Friday, April 18, 2014

Persevering through my own frustrations--help is out there!

When I first learned about and used the Subtext app ("Turn any book or text into a digital classroom," their motto promises), I'll admit that I was a little overwhelmed and therefore put off. I tried to overcome and used it with one short story last fall, and it went ok, not outstanding, but fine. The problem was that some minor things went wrong and the kids had a few too many questions I didn't feel comfortable enough trouble-shoot, so I got intimidated and didn't persevere (my bad).  However, I was fortunate enough to take an in-district course taught by my amazing colleague Jen, and she helped me through most of my confusion. Also, even more important than teaching me how to use the app, she showed me that she didn't let obstacles stop her. When I asked her questions she didn't immediately know the answer to, she went straight to Subtext support and got us the answers (the support staff at Subtext is impressively responsive and helpful, FYI.).  Since then, I've used the Subtext regularly and it's changed the way I approach teaching literature (this is not hyperbole).

Diving into this world of technology still intimidates me two years into this iPad one-to-one process, but I've realized that I can't just get frustrated; for every obstacle I encounter, there is a usually a (relatively) easy way to find an answer or alternative if I am willing to put in a few minutes to look or ask. Sometimes I'm actually overwhelmed with how many options and resources are out there because I feel like it's an impossible feat to keep up with it all, but that same obstacle is also a godsend when I need help, so I'll just keep plugging away!  

Return and Reflection: How much has changed in two years

It's been far too long since I've posted, but it's amazing to see how much has changed--and how much my own views have changed--since I started piloting this iPad one-to-one thing two years ago:

  •  I've learned to become far more flexible about how students choose to implement assignments, so some of my earliest posts would no longer matter to me at all, such as my post wondering if students should write or type for annotations on Notability. I now allow my students a lot more choices, such as  giving them a list of options of apps/resources to use to complete an assignment, or even letting them find the technology resources themselves. 
  • I've found some far better ways of implementing some of the early lessons I had tried last year: instead of using the Gabbit app, which was a good idea but a pretty limited and faulty app for my purposes, now I would have my students use Tellagami, and maybe a year from now,my students or I will find something totally different that works better. I still love using Nearpod and would highly recommend it. 
  • I've learned that there are times when the iPad is amazing and really helps engage students, but I've also found times when I want students to put the iPads away and just discuss with one another, act out a scene from a novel, or just draw with markers and color pencils--and I've also realized that it's ok not to use the iPads for everything. 
I'm looking forward to next year when my district is going 100% with the iPad one-to-one, but I'm definitely still battling the distraction factor the iPads represent and I'm still looking for better ways to combat that.