Feb.25.10


 * iPod Project Meeting**
 * Thursday, February 25, 2010**
 * Board Room, Education Centre**

W. T. Townshend: (3 teachers): Barry Jacobs, Taryn Dowsling, Dean Moyer Wm. G. Davis: (1 teacher) Kim Stenhouse Ryerson: (2 teachers) Kim Gill, Andrew Grant Board: Ed Enns (IT); Ron Millar (CATC); Susan Watt (Technology Support Teacher); Ian Mann (Coordinator JK-12); Erika Fleming-Gillespie (Coordinator JK-12)

Ron handed out plastic covers for iPods that prevent glare. $20 each, let him know how they work

Sharing: · • Give kids ownership, all different curriculum areas for use, kids charge at home or at school, have them 24 hours · • Big one is research, portable access to Internet; kids have found creative ways to make that work as it is hard to move from one site to another; kids discovered that works if one does research on iPod and another takes notes. Tried using Etherpad but it didn’t work well. Kids have one on iPod who dictates to the one on the computer. · • Dictating makes them talk to one another about what they are researching, freedom to find ways that work, an idea “goes around the room” as one finds it on iPod and shares with others · • Also use reference apps, like French English translation · • Checking out Olympics, “keeping current to the outside world” · • • Challenge is coming to a comfortable place around use of games—has been watching carefully and there are 4 kids (all boys) who can’t keep off the games, find it hard to stop. Trying to deal with that; some are great games but it’s the time and place that is appropriate. · • • CAA World Fact Book for geography assignment · • CIDA (?) government maps for research piece · • Question about how transformative this tool is meant to be? Is it being incorporated enough? · • • Definitely the level of engagement and enthusiasm is high, only 1 or 2 have forgotten to bring iPod to school, they charge in an hour if needed, only 1 boy left it somewhere else in the school and it was returned, 2 have broken through falls but students are still using them - iPod Code of Conduct is on the wall · • other students in the school reaction: those with siblings at Ryerson are okay with it; some are complaining that it is not fair, explain that it is a pilot project · • wireless only works within close proximity to class so aren’t used outside class · • Etherpad doesn’t work well on iPod; Susan told them about it and they use it on the computer (Etherpad allows students to create a document that up to 8 people can use at one time, each person has a colour that indicates their additions and changes. Students came up with their own rules about using Etherpad, e.g., “don’t delete anything until everyone has read it.”
 * William G. Davis - Kim Stenhouse**

· • Eda was not present—Andrew read note, uses for art, music, reference apps; students write an iJournal after using iPod to record their reactions · • Andrew: art app, used colour schemes; music app, classical music to identify mood, rhythm, tempo and beat · • Since the Internet has been hooked up, more for research · • Martian app to create a Martian and develop creative writing · • Students are pumped, 40 minutes of silence, focused reading and writing as soon as the devices come out · • Journal entries using Notes app; working to print, Kim has looked at FirstClass to email to self; Kim Stenhouse suggested using Class • • Blog to post and use Draft option to keep it private—Blog becomes a storage place · • Summary and main ideas through Olympic applications · • Question about whether they are using it enough · • Kim: applications to specific curriculum content, e.g., human body in science; don’t take it out for “iPod time”, using in short blips of space at different times · • FlickFishing—habitats, weights are in decimals and kids didn’t know decimals but are keen to use the app, taking picture of fish, recording weight, length, etc. Real life connections. · • • Practice spelling words, use Battleship, when finished work · • Dragon dictate is the most valuable tool ever, has been timing out, work order in to Help Desk but no response yet · • • Use thumb tack microphone, easier than longer cord, use one hand to hold it; also used “i2recorder and VoiceMemos” used as well, voice memos saves right into iTunes so you can use it later · • Created comics using several apps to write text, record and enter into comic · • Question about how we collect all of these ideas and share them to try
 * Ryerson**

· • Dean: primarily for research with notes application; developed a Blog as reading response and writing to critique · • Polling website—Poll Everywhere—for Bell Work, one or two questions for review, students look at data being posted live with changes; unit on data management students made up their own using same software on computer lab · • Tanya: Olympics apps, current events and Word Press for summarizing; massive impact on one particular student who didn’t even want to come to school, now fully engaged doing grade level work · • Benefit of being available immediately, 5 kids working in small group to finish up research while other kids are writing · • Barry: “teacher as learner”, have learned a lot from kids, show teacher things about how it works · • Just before Christmas got the iPods, after Christmas several students had gotten iPods, said it was because they were using them in school · • Delay in getting Internet access · • Journal entries, CTV Olympics have North American map they worked through · • • Due to constraints on time, haven’t used it as much as wanted · • Tried to access wikispaces but couldn’t get in, sounds interesting · • Would like to use a stylus (Ron said there is one available) • Ron: has sites available that review apps
 * W. T. Townshend**

Ed: difference between iPod and Netbook? Which would work better and for what? Susan suggests that there are uses for each media and that a mix is appropriate, Netbooks need to be hardwired. Kim suggests that the engagement is increased with iPod but kids prefer computers for extended research. Erika: Peter Raspberry is using iPod at outdoor ed centres, identifying bird calls, may encourage teachers to take students outdoors more often High Yield Strategies: · • Kim: iPod can measure your heart rate, two boys using it to do science project on effect of music on heart rate. · • Non-Fiction Writing, Ian suggests that iPod leads up to writing, the research and organization can be helped by iPod even if writing is done on computer · • • Critical Questions: Kim suggested that the immediacy of the tool helps to answer authentic questions, e.g., during Olympic investigations, kids asked “What will happen to Vancouver after the Olympics? And they could look it up right away.

Future direction of ITS: creating secure, protected network to allow people to bring their own devices; Erika made point about putting equity at front, being sure that students who can’t afford devices are not marginalized

Question of Digital Citizenship was brought forward, Susan did presentation at Townshend, Barry had kids come up with letter that indicated conduct around Internet, made him more comfortable

Susan: students have two “personas”, the “real life” and the “on-line”. Need to educate them about using the same values across both;

Tanya, connect to character education, weave technology across those activities and initiatives. Posters are available on Digital Citizenship

Research Questions: need to know what the goal is in order to measure it, what is you want to accomplish with the technology, not expecting changes in “EQAO” scores—need to look at changes in pedagogy, engagement and specific student outcomes that might lead to changes, decide what you want to measure

Barry mentioned collaboration as a key piece. Technology is changing so fast.