Mobile Learning

Mobile learning can greatly enhance a classroom, but you have to be willing to use it first.  Many teachers think of phone and tablets as something that should never be used in school, when really it can be used to enhance student learning.  Mobile learning makes it possible for students to have more of a personal learning experience, working on the areas they need extra help on.  Not only can this help the student and their skills, but the student will be having fun while doing it.  New technology is exciting and fun for them to play with, so, giving them technology to do school work will (hopefully) increase the student's enjoyment of learning.  Using mobile learning is not just helpful for the students but also for the teachers.  Taking quick online quizzes that can be graded immediately, inputting grades online, personalize instruction for each student, and getting the students interested and excited about learning, these are all things that will make a teacher's life a whole lot easier.

Like most things, there are some issues that can arise when using mobile learning.  Money, for one, can be a big issue.  If your school does not have enough money to provide technology for your classroom, apply for a grant.  Another big issue is students and heir safety.  There are all sorts of privacy settings and "parental" locks of these devices so you can control where the children are able to go, how long they can use the item, downloads can be restricted and even how many items can be up at once.  Batteries can drain very quickly on mobile learning devices, so remember to teach your students how to turn them off and show them how to plug them in to charge.  Having these devices is really convenient in a classroom but the smaller they get, the more movement a student can have while using them, teach the student how to carry it properly to prevent damage.  Use two hands, walk, do not run, make sure the screen is covered, the list goes on and on of ways that you can protect the devices.  There are some issues with having these items in a classroom, but it isn't anything that should prevent you from using mobile learning in your classroom.

In the primary grades (K-3), mobile learning is a great way to encourage literacy.  Students can practice writing their letters, letter sounds, writing words, reading, listening to stories, creating their own stories, the possibilities are amazing!  Apps such as Rock 'n' Learn, Inc. "Sight Words", "Phonics Easy Reader", Grammar Jammer's Primary Edition, ICDL's "StoryKit", "iKnow Phonics" from iKnowThat, the list of great apps could go on and on.  You can also do some interactive science through mobile learning by watching videos, taking quizzes, doing online or virtual experiments, this is a good way to do science if you don't have the resources for a project or the weather has failed you.  Apps that are good for science are Khan Academy, Brain Pop Jr., "Animal Dash" from National Geographic, or Kids Discover.  There are apps for just about everything, it's all about finding one that works for you and your classroom.  Three that would be very helpful in the classroom are Brain Pop Jr. because you can watch educational videos on various subjects and take short quizzes.  This is nice for filler time or if you just need a quick video clip to get your students engaged.  Hungry Fish is an app that is a good drill and practice game, but it makes math really fun! You can do addition, subtraction, positives negatives, multiplication and division.  This is a way to let students play games while they are learning math and improving their skills.  Birds on a Wire is an app that helps students with language arts and applies common core standards.  In this app, students will identify different parts of speech and write sentences using the given word bank.  This teaches students how to use and where different parts of speech in a sentence.

There are many helpful apps out there, but there are also many bad ones.  It takes a lot of time to sift through them all,so, your best bet is to go online and see what other teachers are using to see what works.  If you find something that works, or even that doesn't, post about it online so other teachers know!  Good luck!

Information Literacy

Information literacy can be generally defined but can also vary depending on opinion.  I think of information literacy as your knowledge of common research techniques.  It is the ability to know what info you need, understand it, identify and locate the best source, evaluating the source, and sharing the source.  That is how I define it, but there is no exact definition because there are different ways to look at it.

There are definitely ways to teach your students how to be information literate.  Not only should you go over the basic guild lines and walk them through how to find sources that have legitimate information, but you should also incorporate information literacy whenever using the internet to find information so your students have lots of practice evaluating different websites and sources.  Teaching these skills that are needed for information literacy cannot just be taught once because it will go in one ear and out the other.  These skills need to be encouraged over and over to ensure that students know how to use them. These skills are things like identifying what to search, understanding what you are searching, identifying and locating the best source available, evaluating whether the source is legitimate or not, and using or sharing the information.

