The last three weeks have been AWESOME!
We have just rolled out 400+ iPads to our student body and our students and staff have done a wonderful job implementing it.
Books and blog posts galore have been written on the subject and I have a lot to say about the idea of 1:1. I just want to take a few minutes to share one piece that I am pleasantly surprised with: Access to students.
On Tuesday we had a snow day. Tuesday was supposed to be Day 1 of the 7th grade rollout, so with a snow day, only 2/3 of our student body had their devices at home. Knowing that many of my students had devices at home I had an idea of a #snowday challenge. I posted on our EMS Facebook page and sent our student body an email challenging them to make a video during their snow day. I tempted them a bit with a reward of an iTunes Giftcard for the winner.
Throughout the day I was surprised by video after video, totaling over 50 videos! I was shocked! Many of them were great and the topics ranged from daring snow feats to dressing up their younger siblings as superheros and princesses. The winner was a 6th grader who gave a tutorial on how to make chocolate chip cookies and brought her principal some the day after :)
The idea of a snow day challenge was a quick one to engage students with a tool I knew they had and I knew they could use. Many students and parents enjoyed the challenge and I was told by many students that they kept creating more videos even after they submitted one because they came up with more ideas.
Another idea came today via my friend @nharm. She posted on the EMS FB page asking students, staff, and parents their thoughts on our rollout. So, I wanted to take this one step further. Naomi and I collaborated quickly on a few questions to ask students, I copied and pasted the questions into a google form, created a shortened link and after school sent it via email to the student body. In the first 7 hours outside of school over 70 students have answered the questions on the form. Fast and easy, I have very important data on how the students think it is going. I have already followed up with some that have questions and concerns... all of this, after school hours and with minimal work.
Access to students is great as it allows for quick challenges, questions, and the ability to transfer information. However, I believe the greatest part of access is something that I havn't mentioned yet...communication and relationships. Every time we communicate with a student that relationship grows and I believe the stronger the relationship the better the learning environment.
What are your thoughts?
I agree completely. I was thinking about the contact time you (the school) now have with students. Instead of being with them for eight hours for five days a week, you really have unlimited contact. They can share so much more about their lives. A great way to build rapport. It is a very powerful thing.
ReplyDeleteI used Blackboard Collaborate with a student this week to give 1:1 tutoring help with a difficult math concept, and this started at 6pm! I was then able to go back to class the next day and say "See, all you need to do is ask!"
ReplyDeleteI've been known to drop everything for a student that needs help, and having that extra component with the ipads and awesome apps like ShowMe and Educreations allows for another form of assessment as well. Not all kids can get their ideas out of their head via writing, why not use one of those apps to find out what they are thinking about a difficult science topic?