I don't know if I'm alone here, but somehow I don't think so. Unfortunately, I have not been able to use my iPod Touch in any classroom except for the purpose of recording conferences and interviews. For these purposes, the iPod Touch has been a great assistant. It's fantastic to actually get to engage in talking with students rather than being bogged down by note-taking.
Nevertheless, I have not used any of the apps or other features with my students. I think the main reason behind this is that with only 1 iPod Touch available, it is impossible to have our students engage in this style of learning. I could demonstrate with it under the doc cam, but a computer does the same job, only better.
Consequently, my opinion about the use of iPod Touches to assist with differentiated instruction has not changed since my first post on this topic. I still think that there is a lot of potential for these devices to assist in learning; but, because I haven't seen this technology in action, I have not developed any more specific ideas or questions about using iPod Touches for differentiated instruction.
One theoretical question that I have is about where the line is drawn between complex instruction and differentiated instruction when it comes to utilizing technology. Is the benefit of the personalized instruction provided by each student having an iPod Touch worth the minimization of group work that results? Would a different tool (such as a laptop, with a bigger screen) lend itself better to fostering social and emotional learning? This makes me wonder whether or not iPod Touches are the best available technological tool for enhancing classroom learning.
Your thoughts on the iPod Touch echo mine. I haven't yet seen how my Touch could be brought into my main placement for differentiated instruction and used with success. Still, I recognize the potential.
ReplyDeleteYour final question is interesting. In a book I am reading about teaching, the author argues that we must teach with purposes: a content purpose, a language purpose, and a social purpose. With all of our work in math quarter, we've been told over and over about the importance of collaborative learning for knowledge construction. Still, if we sit each kid down with a device, we've potentially eliminated our social purpose and deprived our students of the opportunity to learn from peers. (A bit overdramatic, but you get the idea!)
why would a child have to be using it alone, unless he or she was working on a skill/drill app? How could you imagine using these collaborative/
ReplyDeleteLet's not think either/ or. Kids need group and individual time in school, right? So what are they doing in all those times when they are on their own or in a very small group, problem solving, building, creating, communicating with others outside the classroom?