We can prepare the students to the best of our ability to use technology safely and to use the internet to find true information but as technology evolves and continues to improve the things taught will need to change too.  We can try to prepare them for the technology we have now but it will keep changing and the things they learn now may not matter very much as the technology improves.  So, can we prepare students to be effective users of the most powerful medium?  We can attempt to provide them with the knowledge to be effective users of what we have to work with now, but as teachers we will constantly have to adapt to all of the changes being made.  We can only teach them so much before it all changes.

Podcasting in the Classroom

Podcasting can be a great tool in the classroom if used properly.  A great way to get started is just by playing around and seeing what your technology can do.  Using already made podcasts of lesson plans or daily activities can be a great way to give a substitute teacher all of the need-to-know information.  Another good way to use this is as an overview, or specific instruction, or what the class did each day.  This can be beneficial to the students who cannot attend class of need a refresher on that day’s lesson.  Having podcasts uploaded to a classroom computer or on iPods (if you have those available in your classroom) can be a great way for students to listen to podcasts you have made for various assignments or subjects, or even another schools’ podcasts.  The student’s enjoy hearing lessons and educational talks when it is coming from someone around their own  age.  Using podcasts in the early elementary grades can be tricky, but definitely can be done.  A fun drama lesson for primary students would be to go through the process of writing a script (in groups or as a class) and record a play or skit.  This involves brainstorming, writing, editing, practicing, and performing/recording, from there the teacher may need to help edit the podcast if necessary.  Pet podcast would be another great opportunity for the students to use podcasts in the classroom.  The student will observe their pet (or a class pet) and talk about habits and traits of the animal, along with dietary needs and habits (biology and nutrition) on the podcast.   Most children love animals, this will give them a chance to hang out with the animal while learning more about it; you could also have them research, with help, more information about their pet.  Having the students interview different types of jobs (each student pick or is assigned one job) and records it using podcast to share it with the class.  This interview assignment could be tied into a job fair in the classroom idea.  There are many more opportunities for podcasting to be used in the classroom, nature walks, history, science, and so much more.  Having your students get involved in the process of making the podcast will encourage them to engage in learning that topic or subject.

Listen to my first podcast below:

Podcast Powered By Podbean

Podcasting, Video and Screencasting, & Live Streaming

The things we can do with technology today is incredible and only continues to get better.  Of course, the kids we will teach will have grown up around all of this technology and will be eager to use it in class.  So, why not let them?  There are many great ways to use technology in class for educational purposes such as: podcasting, video and screencasting, and live streaming.  Possibilities are endless when it comes to assignments and projects using these different forms of multimedia streaming.  Depending on the age group, you can choose which you use and how you use it.  Podcasting could be used for the weekly newsletter, recap of the class, helpful study tools, informative topics, or just something you are interested in.  These would be easy for you or your students to create.  Videos are also a great way to get your students involved, though this process can be very long.  You can create a video on almost anything and for almost anything as far as projects and assignments go; videos are typically better for older students but can definitely be used by younger students with some assistance.  Screencasting is a great way to do a flipped lesson, where you can listen and see the lecture before class.  This could also be used to show students how to do tricky things on the computer or simple where to find something on the internet.  This uses both visual and audio to help increase retention.  Students could also use this to demonstrate how do something on the computer or whatever their assignment may be.  Live streaming is similar to video, except it doesn't need to be as planned.  You can use live streaming in your classroom so that parents and colleagues can see how or what you are teaching, watch a presentation from across the world, or just see something that interests you.  There are many ways you can easily incorporate these into your lessons and students love to work with technology.  As new gadgets and apps come out we must use them to our advantage as a way to enhance our teaching.  Like I said, between you, your students, and colleagues the possibilities for using these tools is endless.  When using these tools remember to try them out yourself before unleashing it on your students so you understand what they will be using.  Good luck!

Flickr

Flickr is a great place to edit your photos and share them with friends.  Using this photo site in the classroom would be very fun to do.  Having students edit their own photos, get their creative juices flowing by looking at other peoples photos, and finding photos to use for projects that can be cited.  Making collages, creating presentations, starting discussion, and see other places and where photos have been taken.  There are many possibilities for using Flickr in the classroom and could be a great resource for your students.

Images

Taking photos is fun and editing is easy!  Using Fotoflexer to edit and Flikr to publish and share, there are many possibilities.  To see my photos I have edited and shared click on the following links: Disney, Eiffel Tower, and Carve.