Classroom management/ Instructional use

[V. Saenz]

I teach middle school Orchestra.  I was very excited about being able to take care of attendance while in front of my class.  My computer access is limited when in front of the class since my office is separate from my classroom.  Because attendance has to be entered during a specific window of time, I tend to have trouble with getting it taken at the right time.  I usually get my lesson/rehearsal going and forget all about it until class is over.  I thought that being able to take it with the iPad then and there would save me time and facilitate things, however, we've been discouraged from using it for attendance because it won't post in time.  I'm not sure if the problem is server speed or what, but I'm dissappointed this didn't work out.
On another topic, being a music teacher, I require "extra" technology to use in conjuction with the iPad to amplify the sound so that it can be heard over our sound as a group and project images on a screen.  Since this extra equipment is expensive, my campus administrators haven't been too eager to offer to supply it.  I am slowly trying to accumulate the required equipment through Fine Arts budget, but that could take several years.  I am limited in using this tool in the best way for my type of class.

[dldrapes]

the ipad is definitely a quick reference resource. Its portability is ready quite handy.

[HOSA Nerd]

I am a proud member of the Warrior family and I teach the Health Science program which includes the clinical classes, Med Term for dual-credit and the Pharmacy Technician program. But I am a little embarrassed to say that Technology was NEVER my best friend; and I as many McAllen ISD employees was VERY reluctant in working with something "new" which meant having to "change" the way I normally did things. To many, change can be a bad thing; but I have discovered in this last school year that changing my instruction using the iPads has cut my paper work nearly 100%!! Nearly all of my students have access to their iPads and we have gone completely electronic- which is exactly the trend in healthcare today. Paper patient Records are a thing of the past, and Electronic Patient Records are becoming common place in the workforce and CHANGE was a HUGE struggle for them as well. My goal is to prepare my students to be completely confident with the application of the iPads and technology in general to be competitive in a technology-driven medical workforce.



I invite you to join Edmodo, the greatest teacher's resource you could have. It is a whole new way to teach and manage your classes and I can almost bet that it will completely transform your classroom and hopefully your personal life. It has the same format as Facebook which makes it easier for students to identify and the teacher has TOTAL control of the classroom accounts. All assignments are posted and graded on Edmodo. All quizzes and major assessments are done on Edmodo; and they are even graded for you on Edmodo! I am currently looking for apps that could allow me to integrate the use of the iPads with my new Promethean board so we could really immerse ourselves in the lesson with just a touch of a finger. Ask to join my group and I will be happy to share what I am doing with you. Have a great rest-of-the-year...and HAVE A GREAT SUMMER! -Miles N Smiles-

[mbj]

My recommendation is: We take a step back and before the start of the next school year all teacher get trained on how to use the IPad for the real reason it was handed out.
Do we have out subject books on line? How do I prepare my class subject teaching for my classes using the IPad?
Can we block all sites (games,facebook, etc)except those we need for class teaching?
Everyone try to use the same programs, so they can also communicate wthin their departments.

The attendance is great, but connections are difficult.

[C. Carranza]

I think that giving teachers training on using the iPads and classroom management is a great idea? There's been situations where students have taken inappropriate pictures of the teacher and posting on facebook.

I think we should block sites and games. It should be for school use only. I've seen iPads with literally about a hundred games and no educational apps. In Irving ISD, students receive a laptop for instructional use only and are not allowed to use the laptop for personal use (download music, games or personal programs). The district pushes the programs that students need. We should look at going that route.

[DC]

The need for devices like the iPad is not going away. How we use them and how we manage them are going to be key the success of this program.
We've seen some great applications.
One is the Health Science program mentioned above.
Also, our students are no longer dependent on access to computers or the library for research. They can access great resources in the school's virtual library.
The librarians can bring the lessons to the classrooms.
English teachers are reading class sets of books in ebook format.
Eventually our kids will have all of their textbooks downloaded onto their devices.