My Thoughts on Year One of 1:1 in Grade One

One of the lucky ones?
Through a grant announcement at the end of last year, I learned that I would be one of four first grade classrooms in our district to pilot a 1:1 initiative with iPads this year.    I was excited and VERY NERVOUS to embark on such an endeavor.

Why Me?
I wasn't chosen to pilot the iPads because of my extensive knowledge and experience of iPads.  I had very limited experience through the use of a some school-wide iPads made available a few times the previous year.  The classrooms chosen to pilot this initiative were ones which taught struggling readers specific skills through targeted instruction.  My job was to learn how to use these devices to enhance their learning.  But how?  I needed answers -- and quick!  So I attended many summer workshops in preparation prior to the beginning of this school year.  And I consulted with the technology gurus in my district (there are many in Burlington -- thanks to our incredible Tech team!).  I also immersed myself in reading about the first scientific study which was demonstrating the success of iPads in improving literacy in kindergartens in Auburn, ME.  (To read more about this incredible study, click here: ipad-improves-kindergartners-literacy-scores )

I had so many questions, but the more I looked for the answers, the more questions I had.  Little did I know that I was to learn the most from simple exploration ... and from the students themselves.

The iPads Arrive...
The iPads rolled into my classroom around the third week of school.  I was still in the midst of teaching classroom rules, routines and how to take care of classroom materials.  Perfect.   They had some apps already loaded onto them, but we weren't going to start there.  The students needed to know how to turn them off and on; how to carry them; where to use them; how to plug them into the charging cart (still a challenge), etc.

OK, first item to check off the list was "Routine".  This took a week.  One thing I am sure about is the nature of a first grader.  If you don't teach them proper care at the onset, you are teaching proper care for the entire year...and not much more.  It's very similar to teaching them to put the cap back on a glue stick to keep it from drying out.  The difference being that this "glue stick" was very expensive!

Now What?
It took the children nearly no time at all to learn how to use the iPad.  In the beginning of the year, they would have to use the apps in a small group with a teacher present to make sure they were using the app correctly and not just pushing random buttons (it happens).  As the year went on, the app could be introduced merely by displaying it on my Smartboard through the use of "Reflection" on my laptop.  We would play a few rounds of an app as a class and then I would set it out as a station.  My wonderful colleague and fellow iPad pilot, Erin Guanci, then created (and shared with me!) many iPads menus with apps from which the children could choose.  Here is a sample:

I also used the Voice memo on the iPad to have the children record themselves reading.  The  student and I would then listen to the recording.  I would pause the recording when the child made an error and then teach the child how to use their strategies to self-correct their miscue.  The Voice Memo app became both an invaluable teaching tool and an electronic library collection of books which the children had read throughout the year.  (Plus I could now share the child's reading with their parents via e-mail and at parent-teacher conferences).

In Math, as in reading, the iPads were also invaluable in reinforcing skills.  Time, money and fact skills need repeated practice.  A teacher cannot teach a week-long unit on money, for example, and have first graders magically remember what a coin looks like, its value and how to add them together.  The iPads were useful in helping the children practice these skills for 10 minutes or so every morning during "free time" after I taugt the unit.  They loved it and it helped to reinforce these skills.  I could not have done this without an iPad.  No amount of "drill and kill" worksheets could give students the immediate response they need.  And I am only one person, so I certainly could not get to every child in the class on an individual basis in a ten-minute time frame.  Invaluable.

How Else Were The Ipads Used?
For more detailed information on how the ipads were used and what apps were used, click here: one-to-one-elementary-classroom by andrew-marcinek
This article details how Erin Guanci and I make use of the iPads.  More to follow on this subject in a future blog.

Now For the Big Question:
There is no doubt in my mind that the iPads have been effective and have increased engagement in a number of ways.  I know for a fact that all children are engaged when I am teaching a lesson as a whole group if they have an iPad in front of them and are working on the same task.  I can quickly glance around and see who understands and who is struggling.  My feedback can then be effective and immediate.  They are not daydreaming, rolling on the carpet or fooling with their friends.  They have a device in their hands and are very engaged.  By using the iPads to record their reading, students are increasing their reading fluency and providing me with a useful teaching tool.  

However, something continues to come up in conversations in regard to iPads which troubles me personally.  

