Well, now I am feeling a little overwhelmed. I just finished browsing through the apps available on the I-Pad/Pod Touch (by reading, of course...I don't own either of these --just a run-of-the-mill I-Pod for music...I'll need to see what else it can do aside from that -- and presently feel a little lazy about looking around to find someone who does so I can play...will handle that part of it later...) and it appears to be literally a whole new world. I recall having been observed this year by the assistant principal, and if I am not mistaken, she was using one of these doodads to record relevant information about my teaching, student learning, etc. So from then, it was clear the kinds of capabilities these hand-held devices have.
But now, having read about just a few of the apps available...for free...right now...if you have a mobile device like these, it just seems like a weird mix between "Oh, no...it's going to take me forever to learn how to handle all of this!" and "wow...it's like being a five-year-old in a candy store and everything is free!"...! For example, I think being able to plan your lessons on your Mac (ahem...both my personal computer and the district-issued one are Dells, and I have not read anything about their capabilities with regard to synching to the I-Pad/Pod Touch...I imagine it may be possible...somehow) and having access to them no matter where you go, with your mobile device in hand, would be excellent, especially when you have those inspired moments about an activity that could really drive home a lesson objective... ... ...as you sit in 4:30 p.m. Houston traffic.
I also think flashcards on the I-thingies, produced by the students themselves, who would, of course, be able to share those with other students, etc., could be a great way to help students recall facts quickly...without pencil and paper, using a medium for which they probably already express some generational preference.
I was blown away by the presentation done by Travis, the dude from Georgia, who helped start the I-school initiative http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=68KgAcx_9jU , not because there are not any flaws in the argument, but because the argument was made at all...by a high school student, no less, who is extremely serious and passionate, as well as professional and articulate, about the topic. I also enjoyed reading the comments made about his presentation, because they give other perspectives and show where we are in terms of our thinking in general. Could we, in fact, get to a point where paper, pencil, books are obsolete in our classrooms? And as with all wireless technology, what do we do when the network gods are less than appeased on any particular day...?
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