iPods, iPads, Teaching Station, and Smart Boards

Tuesday May 15th

What I liked:
I thought that it was really fun to work with the different types of technology today.  I first worked with my group on the iPod assignment.  The iPod was really easy to use and there were some fun apps that I believe that students would have enjoyed using.  I really liked that we had the option to use all of these different types of technology.  I had only worked with the teacher instruction area once, so it was fun to be able to go up and look at how it worked some more.  I did not end up trying out the iPad, but I have used one before so I know how it works.  I did like working with the smartboard as well.

What I didn't like:
I did not like that sometimes I would get confused with the different types of technology and how it all seems so similar, but there are actually some differences.  For example, when working at the teacher station it was a little overwhelming looking at all of the buttons and this made me a little uncomfortable, but after Professor Saxowsky showed us how to operate the station I felt a little more comfortable with the technology.

What did I learn:
I learned how to use the teacher station some more which was interesting.  I did not know that we were able to view one of the students screens and that when we do that we cannot hear if a video is playing because it will only work throught the speakers for the teacher's computer and not the students.  I also learned that a lot of schools are starting to use iPods in the schools.

How would I use this in a classroom:
I would use this in my classroom by having my students answer questions, take notes, and do different activities with the iPods.  Recently this has been a topic of conversation in many of my classes and I also agree with what I heard a guest speaker in one of my classes say about this subject.  She believed that the iPods should be used to help teach, not to teach.  I agree with this in that if I wanted to do a review session with my students on a particular subject, that I could do this with the iPods.  I do agree though that I would not want my students to just learn from the technology because I believe that they may be engaged, but it takes away from working together in groups if they are always individually staring at a screen.