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elementary school uses for iPad to aid remembering - but is the technology needed?

Ok... maybe the tie in to education is not immediately obvious. Mostly, I just think this is so cool that I had to post it. But think for a moment about carpool, soccer practice, and sports as a starter. No longer does a kid's participation in extracurricular activities require them to get a ride from mom. Go a little further... field trips, classes that are only offered at the charter school across town, on-site science explorations. How many more kids could venture out of their neighborhood for educational opportunities? There was a time 20 years ago I never would have believed that elementary school children would be carrying their own phone, but now will they all get their own car in 2nd grade??

This is a Facebook page started by parents at our local Elementary school about school.

Much of the conversation seems reasonable enough but it will be interesting to see how adults can model public conversation. I'm not comfortable with having adult conversation displayed for kids within the school environment. I think that this is the equivalent of parents fighting in front of their children. Kids don't process it in a healthy manner and adults who do it I think do so for their own convenience and at the peril of kids. I think if adult in this community can be disciplined in their comments and stick strictly to logistical information with the understanding that kids are watching (FB will never replace parent oversight), it may be a useful tool. I also think the only way teachers can influence this page is by jumping on and using it to communicate because it seems to me that is the real "ask" in establishing the page.

This short article highlights some interesting technologies/websites for elementary age students, including the virtual world, "whyville."

Below is a quote from : Cedric Cullingford (2006) Children's own vision of schooling, Education 3-13: International Journal of Primary, Elementary and Early Years Education, 34:3, 211-221, DOI: 10.1080/03004270600898745  "At the heart of the problem, to put it simply, is the fact that although children love to learn, they resent being taught" 

We brought in Bootstrap to teach computer programming to elementary students in the after-school and summer programs run by my community school. Would be interested in comparing their approach with Scratch's

A ton of iPad related info in one place

Is this site promotional for Apple?

Allison, The Curator of the site, Dave Brown is described as "President of Interactive Elementary, a leading developer of educational apps for the iPad. Also an Ontario teacher".

"They (students) are digital natives. We are digital immigrants...Technology should be an integrated tool in education." ", said Ferguson, a doctoral student and principal of an elementary school in her talk on Impact of Technology on Teaching and Learning for the 21st Century. Teacher are not the only source or learning for students, rather they are now facilitator of knowledge.

Game is a great way for learning and doesn't have to be high tech!

Interesting program to look into called "Kids College." A video game laced with reading/math assessments.

This article explains why the district chose laptops over tablet and how the community is helping to turn the schools around.

"The teachers that were involved said that if every kid had their own computer, we could do amazing things". It would be interesting to know if the teachers presented some concrete ideas of 'amazing things'. It would also be interesting to know whether they have a bank of spare laptops to loan to the students while the defective ones are getting fixed. I have a feeling that in the not-so-distant future the choice between a tablet and a computer may become a moot point. The hardware that powers a MacBook Air and iPad is very similar. We have laptops that double as tablets and tablets that are paired with a keyboard to be used as a laptop. Eventually these two will merge.

Great overview of the issues -- I agree with Kasthuri -- I think the issue will become moot

Some tips on acquiring and methods of using technology in low-income schools from an elementary school in Oakland, CA called Encompass Academy.

From the Orlando Sentinel, 1985: Although they have not solved how to keep students interested in certain subjects, computers are proving to be highly acceptable motivational tools in all grades at Seminole County schools. Unlike video games that provide only entertainment, computers in the classroom are used as a teaching resource to reinforce development skills for elementary and middle school students and for those with learning deficiencies....

One example of the perils of standardized testing

WE ARE IN FOR A REALLY RUDE AWAKENING IN THE USA: South Korea will redefine primary school education within three years while creating a massive market for home-grown electronics By 2014, all of South Korea's elementary-level educational materials will be digitized, and by 2015, the entire school-age curriculum will be delivered on an array of computers, smart phones and tablets.

Good share, Diana. This article is particularly interesting for the issues it chooses to raise and the way in which various arguments are presented. One quote struck me, "We have Smart Boards in every classroom but not enough money to buy copy paper, pencils and hand sanitizer," said Nicole Cates, a co-president of the Parent Teacher Organization at Kyrene de la Colina, an elementary school. "You don't go buy a new outfit when you don't have enough dinner to eat." But she loves the fact that her two children, a fourth-grader and first-grader, are learning technology, including PowerPoint and educational games (Page 5)". How can we work to harmonize these two? This reminds me an article I read in the Boston Globe this morning regarding teachers going out-of-pocket to equip their classrooms with enough supplies for an increasing number of students. The article suggests that budget cuts that make this necessary save teacher positions. There has to be a better way. http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2011/09/05/budgets_cut_teachers_dig_deeper_for_supplies/

The real question is what the tablet can and cannot do

I would liken this to a graphing calculator (that is typically required of student's to purchase for the purpose of higher math classes) versus the classroom set of calculators typically found in the elementary math manipulative kits - the ultimate purpose of each device is very different - but the basic or fundamental features are the same - so for India, does it matter how "advanced" the system is if they really just want to get the poorest of its citizens on some type of level playing field?

One laptop per elementary school kids, in Uruguay.

Uruguay is about to achieve the 1:1 child/laptop ratio for every primary school student in the country via OLPC (One Laptop Per Child). Only 5% of the country's education budget was needed to achieve this.