I hear and read how educators need to teach 21-Century Skills and I agree with that 100 per cent.  But I have also read and heard some discussions (in casual conversation) about how districts may consider using less construction paper, markers, glue, building blocks, etc. since we have iPads.  This goes against every fiber of my being!  I am totally on board when it comes to making technology accessible to every child at an early age so that they can not only learn how to use the devices and learn from them but so that they also may be able to make educated and responsible decisions in regard to technology in their future.  However, I do not agree with reducing the use of paper, pencils, crayons, markers, paint, construction paper, scissors, building blocks, etc.  

What I do support is providing every child with a rich array of experiences -- both technological and traditional.  In my view, balance is key.  Choice is important.

I have a simple observation to share.  Occasionally, when our school has indoor recess due to inclement weather, I invite the neighboring classroom of chilldren who do not have iPads to come in and share iPads with my students.  In the beginning of the year, every child wanted to use the iPad and they had the opportunity to do so.  As the year progressed, however, and the novelty wore off, the childrn were given the choice of staying in my room to use the iPads or going into the neighboring classroom to draw, read books, play with blocks, paint, etc.  Can you guess what happened?

As the year progressed, the number of children using the traditional materials of paper, pencil, glue, paint and building blocks became equal to that of the number of children choosing to use the iPads.  I counted and it was equally split.  Choice had won.  This  has since happened on numerous occasions, so I'll consider it my "informal" research.

How can children choose or gravitate toward that which they love and are passionate about if they are not given the opportunity to explore all paths of learning?  Should you sacrifice some traditional opportunities in lieu of technology? Isn't it our job as educators to provide the landscape which allows choice and provides varied experiences?  Where are our future budding artists, builders and craftsman without tactile experience of paper, scissors, construction paper, paint, blocks, etc.? Also, what will lack of these hands-on experiences do to their cognitive and physical (fine motor) development?  What is wrong with providing it all?  It is possible.  I can attest to that.  As much as I am open to the idea of providing technological opportunities for our young children, I am closed to the idea of taking the other more traditional opportunities away.  I consider myself a very open-minded educator who embraces change.  Am I being too "old school?"  What are your thoughts on this?

Encouragement for Teachers New to Technology

This blog is for those of you who are just starting to get excited about the new technology you are beginning to access, but at the same time, are overwhelmed.  It's actually a message of hope so please keep reading!  It has a happy ending.

For the past two or three years I have been trying to do the "technology thing."  I'm trying to be the tech savvy educator who is keeping up with all that is becoming available to us as educators.  I am fortunate enough to be teaching in a district which has begun to provide us with nearly everything that we need.  I have a Smartboard, an i-pad, some access to classroom sets of i-pads, web-based universal assessment with electronic reports, and various web-based diagnostic and intervention tools also with access to electronic reports on the progress of each and every child.  The only thing I haven't been given is the brain implant needed to retain all that I'm trying to learn.  I go to workshops only to lose what I have learned because I don't use it soon enough.  

While all of this technology is absolutely wonderful and necessary, at times I still feel as if I am drowning.  There is a quote out there somewhere which compares this to "drinking out of a firehose."  Too much information, too fast.  Not enough time to process and practice.

I found myself trying to learn all that these wonderful devices had to offer.  I researched, went to workshops provided by our school, attended free technology weekend seminars and tried desperately to find the time to create new lessons on my Smartboard, create and use google docs, and find ways to organize my newfound websites and other electronic creations (which is still my biggest mountain to climb -- if only I could find where I saved that lesson!).

But as an elementary classroom teacher, I still needed to keep up on the latest ways to teach reading, comprehension and fluency, math, science and social studies, while also switching to a standards-based report card and keep pace with the ever-changing requirements of the State.  Because of the newfound technological gifts bestowed upon me I also had to review and analyze these online assessments of my students for IEP meetings and to help plan for their direct instruction.  More information to sift through.  Plus, there were behavioral issues to deal with in my classroom and I had to figure out how to help these children socially and emotionally as well.  Technological learning and implementation sometimes had to get pushed to a tiny corner or a placed on a shelf until I had more time.  How did other teachers do it?  I was really trying so hard.  Maybe too hard?  Was I learning ANYTHING?  Was I making ANY progress?

I was so busy being frustrated by my own slow pace of learning to realize that I was, indeed, actually assimilating some of this information.  (I am sure that you are too).  Sure, technological glitches had forced me on many occasions to get frustrated, shut down my Smartboard and go to my "old" ways of teaching on the rug with manipulatives and/or with chart paper.  But maybe I shouldn't get rid of those techniques altogether anyway.  Maybe there needs to be a balance (especially in elementary ed).

