Worlds of
Words: The Exploration of Literature and Language through Technology
Emerging
Classroom Technologies
The traditional approach to teaching, including lecture-based instruction, is giving way to more active approaches to teaching as new technologies make increasingly individualized instruction possible. New research highlights the efficacy of a curriculum that is designed around activities that engage students on multiple levels and in varied ways. This is known as a knowledge-building approach to instruction that changes the role of the teacher to that of facilitator, and according to Dr. Lightfoot of the University of Northern Colorado, modifies “the structure [of] the class so that students are allowed to actively discover the knowledge and be direct participants in the learning process,” (213) thus placing them in the driver’s seat of their own instruction.
Spotlight on the iPad
Among those mobile
technology devices available, the iPad is continuing to gain popularity in
classrooms all over the country. A teacher turned administrator, Ashley Talley,
wrote an article about her experiences with the use of this particular
technology in the classroom. According to Talley, “the iPad is changing
the way educators can differentiate and track student learning, track academics
and behavior, reinforce skills, present information, teach new ideas, extend
learning, and create and save documents for on-the-go use” (2).
As a secondary English and reading teacher, I can envision a great many uses for the iPad in my own classroom. In fact, I think it would offer a good illustration of the iPad’s potential in English and language arts’ classrooms by examining the possibilities that I have envisioned for the use of the iPad in my own personal classroom. Therefore, the following section of this paper will include the goals, reflections, and plans that I have regarding the incorporation of the iPad into daily language arts instruction.
Worlds of Words:
The
Exploration of Literature and Language with the iPad
If I were to be handed a
classroom set of iPads tomorrow, my goal, as a language arts teacher, would be
to use them daily – to actually develop my curriculum around their use.
One of the most beneficial learning experiences for me in college was when, in one of my teaching content classes, we were required to reflect on the things that we had read, and to share our writing projects, etc., in a blog-type forum. Not only that, but then we were further required to respond to others’ pieces. The amazing part of it all was the conversation that grew out of this practice – a conversation that was safe, reflective, and student-centered. This is what I want for my students – I’d like to see them grow and develop through their interaction, not just with me, their teacher, but even more so with each other.
Another goal that I have always striven to achieve in my classroom, and certainly one which would be greatly assisted through the use of the iPad, is the development of critical thinking through exploration, research, and the establishment of connections between classroom experiences and the world at large.
As standards of learning increasingly focus on research, the iPad would enable my students to find and seek information to share with each other – information that is pertinent to a novel we are reading, or a story that they have just finished, or even that would enable them to round out their knowledge regarding the life and experiences of authors that they have encountered in class. The iPad would enable students instant access to informational texts, to vocabulary tools, even to learn first-hand the difference between reliable and unreliable sources, along with so many other things.
Among other projects that I use throughout the year, I have developed web-quests that I think would be greatly enhanced by the availability of iPads in the classroom. Instead of forcing students to work alone in a computer lab, or only allowing one representative from each group to do research, etc., for his or her group because there aren’t enough computers in the classroom to go around, the iPads would allow me to continue to have students collaborate through group work, while allowing each member to contribute fully!
In short, the iPad would allow my students to explore the application of technology to the subjects of English and reading. The photo-story project that we do in class could be edited and published right on the iPad. The interactive instructional sites that we use through the SmartBoard can now be accessed by all students, enabling all to have instant feedback and providing a perfect teaching moment.
And there are so many applications on the iPad that would greatly benefit the English/reading classroom – things like iBooks with thousands of free texts, iTunes U with its interactive lessons, Word Genius, an interactive vocabulary game, Garage Band and iMovie for creating movies (good for interpreting literature, storytelling, etc.), Miss Spell, a spelling game, Story Kit for creating interactive stories, Keynote for creating spectacular presentations on any variety of research topics, Dropbox for turning in assignments and collaborating on projects, and so much more!
Conclusion
I honestly see the iPad revolutionizing the way that I am able to conduct my
classroom. I see it as a means for getting my students involved, excited, and
moving toward that goal of every teacher: independent thought and self-guided
learning! It is even perfect for RTI (Response to Intervention) because the
iPad guarantees differentiated learning, and it certainly accommodates multiple
learning styles as well.
References
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