This blog was very interesting and some of the things he states on his blog are things I have been wrestling with in my classroom.
The desktop computers in my classroom are outdated, we never use them and they are taking up much needed space in my room. I'd love to get rid of them, but the board would not agree with that! I can't wait for the day they will. The desk tops are so passé and only allow a total of three people at a time to use them. Now we use the netbook cart when we need computers and we also use the ipads when we can. I only have access to two iPads in my classroom, but even still that's more then some classrooms.
( the idea of having personal portable multipurpose devices that can go from school to home to coffee shop is the direction we are heading, if we could just get everyone else on board with this philosophy.)
I really wanted to do a Imovie trailer with my class after learning about this app, but it meant that I would have to ask my students to bring their own devices, which I think is a great idea and it's something Ruben mentions in his blog ( allowing students to bring their own portable devices) but the hoops and red tape that I would have to go through to be allowed to let kids bring devices to school is ridiculous. In the past technology like iPods etc in the classroom was considered a distraction and still so many parents and teachers see it that way, this is something that we as teachers will have to help change if we want to continue to meet the needs of our students.
Another thing I noted in one of Ruben's video's was about working as a team and trying to learn and use technology in the classroom. He mentioned that it is important to teach teachers how to use the technology and not to just throw the teachers into the technology and hope that they will be successful, this is not a good foundation for success.
We as teachers all know that technology is the only true way to reach our modern day students, but often we don't have the resources, training etc to do so, this leaves teachers feeling like they are not doing their job and like they have failed. I have felt like this......I really had little to no training with my SMART board before I was expected to start using it, I still don't feel I am always using it adequately.
Technology is great and our students thrive off it, but it's still very difficult to put all this into practise in classrooms with such limited resources.
If we all had a cart with 30 ipads in our classrooms ...... to quote Dr Seuss "oh the places we'd go!" I look forward to that day with excitement!
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