefit so much from this tool (isn’t that what edu776 is all about?).
There are some vital tasks that IPads are not effectively hitting for our students. In the library, we need to search for materials. Generally, once students have Defined Their Topic, they Identify and Search for resources. Books are first. Students are taught to bring their IPads with them whenever they come to the library for print materials. Generally effective searching can take place with a few students. But when a sizable number are searching, the IPads will not load. Last year we tried the app with not improvement.
Time is tight and frustration runs high. Laptops keep going away! I try to grab a dozen when I am having a class in for research. Resistance is high to make those available to the LLC for research. Who’s the expert when it comes to effective searching for resources? The librarian.
Let’s listen to the students! It seems that Speak Up already did that. Different tasks = different tools. And all those tasks do not involve watching videos and playing games.
Actually, I prefer my personal reading on a tablet. But take a look at this article on Pew Internet.
Different Tasks = Different Tools
Different tools are definitely better for different tasks. Keyboarding skills, for example, suffer on an iPad unless there is an attached keyboard. Also, give time for a student to write with a low tech, #2 pencil, as fine motor skills only develop with practice. As for reading, give me a book any day over reading on a screen. The light gets to me after too long. I embrace technology, but still hold on to the basic joys of drawing and reading on paper!
ReplyDeleteI agree! I am frustrated to see the kids using iPads when they cannot type effectively on them. Different tools for different jobs makes a lot of sense to me.
ReplyDeleteSounds like this might be an infographic to share with your administration. If they were forward thinking enough to send your faculty to graduate school they might listen and bring back some laptops! At the very least, Connie maybe you can sway them for a cart of Chromebooks for the library!
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