John Hendron

Director of Innovation and Strategy

iPod

Gary on Apps…

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As we explore the potential of mobile devices in our schools, I’d like to point out Dr. Stager’s thinking (via @beacantor):

> Pretending that artificial intelligence has advanced to the point where competent teachers may be replaced by apps is at best wishful thinking, regardless of what the vendors tell you. I am saddened most by educational technology enthusiasts advocating uses of computers that reinforce the worst aspects of schooling.

I want teachers to know that when I am choosing which apps go onto our devices, I am specifically avoiding certain kinds. I’ve gone so far to install some drill-type apps that I think have at least some merit. But I am far more interested in the higher-order possibilities, and that’s why we’ve installed the likes of Garage Band and iMovie on almost every device.

Dr. Stager is concerned about software where no new knowledge is created, and I know that in some cases, some of the titles we have can provide that “feature,” a case being “Stack the States,” which is also mentioned by Ms. Davis in the article. If I don’t know where the states belong, and I put them in the wrong spot, I’ll eventually figure it out.

We’re still early in the development of mobility devices, and I believe it’s critical to approach them slowly enough to choose the right experiences for our students (with the best software) which will include patience as the better stuff is developed.

Learning in Hand

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Today I had the pleasure of visiting Ms. Karen McTameney’s classroom at GES, one of our iLearn teachers, exploring the use of iPod Touch devices in the classroom.

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Her project is to have students work in groups to teach others lessons. As instructional designers, they must include the use of the iPod, using web sites or apps. The group I saw today was focused on science SOLs and used a variety of apps, including the Google App, Dragon Dictation, and DoodleDraw. This is real G21! The skill of teaching others is a complex task, a real twenty-first century skill. It was awesome to see students applying what McTamaney had told them about educational theory!

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Students in the teaching group did an excellent job as running the classroom as teachers. They even included a pop quiz! The entire class did an excellent job using the devices in a number of ways, always paying attention to using the devices safely and carefully. This was model use of instructional technology!

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As I reflect on how these devices are being used in classrooms here in Goochland and across the country, two patterns emerge. Some teachers use the devices simply for the software: they are using the devices solely for the apps for practice, reading, etc. In my exposure towards today’s project, I saw the second pattern at play: the iPods were used seamlessly for a variety of activities, from reading source content (about matter and energy), then as a reflection tool (students were to draw an example of a science concept). This second approach is perhaps more innovative, using the devices where they best fit into enhancing and informing learning.

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Bravo to Ms. McTamaney and her students!!

New Board Policy

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Our school board passed a new policy relating to the loan of equipment that’s electronic. This includes things like iPods or a laptop computer.

This does not indicate that we plan on a one-to-one initiative or that students will be able to borrow iPods from our media centers. However, should a teacher want a student to use a piece of electronic equipment outside of the classroom (to interview someone, let’s say), we now have a policy that can make that possible.

The new policy is #IIBEA-P, and can be found on our website.

U.S. Military Using iPhones

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Newsweek had an interesting story about the U.S. Military using Apple’s iPhone OS for doing things like defusing bombs through iPhone-controlled robots and tracking video from drone airplanes.

Over the past month I’ve deployed three iPod touches to teachers in the county–as an experiment–to see what they could do with the device. We didn’t have the budget the Army had for deploying customized applications, but with all the thousands that are available, you’re bound to find something that you can use.

iPod Touch in Education

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I recently read with great interest in Assorted Stuff about another Virginia school district’s musing of using a relatively new tool in schools, the iPod Touch. For those not familiar, the iPod Touch (sometimes in these parts simply called an iTouch) is Apple’s most advanced iPod. It contains an iPhone-style touch screen, runs most all of the same software as the iPhone, but lacks a couple of the iPhone’s features. Since its introduction, Apple has released one revision that introduced sound-input via a corded microphone.

Tim’s experience is with a district far larger than our own, and I laughed outloud when I read their network guys see “thousands” of these on their network in a given day. Since they have WiFi, the iPod Touch is a very capable Internet-enabled tool. It has with it the world’s best mobile browser (Safari), plus a number of capable applications (from weather reports, movie listings, Wikipedia browsers, and of course, e-mail).

Internally, we have been thinking about the iPod Touch and its use in the classroom as well. You know, it wasn’t designed for education. But hearing one of the keynote speakers at the EdTech conference earlier this month, he put me at ease with that. “No one is going to design something just for education. It’s designed for the consumer, but coupled with your creativity, many of these tools can have a place inside the school.” Okay, he didn’t say that specifically, but that was the gist.

I have real concerns about management. But I also have concerns about how we all view these devices before we even think about deploying them. Tim’s advice of seeking input from teachers and students in addition to IT staff will be paramount to doing it right. Are they computer replacements? And if you can do everything with a laptop that you can do with an iPod Touch, isn’t the laptop the better tool? What’s the advantage of iPod Touch?

I foresee the iPod Touch as an alternative tool: we have to stop thinking about “what can I do with a laptop” and focus more on instructional design. In some scenarios where you might want to use a laptop, the iPod Touch would be a viable alternative. The iPod is good for looking things up, and consuming “content” (e.g. podcasts, video). The laptop is superior at communication and collection (i.e., writing, recording audio, broadcasting video). If you want a one tool fits all, the laptop wins. If you want to diversify your budget spending with more tools then the iPod Touch might be a possibility.

The real power is working with students to empower them to be responsible for their own learning and knowing. Having the Web in your pocket is powerful stuff, if you know how to use it effectively. But it also begs the question of having to memorize facts, figures, and dates–still mainstays in today’s education. When so many answers to questions live in your pocket, what’s next?

I feel the tools have arrived before we’re all ready for them, but I look forward to where the tools will evolve next. What we really can’t do is just wait around and miss the opportunities that these tools present in helping students become better problem solvers, managers of knowledge, and creative thinkers.