Thursday, October 27, 2011

Technology Reflection: Instructional Use of iPads

Technology Reflection Assignment


Description/Experience

The technology demonstrated during the last seminar was the technology and applications used with the iPad. This was really interesting because as technology changes, so does the learning style of the student. All the students are more enthusiastic to learn when using technology because they are learning in different ways other than a lecture. My peers around me felt that students would learn a lot off of the iPad because it is a popular piece of technology that would be a great tool to reinforce the content being learned through the apps.

Application

The learners for my activity would be geared towards Elementary students around the age of first grade because they are the most technologically advanced compared to when I was a student in first grade. The age group is approximately six and seven years old. The learners will gain the understanding and comprehension of the vocabulary words used during a story they are reading during a Language Arts class. At the end of this activity, students will be able to understand the definition of the words used in the story. I will assess the students by giving them a short quiz at the end of the week. I could also assess by asking what each word meant as the class reads through the story. I will know my activity is effective when students answer the questions correctly.

The lesson will begin with introducing the story to the students. I will then hand out the list of vocabulary to the students and discuss the words to see if they already know what they mean. Then I will show the students an application on the iPad called flashcards. The students will already have the vocabulary for the unit in the application. The students will go through the flashcards for the next twenty minutes quizzing themselves on the definition. After that is done, I will pull up a game that matches the definition with the word and pictures. Following the activity, I will read through the story and ask comprehension questions when the vocabulary word comes up. As the other students finish the activity, I will have the students begin their homework, which will be create a story using all of the vocabulary terms and drawing coordinating pictures.

Reflection

The use of this technology may support my teaching strategies in this activity because the students will be actively going through and touching the screen to get a better understanding of the definition. The game will also make it fun for the student because they won’t see it as a lecture, or worksheet. The students will enjoy the touch screen and activities that go on the iPad.

The effective use of the technology may enhance the students’ understanding of the vocabulary because they are not just writing down the definition. They are doing the hands on activity with a popular device that can even be used at home. The students can use this technique on their own iPads at home to study for the weekly vocabulary quizzes the teacher distributes.

--Pedagogy-Content:

I would represent the content by using the words in sentences and explaining the definition as the class reads through the story. I will also have pictures with the word on it to help enhance their understanding. For example, if the word were apple, I would have an apple and the word on the same side of the flashcard on the iPad.

Students of different ages can also use this conception because it can be used to learn any word and study for a definition based quiz or test. I would not really be concerned with any prior knowledge of the students because they would be motivated to use the technology device to learn their words, even if they already knew the words. The only issue would be if the student does not have the iPad at home, he or she can not use this technique to study outside of the school.


--Technology-Pedagogy:

The technology would be used in my activity to help the students comprehend the words and get a better understanding. The main instructional purpose that it would serve would be to allow the student to understand the story as a whole when coming across the new terms.

My technology use would support the way I teach this activity because it would go beyond just lecturing and having the students write down the definition mindlessly. They would be doing hands-on activities utilizing the iPad. For example, the students will be touching the screen to match the term with the definition instead of writing it down word for word. The different classroom management strategies I would need to consider would be if there were rough play, the iPad’s could be broken. I would have to make sure the students understood that this was an option and if the rules were broken, the iPads would not be used during class anymore.


--Technology-Content:

The technology enhances the way the content is being represented because it is not just straight definitions. It will give examples and illustrations during the game. The iPad will enhance the way students practice because if they own an ipad they will be able to use the flashcards on their own to practice the definitions. The students will be thinking about the definition and matching it with the words during the game.


--Technology-Pedagogy-Content:

I think the content can be effectively taught by teaching strategies in this activity because the students will be excited to use the iPad. The iPad is just another way to show the students that learning can be used in and out of the classroom. This will enhance what I teach because I will be able to help the students if they have questions individually. I will also be able to show the students how to complete the activity as a useful resource for studying. I would choose my teaching strategies that suit well to teaching content with this technology as an application process of games. The games will be fun, but not busy work. It will

2 comments:

  1. I thought that it was a great comment that as technology changes, so do students' preferred learning styles. I love your activity and the use of iPads. Flashcards are typically a boring way to study, but effective; however, when you incorporate partners and iPads into the mix it can motivate students.Were you planning on letting your students complete a story through an iPad? I think that would be a great way to incorporate the iPads even further and allow them to express themselves. This is a fantastic way to get students to comprehend vocabulary and be able to study them in new and effective ways.

    ReplyDelete
  2. I did enjoy reading your lesson plan using an iPad. Personally, flashcards are one of my better learning tools and if I were in first grade again and was able to electronically mix my vocabulary words with images, it would have been a great enhancer. Seeing a picture with the word also creates the association with words which is always important, especially for visual learners. This was a good lesson, but I agree with Michell that an additional follow up activity would have made this much more solid of a lesson. Good job!

    ReplyDelete