THERE IS A HAPPY ENDING... KEEP READING

Then I went to a Blue Ribbon Conference and had my eyes opened to something which I hadn't been aware.  I went to a similar conference two years ago and was "wowed" by the school.  Each classroom had an Interactive Whiteboard in their classroom.  The teachers could use the IWB.  They knew how to create lessons.  They spoke foreign words to me.  Told me to look at their Wikki.  What's that?  Am I even allowed to look at it?  Am I already looking at it and don't know that I am?

HERE'S THE HAPPY ENDING...
This year I went to the conference and skipped sessions on Smartboards that were too basic.  Too basic for ME!  I guess I had learned something.  I was warned at the beginning of a session on i-pads that the workshop was for users who had just begun to use the device and that we should probably seek out another session if we knew more than the basics.  I left!   I attended another session for intermediate use and was helping the teacher next to me figure things out.  I was actually translating the foreign technological instructions that she was hearing! And, at one point in the day, I actually heard myself explain to someone what a Wikki was!

The biggest take-away I had after leaving this conference was the realization that I had actually learned a lot over these past two years.  I had learned little by little over a period of time.  I had grown but didn't see that I had grown until I was placed in a similar setting that I had been placed in two years prior and discovered that I knew much more than I had given myself credit for.  There is still a long way to go and I don't see myself as an "expert" on anything technological yet.  But there has been progress.  That's what I always look for in my students -- progress.  If there is progress, there is hope.  If there is hope, there is room for more growth.

So keep your hope alive.  Take it in small bites.  And realize that if you learn only one thing this school year, you are still learning.  Be kind to yourself.

In reality, there isn't a happy ending, because it is never going to end.  Technology is not going away...which means that we have a lot of time to learn.

Importance of Language in Parent-Teacher Relationships

It's unfortunate that public discourse and political causes can create ill feelings between parents and teachers.  The parent-teacher relationship is so important in the education and happiness of a child, that talk of this type of environment saddens me.  I feel that I have always had positive relationships with the parents of the children that I teach, so this is not a personal story. Rather, I am referring to a larger political discourse of parents and teachers blaming each other and accusing each other of not caring, rather than working with each other.  

It all comes down to the words we use with each other.  I recently ran across this excerpt on the Music of Language, which aptly describes the power of the words we choose: 


"When we speak or write, we use the vehicles of words to carry meaning, as well as energy, from ourselves to another person or group of people. We may be speaking to our baby, our boss, or to an audience of 500 people. We may be writing a love letter, a work-related memo, or an entry in our own diary. Whatever the case, each word we speak or write has a life of its own, a vibratory signature that creates waves in the same way that a note of music creates waves. And like musical notes, our words live in communities of other words and change in relation to the words that surround them. When we are conscious of the energy behind our words, we become capable of making beautiful music in the world. If we are unconscious of the power of words, we run the risk of creating a noisy disturbance. 

Some of us know this instinctively, while others come to this understanding slowly. Most of us, though, speak without thinking at least some of the time, blurting out our feelings and thoughts without much regard for the words we choose to express them. When we remind ourselves that our words have an impact on the world, we may find within ourselves the desire to be more aware of our use of language." 


Mutual respect and open dialogue are key in establishing a positive relationship between home and school, which ultimately extends to child.  It's a delicate relationship -- not unlike any other relationship we choose to establish.  The difference in this relationship is the focus.  The focus is (or should be) on the child, not the adults.  We each carry different pieces of the same puzzle and it's important to work together to put these pieces together to uncover the true picture of what the child needs.   Teachers need to be willing to "hear" what a parent is trying to convey.  Likewise, parents need to really listen to what the teacher has to say.  Nobody is "right" or "wrong."  We each have a different perspective which can help us see the whole child and what is best for them.  It's when one party tries to force another party to see ONLY their perspective that conflict ensues and roadblocks are built.  



Instead of trying to "control" others with our words, maybe we can use our words to create a peaceful relationship which can build trust and mutual respect.  This is the only way we can effect change in education and in our world.  Otherwise all progress is stalled with "noisy disturbance" and we are reduced to playing a control game which nobody wins -- including the child.  We are all in this together.  We all have a common goal -- to help a child grow and lead a happy fulfilling, passion-filled life.  As adults, it is our duty to set the example and work "with" each other, not against.  We can each do our own part.  Hopefully, if we continue to stay on the course of mutual respect, all of the negative chatter will fall on deaf ears and go away. 

