http://www.naace.co.uk/publications/longfieldipadresearch
In 2011, there was a study done at Longfield Academy in Kent, England to find the benefits of using an iPad as an educational tool for students ages 11-18. The majority of students were issued iPads, with a small percentage of students using other devices. The results were overwhelming, demonstrating the great value of iPads in the classroom. Most teachers regularly used the iPads in their teaching. There was a high demand from students to use them more. Teachers saw a decline in workload and cost. Students were more motivated when using an iPad, and the quality of student work was rising.
The study also identified how iPads were mostly being used. English, Math, and Science were the subject areas that most utilized the iPads during lessons. And teachers most used them for activities like online research, mind mapping, and creating presentations. Both teachers and students responded to a survey very positively about the use of iPads being very useful to their teaching and learning. Students responded that they wanted to more from their iPads and indicated that they thought it would be great to incorporate more activities like photography, making videos/movie, taking tests on their tablets, designing games, and more.
This study does not surprise me one bit. iPads CAN be a great tool in the classroom, and we know that kids LOVE them. They can make your life easier, and the product that you get from iPads when finished with projects and activities are very rewarding. I do wonder though (being that this study was done in 2011) if any of that excitement has worn off. New is exciting, and this was a new school at that. We all know that new wears off, so I wonder if these results would still be the same today???
In my district, at least in the 2 schools where I teach, each classroom has 5 iPads and the same holds true that they are probably used mostly for Language/Reading, and Math. Unfortunately, I feel that a majority of the time, they are primarily used for just playing games and not for creating presentations, or much higher level thinking type activities. Part of this comes from (again) the fact that there has been no professional development or presentations on how to incorporate higher level lessons using the iPads. I am not sure that this will change much though, unless somebody finds another couple of hours to add to our days:). There is a lot expected out of teachers and not much time to accomplish those tasks already!
I agree with Amy that iPads can be great tools in the classroom if used appropriately. The problem lies with the lack of training our teachers receive when it comes to technology. What is the answer?
ReplyDeleteI really connected with your last sentence, Amy. My school has implemented the iPad as our 1:1 device for our students. They can be a very effective tool in the classroom if the teacher is trained and supportive of their use. A device program can quickly crash and burn if the staff (teachers) don't, as a whole, buy into the program. I have learned that for students to see worth in the tool, I must spend time training them on how to use it. The same for teachers. For them to see worth in the tool, districts must spend the time to train them effectively. How teachers respond to the tool often affects how students respond to the tool.
ReplyDeleteI wish I had an answer for the professional development issue. Our professional development is not timely and it is not comprehensive. Much of what is intended to be taught in the use of iPads or other applications is crammed into a couple of institute days just before school starts. On a positive note, where there is a will there is a way. We have staff who will take it upon themselves to learn the technology on their own time and teach it to their students. So, Jodie's comment about teachers buying in is crucial.
ReplyDeleteAs a teacher who used a classroom set of iPads, I can tell you that student excitement has not dwindled. Students often told me that it felt different to do work on an iPad, as it made the classroom content more tactile or physical. In a classroom with a majority of students lacking motivation, students were more engaged on their iPads than on laptops or PCs. Some of the kids were more motivated to fix a problem when something went wrong because they felt like they could use their expertise to help solve the problem, rather than wait for the teacher to correct it. I had some students disappointed when the learned they would be using PCs and not iPads in my class the following year. Something about the iPad helps draw their attention.
ReplyDeleteI agree that training is an issue in most districts, but "30 minutes a couple of times a month..." :) Seriously, though, when I saw the date of the study, my first thought was, "Well, of course, they are excited! iPads are new!" I have, however, had the same experience as Tyler when I use them in my classroom. Even my seniors this year have been excited to use them. Could one of the reasons they are more engaged using the iPads be because the user interface is so similar to their smartphones, so they feel they are using the newest tech, rather than the old laptops or desktop computers interface? Even the Chromebooks are still "old" tech when it comes to the user interface.
ReplyDeleteThats interesting Tyler that the engagement due to the "Ipadness" does not decay after becoming used to it. I would have assumed it would as they become more used to them. I know I would love to have them in a math classroom. It is incredibly difficult to input math equations into computer program, but with the touch screen of an Ipad it makes showing complicated math equations very easy, just like writing it on paper. With a digital copy it is much harder for students to lose their work or completely destroy it in their bookbag.
ReplyDeleteHmm..."Ipadness" I like that! :) This may sound silly, but I notice when one of my first or second graders use the iPad in my reading group-they love to be able to "spread" out or lay on the floor to use it. I think for the younger kids, (older too?) they like the mobility of the device and being able to carry it to me or their classroom teacher or their class to show something they did right away! I would really like to use my iPad (I only have one to use between two schools) for more projects other than playing games. That is one of my goals this year...the list keeps getting longer!!! Yikes.
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