- Students are very eager to get their hands on the iPads. At the same time they are respectful of the device and how it should be handled and taken care of.
- Students took ownership of the devices since they came up with rules on how to use them. Rather than just writing down these rules, students came up with skits and acted out their 'rules'. As Mrs. Cowell noted in her post, students had to think critically about what is important when filming skits like these (volume, length of recording, looking at the camera, speaking slowly, etc).
- Students were quite adept at the technology; at the end of the lesson we asked students to upload their videos to Youtube (a private channel) which they did without a hitch. We also learned that using AirDrop is not ideal when there are many videos (some lengthy) that need to get sent to the teacher.
- Students are engaged when using the iPad, even for a formal assessment. Mrs. Cowell gave the students a quiz using Socrative (a student response system). Walking around the room, I could see that students were on task. I think it is also helpful for students who get anxious during quizzes to only see one question on a page.
- It's ok to trust the students with these devices. After completing our lessons we asked 5 students to carry 4 or 5 ipads apiece down the stairs. We gave them a brief tutorial on the best way to put the devices back in the charging cart. Our leap of faith was well-rewarded. Students learned to put the iPads in the correct slots; when they made mistakes they were able to troubleshoot and make things rights.
While we have had minor bumps in the road so far, the students have been excellent when it comes to using the devices. Right now we have only used the web browser and camera. As we move into more exciting uses, student engagement and learning will only increase exponentially.
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