I-pad is the key to unlocking doors to engagement

I finally had the chance to use a classroom set of i-pads as a reinforcement to all of the math concepts my first graders have learned so far (see video below).  Instant feedback to children is of vital importance when it comes to reinforcing a newly-learned skill. When there is only one teacher in the room, instant feedback doesn't happen often enough.  Today, I had seventeen tutors in the room with me in the form of i-pads with fantastic math apps such as Telling Time and Penguin Math.  Each app gives instant feedback to the child, letting them know if the answer was correct or not and allowing them to try again.  The only job I had was in making certain that each student was exploring apps which were appropriate for their skill level (ie. not too hard and not too easy).  So, in effect, each child had a customized activity in front of them according to their skill level.  The rest was up to the i-pads!  The  kids had a great time and I am positive that they didn't even realize that they were reinforcing a learned skill.  So much better than a worksheet!

I-pad helps me teach parents teach their children

This past Friday was parent-teacher conference day.  Since my first grade reading class is a class specifically designed to address the instructional needs of children who are below grade-level benchmarks, I was going to need help in convincing parents that their children were indeed making progress. The phrase "below grade level benchmarks," often translates in the mind of a parent that their child has a learning disability or is in dire need of a tutor or is struggling to the point of concern.  All of this, of course, is untrue.  In my opinion, my class seems to be filled with intelligent children who are creative, hard working and well-adjusted individuals who make some of the deepest higher-level thinking connections.    However, today was a day in which I had to convince many parents of this.  Society, I believe, has made many parents feel that if their children are "behind grade-level standards" today then they are doomed to struggle for the rest of their lives to catch up.  It was my job to put these parents at ease so that they would not unconsciously transfer this anxiety onto their children.  How could I do that?  Enter, once again, my precious i-pad.

As I wrote in a previous blog, I had found an inexpensive recording app and downloaded it onto my i-pad so I could record my first graders reading and then re-play it for them to hear.  I wrote of how the children would break into wide smiles at hearing themselves read and finally believe that they were indeed "readers."  I also wrote of how the i-pad could be used to teach them strategies in decoding words as I could pause the recording and ask the children to ask themselves how they could have figured that word out.  Now I was turning to my electronic friend to help me teach parents.

Concerned parents always come asking how they can help at home with their child's reading.  I could verbally instruct them, but now I had a different strategy.  Parents could now listen to the voice of their child reading on the i-pad while they followed along visually with the actual text that their child was reading.  I could then pause the recording and feed the parents some prompts that they could use when reading with their child at home.  Simple prompts that all reading teachers use, such as:
"Does that word make sense there?"
"What else can you do to figure out that word?"
"Try skipping that word, reading to the end of the sentence and then going back."
"Try breaking that big word down into a smaller word by covering some of it up."
"Do you see a smaller word in that big word?"
"Can the picture help you?"
"Use the picture and the letters-sounds together."
"Try re-reading that sentence again."

Parents were forever thankful.  What seems like common sense to a teacher may not be so obvious to a parent who hasn't had training or experience.  The i-pad was a wonderful way to give a 5-minute workshop to each set of parents who sat down with me to speak about their child's reading.  I'm sure all teachers have given these types of mini-workshops to parents before without the aid of the i-pad or recording.  The i-pad just helped to simplify the process that much more.

The best part was that I was able to e-mail these recordings of the children to their parents so they could use it at home with their child to see the pride in their child's face firsthand.  Such an experience for a parent has to be priceless.

My I-pad helps to change assessments into teaching again!

OK, let me begin yet another blog by admitting that I am not writing about anything that is ground-breaking or new and I am also assuming that many other teachers have probably already used the idea of recording children's reading on i-pads.  But the elation I feel after having the dreaded feeling of losing teaching time to do assessments removed compels me to write!

None of us get into the teaching field because we LOVE to assess, but we all come to  realize (begrudgingly) that it is an important part of the overall learning process.   I think educators even changed the name from "test" to "assess" just to make ourselves feel better.  With all of the other competing demands associated with education, actual teaching time has become a precious commodity.  And there is nothing worse than witnessing a child not do well on an assessment, only to leave your side feeling deflated.  Not only do I and all teachers feel incredibly sad for a child in such a situation, but I know that I also personally feel a sense of failure...that I didn't do my job well enough.

Enter the $.99 voice memo app on my i-pad.

While doing the Developmental Reading Assessment (DRA) with each student in my first grade class, I decided one morning to upload an app which would allow me to easily and inconspicuously (I thought) record the children reading passages.  My initial thought was that it would help me with replaying the child's reading if I missed a miscue or even help to clearly illustrate a child's reading strengths and/or weaknesses at parent-teacher conference.  What I didn't realize was the teachable moments and smiles it would provide.  Not to mention the ease.

