OF IPADS IN THE CLASSROOM
PERCEPTIONS TEACHERS By Michael K. Barbour, MACUL Grant Recipient
In 2009-10, one of my doctoral students (Jason Siko, a science teacher at Clarkston High School) received a MACUL grant that allowed him to purchase several netbooks for his classroom. The purpose of his project was to examine what he was able to do in his science classroom when the number of students per devices was decreased, and also when the students’ ability to access the devices was increased. Based on the data collected from his students, he concluded that:
students found the netbooks useful within the classroom as a convenient way to look up information and complete assignments without having to reserve the school’s computer lab. The students also noted that the netbooks actually facilitated the use of other sources of information. In the computer lab, students disregarded sources of information such as the text, but working in a group with only one netbook between them, the students used a wide variety of sources. (Siko, 2011)
Today, iPads and other tablet devices have become the next great device to have a purported impact on classroom teaching.
The 2010-11 MACUL Grant that I was awarded was designed to purchase one iPad and one iPod Touch (along with several accessories for both devices), and supplement that number with a loan of an additional four iPads and accessories from the College of Education at Wayne State University, to develop an iterative professional development for a small group of high school science teachers on using the iPad as a tool for technology integration.
SITUATING THE IPAD AS A TEACHING TOOL According to a white paper on the effectiveness of interactive whiteboards in the K-12 classroom:
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Interactive whiteboards affect learning in several ways. They serve to raise the level of student engagement in classrooms, motivate students, and promote enthusiasm for learning. In at least one case, the addition of an interactive whiteboard positively affected student attendance. Interactive whiteboards support many different learning styles and have been successfully employed in learning environments serving visually and hearing impaired students. Research also indicates higher levels of student retention, and notes taken on an interactive whiteboard can play a key role in the student review process. In addition to a positive impact on student learning, observations also indicate that designing lessons around interactive whiteboards can help educators streamline their preparation and be more efficient in their ICT (Information and Communication Technology) integration. (SMART Technologies Inc., 2004, p. 4)
However, one of the problems with a teacher’s reliance on an interactive whiteboard is that it is a large, stationary piece of equipment; often mounted at the front of the classroom.
The nature of technology in the twenty-first century is that more powerful computing continues to become available on smaller and smaller devices. However, there are several limitations to the usefulness of current mobile devices in the K-12 classroom. One of the most common was the smallness of the devices, particularly the screen size. The iPad is the first device that provides the processing potential (and screen size) of a netbook, but the portability of a PDA or phone. This combination of computing power, size of the visual display, and mobility make the iPad an ideal classroom tool for the integration of technology into the classroom by teachers.
An iPad allows teachers to integrate technology on an individual student basis. As the teacher navigates their classroom and facilitates student learning, the iPad allows the teacher to search for resources or display a simulation or scroll to a specific section of an electronic book or website – without having to return to their desk or to the interactive whiteboard at the front of the room. Essentially, it is as if the teacher is able to tuck that electronic whiteboard underneath their arm and use it with the same mobility as a teacher would use a textbook in years past.
IMPLEMENTING THE PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT Research on the effectiveness of professional development had shown an increase in teacher learning when teachers take ownership of that professional development (Loucks- Horsley, Love, Stiles, Mundry & Hewson, 2009). As such, the initial professional development session with the teachers was designed to orient them to the device and showcase some initial science-based applications or “apps” that I had pre-loaded on their machines. Following this orientation, the teachers were given approximately four weeks to become familiar with the iPad and then suggest topics that they would like to receive additional training (e.g., both from a list of potential topics I prepared and ones they generated on their own – and most of the topics came from their own suggestions). By having teachers select and prioritize the topics for professional development surrounding the use of the iPad in the classroom
SPRING/SUMMER 2012 | MACULJOURNAL
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