Creative use of tablets in school
European Schoolnet Academy Course
Introduction
Tablets with their simple interface, portability, speed, affordability and their variety of apps are quickly moving into schools across Europe and a growing number of teachers are experimenting with tablets or are interested in doing so.
However, most of us are faced with the same questions: What rules do I need to set for the use of tablets in class? How do I deal with related administrative and technical issues? How can tablets support innovative approaches such as personalized or collaborative learning? This course does not only provide guidance on these topics but also provides a forum for you to exchange with your peers on these questions.
First two weeks
SHOW MUST GO ON
Videoconference on webex
1st Live Webinar: Parental involvement and tablets
Three teachers involved in the Creative Classrooms Lab project will be reporting about their experience of involving parents in the tablet implementation process. Use this opportunity to learn more about this important topic and ask your questions to these experienced teachers.
Wednesday, Apr 22, 2015, 06:00 PM
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Good resource/ 23rd April
Example of using QRs in an eTwinning project
Using amara to translate a video
Nice surprise/ 27th April
MODULE 3
3.2 Forming Groups for Group Work
How do you form groups of students for group work and why do you take this approach? Based on your experience what strategies of forming groups work and which do not work? Why? Share your ideas on these questions here.
I use a nice tool to form groups, to make the process funnier, usually a tool from the http://www.classtools.net/ collection, the Random Name Picker. After dividing them in groups, they can choose their role inside the group, according to their interests.
3.3 School-to-school collaboration with tablets
We know many of you on the course are already etwinners, so take this opportunity to share your successful school-to-school collaboration projects here, in particular if they involved tablets. And even if you are no etwinner yet, what do you think are the success factors for a school-to-school collaboration project?
I have a great slogan for the success of an eTwinning project: ”Divide the tasks and multiply the success”. That includes a good planning in advance, in termes of what, when, where and how. But we also need to allow everybody to work in their own pace, helping eachother when needed. I put here one example, because it made use of a lot of useful apps: smore, amara, voicethread, micromob, padlet, skype, issuu, slideshare, QRs and so on... https://www.smore.com/t0dp-our-ideal-european-neighbour
3.4 Apps for collaborative learning
Share any apps for collaborative learning here.
Storybird lets anyone make visual stories in seconds. It curates artwork from illustrators and animators around the world and inspires writers of any age to turn those images into fresh stories. This one is made with Evi from Greece for an eTw LE, Creative writing. It has a sentence about tablets, too! :-) https://storybird.com/books/santa-2020-part-3/My badges until now :-)
27th April Webinar
Live Webinar & Case Study: Assessment of group work with tablets.
Monday, Apr 27, 2015, 05:00 PM
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Tools for assessing collaboration
Thinglink and tricider webinar
The European network of eTwinning ambassadors is organising a series of interactive webinars about the use of different tools. During the 3rd webinar, Emma Giurlani and Carla Stella are going to present the tools: Tricider and Thinglink. During the webinar you will try the tools and learn how to embed them in the TwinSpace. You will be invited in the TwinSpace and be sent the information you need.
Monday, Apr 27, 2015, 08:00 PM
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My first tricision
My first thinglink
Zucker badge
Nice resourse 28th April
Yeeey!
Visibility of eTwinning projects newsletter
module 4
4.2 Personalising learning with tablets
Tablets and Personalisation
In both videos there are some concrete examples how the tablets have been used to personalise the learning and make the students more independent such as through using Aurasma for instructional videos and Edmodo for independently accessing information. What other ways can you think of how tablets can be used to personalise the learning experience of your students?
For me, as a Science teacher, a good idea seems using KWL creator for individualised learning.
K-W-L charts have been widely used to help students by organizing what they know (K) and want to learn (W) before they read and then reflecting on what they learned (L).
This interactive tool is equipped with the worksaver functionality so that students can save their work at different stages in the K-W-L process. Users have the ability to embed text links, giving an extra level of interaction and explanation so students can show their examples of their knowledge. http://www.readwritethink.org/files/resources/interactives/kwl_creator/
4.4 Introduction to the flipped classroom
Flipping the Classroom
Have you tried out the flipped classroom model already? If so, share your experiences here. You've never heard of the model before but are curious to try it out? How would you start to implement it in your school and classroom context?
I have experimented this method in a Physics lesson about I will tell you more in my Lesson Plan. But I used it in Etwinning projects, too! The teams were invited to research about different features regarding EU, post their presentations inside twinspace, then, after studying their peers ones, they should answer a questionaire on voicethread. https://voicethread.com/share/4255124/
To implement it at a class level in Romania it would be a bit difficult, it won't look like working for parents, they would simply see teachers as being *lazy*, trying to avoid traditional teaching. :-(
4.5 Flipping the classroom with tablets
Challenges of the Flipped Classroom
After watching how Monica set herself up for the flipped classroom and hearing about other CCL teacher's experiences, what do you think are the key challenges to implementing the model in classrooms?
I think in my case there would be two challenges:
- parents who will see flipped classroom as a reason for me to hang around and do nothing for the *huge* salary I am paid.
- the wifi connection who could be to week to support the tablets for the whole class.
I found this text written online by another teacher: *Yesterday I was not a good teacher. The lesson was not inspiring; it was not empowering to my students. They did not become awesome creators of amazing digital content. It just didn't happen. The wifi was weak. There wasn't enough to carry all 24 iPads as we tried to get Drive and Docs set up on the 4th grade iPads. There was also just enough wifi that I wouldn't give up on the effort and move on to plan B, C, or D.* http://www.mypaperlessclassroom.com/2014/09/when-wifi-doesnt-work.html
4.6 Apps for personalized learning and flipping the classroom
Apps and Tools for Personalisation and Flipping the Classroom
Share any other apps and tools you know about for personalisation and flipping the classroom
My collection of apps used in eTwinning projects. http://www.pearltrees.com/t/samples-etwinning-work/id5493645
Bye(for now)!
What an adventure it was! Finally managed to receive one review, delivered two of them and got my final badge!!! Thanks everybody, it was a honour and a priviledge to meet you during this great course! It will take me more time from now on to surf all the LDs, we have something to learn from each and every one!