First of all, never think for a moment that a first grader misses a trick.  They knew that I was recording them. Some liked the idea.  Others got nervous.  I explained to the ones who got nervous that I would erase the recording if they didn't like how it sounded.  Well, never let it be said that a six year old doesn't like to hear his/her own voice.  They instantly became the star of the show.  Even if they weren't reading all that well, they developed wide grins just hearing themselves on the recording.  Nobody wanted to delete themselves from this rectangular recording device.  Many even asked to see how I was storing the recordings.

The best part, however, was the teaching that I could do after each and every assessment with each child.  We would listen to the recording while following along in the book.  When we got to an error, I would easily pause the recording and ask the student what strategy they could have used to figure out that word.  They always knew!  And they inevitably corrected their miscue without much or any guidance from me!  The look of pride on their face when they did this was well worth the $.99 I shelled out for this app.

Of course I couldn't just stop at one assessment.  The children begged to read and record another book.  So I would take out the alternative book at the same level and administer the test and the recording again.  They always did better!  The moment they would finish the second book, they would beg to hear themselves again.

In the end, the kids left my reading table feeling proud, I left feeling satisfied that I didn't just do a round of torture and the areas in which each student needed to address were noted by all.  Yes, students  were leaving assessments actually learning something about their own reading...and feeling good about it!

Again, I know this is not a new concept.  But the i-pad made it  incredibly simple to pause, replay or record and immensely convenient to file and store.  All this for under a dollar.

Loving my i-pad in the classroom!

I love using my i-pad in the classroom sooo much that I want more of them!  I know I may be a little late to this game and that many teachers who are reading this are most likely beyond what I have to report, but I am so excited that I have to report anyway!

Recently our district gave all Kindergarten and Grade One teachers an i-pad.  We were given it primarily to use with our class for a universal screening test called Dibbles.  While administering the test is taking some getting used to, I have to say that I am having absolutely no trouble getting used to finding ways to use my i-pad in the classroom.  I'm new and just beginning to experiment, but I can already see that elementary classrooms everywhere can benefit from having more of this type of technology in their room.

Instant Engagement!
Yesterday, I was fortunate enough to receive the adaptor which allows me to project children's books (which I have purchased through i-books on my i-pad) onto my Interactive Whiteboard.  Viola! I had an instant big book for $3.99 (versus the traditional $24).  But there are more benefits than merely the cost.  Since my Smartboard is bigger than a big book, all the children in my class could see the words of the book as I read it.  Being actually able to see the words is an easy way to increase engagement.  What's more is that I can highlight words on my i-pad which I want to emphasize (in this case, repetitive sight words) for the children to read with ease.

Targeted Instruction
I work with a classroom of students identified as needing targeted instruction in reading.  These are first grade children who struggle with reading but have no identified processing difficulties.  They just need an additional boost in reading instruction.  The i-pad and Smartboard allow for me to target my instruction.  After reading the traditional version of The Little Red Hen yesterday to the class, I found an electronic easy-reader version of this story adapted and illustrated by Gloria Lapin, a retired elementary teacher (http://primarilyreading.com).  She creates beginning reading comics.  I projected the beginning reading comic version of The Little Red Hen for the students to read.  They COULD read most of the words of this easy reader, allowing them to enjoy the story even more and feel successful.  Not only that, but they enjoyed the comic book style of the story.  This also allowed me to begin a discussion on how different versions of books tell the same story and have the class compare/contrast the two different versions. I doubt I would have even found this book if I didn't have an i-pad with i-books on it.  Instant engagement, instant enjoyment and instant interactive lesson! The hat trick to successful learning.

Increasing Fluency In a Fun Way
The i-pad can be used for so much more, I know.  I can't wait to explore having interactive stories in the listening center and using the i-pad to record children reading to themselves.  Reading, listening to themselves and then reading again will inevitably be a fun and engaging way to increase the fluency of these students (and all students) -- not to mention how much easier and efficient it is to use the i-pad than using the traditional tape recorder.

This experience has lead me to explore how i-pads are being used in other first grade classrooms.  I was informed that there was a first grade teacher in Rochester, NY who uses a lot of technology in his classroom to help teach reading.  His name is Richard Colosi.  After viewing his website, I am further convinced that i-pads are meant for elementary classrooms.  Check out his website at www.richardcolosi.com   I can't wait to learn even more from him.

I am becoming so greedy!  Now I want a class set of i-pads!