iPad trial
We are about to acquire a small number of iPads and will run a trial across one senior and one junior class. We are considering things to measure and record. We want data/ info which might help us access funding for more devices. Advice wanted. What have other people used?
Replies
- Tania (View all users posts) 08 Aug 2012 12:52pm ()
Hi Danella,
I am working with a early childhood centre who are investigating how they can utilise the iPads to engage children in literacy experiences. This has come from the teachers noticing that boys in particular, were not engaging with literacy experiences on a regular basis. The data they are collecting now are the incredible literacy experiences the children are involved in. These children are taking photos of their work with the iPads and/or recording their reflections/stories/ideas AND using this to create their own iBooks using a variety of apps. This is just one example. Obviously important to think about what you want to self review as a team. What is the purpose of the iPads. I think it is vitally important to encourage creativity with the iPad - LOVE apps that encourage this kind of learning and the ability to share the creations
Have you looked at the Victoria Department of Education iPad Trial? - Tessa Gray (View all users posts) 08 Aug 2012 12:58pm ()
Kia orana Danella, what a great question. You are not alone here, other community members are diving into using a 'teaching as inquiry' focus to trial apps and digital tools to impact on target learners. For example, Josie Woon might be someone you'd like to connect with to investigate this further as she has collected data to inform the board about the impact of iPads in her classroom.
There are also some great home-grown converstions about iPads in the following thread @ /pg/threaded_forums/26613/ about effective ways of using Ipads in the classroom. In that forum, there was a reference made to 21 steps for planning, preparing, implementing and evaluating iPads and linked to an IPad trial in Australia (sorry not NZ) - where 10 schools were trialing iPads. Their case-studies can be accessed here. http://www.ipadsforeducation.vic.edu.au/ipad-education-case-studies.
There are also references to iPad roll out and trialing of iPads in the group Bookmarks.
• Tara Fagan bookmarked, The iPad as a tool for Education which references research looking at one UK school 1:1 trial of iPads. Some interesting stats around use of iPads across curriculum, use, technical aspects etc.
• Teachers guide on the use of Ipad in education - makes links to research in America as well as, Reasons why iPad is important in education and how to integrate iPads into your classroom.
Teaching as Inquiry
There might be some 'food for thought' in these references. For example, if we know what we are trying to achieve (targeted student learning outcomes), in different curriculum areas, with links to Key Competencies, thinking skills, digital literacies - then we might be able to turn these goals into measurable areas to focus on for a teaching inquiry. A question might be, How can we improve oral literacy with a focus on culture, language and identity - for our Māori boys using apps on the iPad?
This process may include a template, such as the one Suzie Vesper has uploaded recently for teachers to use and modify -Template for teacher inquiries incorporating eLPF.
- Amanda (View all users posts) 09 Aug 2012 8:20pm ()
Hi Danella,
The Canby project is a great one to have a look into as well. They are iPod touch based but some great info and data.
http://learninginhand.com/blog/ipod-touch-in-canby-school-district.html
http://wiki.canby.k12.or.us/groups/ipodusergroup/weblog/6a110/Student_Achievement_Data_20092010.html
- Tessa Gray (View all users posts) 10 Aug 2012 10:39am ()
Kia ora Danella, you might also be interested in a detailed reflective summary from the Kura Iwa Cluster, which outlines their 'teaching as inquiry' focus on Using the iPad to support differentiated learning.
This includes some pedagogy-driven questions to guide the inquiry process as well as some examples (video and images) to capture differentiated learning outcomes.
Whai i te ra pai, Tess:-)
- Danella Smallridge (View all users posts) 10 Aug 2012 8:54pm ()
Thanks for all these great leads to follow up.
- Tessa Gray (View all users posts) 14 Aug 2012 12:10pm ()
Kia ora tatou, there's always something popping up on the horizon with iPads in education. One interesting read is the evidence and results of iPads for junior up to senior college students in, iPads in the Classroom are Changing the Face of Education and a very NEW thread which has started this week, iPads in education | An Enabling e-Learning event.
You can jump into the iPad thread and ask a few questions or share progress towards your iPad trial if you like
. 
Andrew L (View all users posts) 16 Aug 2012 8:34am ()Hi Daniella. We haven't purchased any ipads yet, but we recently got a $20K grant from the Lion Foundation, which we were really rapped with. They meet every 2nd month. We've had success with them before in 2010 with $13K, which we used for data projectors & mimios.
- Karen Spencer (View all users posts) 22 Aug 2012 12:02pm ()
Hi Danella and all,
This is a question that many schools are grappling with, especially in terms of accountability to the BoT, not to mention accountability to our students and whānau;-)
I am sharing a blog post that I recently wrote after another (closed) VLN discussion, which was on the topic of assessing the impact of technologies in school:
>>> How to assess the impact of ICTs in learning?
An inquiry process, as Tessa say, would be the best way to approach this - and the data (student voice as Tanai suggests, observation, activity log, lesson design.....etc) should combine to create a rich, thick description of what happened and why.
Does that help?
- Jane Armstrong Bos (View all users posts) 23 Aug 2012 3:00pm ()
You might find the rubric in this blog post, PLSA and tablets useful for organising some of your criteria of things to measure and record.
