Touch Screen Devices

Touch Screen Tablets

Today touch screen devices are all the rage. Most of today's new smart phones, tablets, mp3 players, digital cameras, and computers have touch-sentsitive screens that allow the user to interact with the devices by using their fingers, a stylus, or a digital pen. Because these touch devices respond to finger motion, they are very user friendly. A child for example isn't going to have to use a mouse to select information on a screen, or use a keyboard to zoom in; all that child will need to do is tap their finger on what interests them to select, or pinch their fingers to zoom in or out on the screen.

Not only are these devices user friendly, they are also incredibly intriguing to children in this digital age.Touch enabled devices are the most up-to-date machines, and children naturally are engaged when working on them. For these reasons I think incorporating touchscreen devices into the education curriculum is a great idea that will enhance student motivation, engagement, and ultimately result in higher performance in many subject skills.

Touch screen tablets are number one in my mind when I think of incorporating touchscreen devices into the classroom. These devices do not take up much space (less than a computer, and monitor) and they can easily be help in the hands of elementary children. Today even Apple's ipad mini is available, and would be ideal to give to first through third grade students. The original ipad, larger in size would be more appropriate for grades four and up through high school. There are also other touchscreen tablets available for students such as the Dell Latitude 10 tablet, and the Samsung Galaxy Note II.

Below is a youtube video giving us feedback from a 5th grade teacher, and her students on how they feel about using ipads in the classroom. See for yourself how these touch screens can engage young minds as well as yours.

As these students were explaining in the video, there are endless ways to use touch screen tablets to enrich their curriculum. I also want to share a link to the article, 25 Ways To Use Tablets In The Classroom. I particularly like way #25 from this article: using tablets for current events. My school is doing away with Scholastic News next year, and we are trying to find a way to keep our students up-to-date with current events. We could use touch screen tablets in the classroom to allow students to work in pairs to research current events on kid friendly websites like Time for kids, or discovery kids. 

Every teacher can use tablets in their classroom in at least one way, and many teachers will probably find more than ten ways to use touch screen tablets. I know that each classroom is different, and that's why these tablets will fit nicely into those classrooms. They are versatile, and exciting for students of all ages. 

-Lisa Costello

Lets Be Smart About Smart Phones!

I currently teach 5th grade, so texting, and digital cheating on assessments isn't a common issue amongst my studnets. However, i'd like to focus this post on how teachers of higher grade levels can use their students' smart phones as aids to class lessons and activities.

Now even though my focus is on older students, I would also consider using smart phones as technological pieces with my own 5th grade class. This is because I know that many of my 5th graders do have their own phones. Lets face it, it's a digital world, and younger children are learning to get their hands on all sorts of technologies. Most of my students either have an iphone, an android phone, or a windows phone. Since the invention of the cellular phone, use of these phones have been frowned upon in schools for a few reasons. Skeptics say that students will text, play, cheat, and lose focus if they are using a smartphone in class. Well, i'd have to disagree. There are ways in which to secure the privacy of students, and monitor what students are doing while they are using their devices. Its up to teachers to continually monitor what students are doing, and execute consequences when a rule on appropriate use is broken.

iPhone photo by William Hook on Flickr

            Attribution, Share Alike License http://www.fotopedia.com/items/flickr-2830319467

I think teachers should be educating students on how to use their smart phones for educational purposes, such as how to use educational apps, blog with peers, set up a work schedules, record ideas, watch educational videos, research the websites, and search through maps. These are just a few of the many ways in which students can effectively use readily available technology.

Many schools lack the funds needed to give students enough computers to use in regular class time. They school where I work only has 2 computer labs, one is available for a class to use during "lab time" once a week for about 45 minutes. The other computer lab is reserved solely for taking computerized standardized assessments. We then have 1 laptop cart, which is usually reserved weeks in advance. I think it would be wise to change our negative outlooks on smartphone usage in school to create a more optimistic view on what our students can accomplish if we allow them to use this familiar form of technology. If monitored correctly by the teachers, smart phones definitely could be used appropriately in the classroom.

Want to see an example of a classroom using smart phones effectively? Check out this article from Raising Arizona Kids; read about teachers who seize opportunities to use the technology students bring to school with them each day. Think about whether you agree that educators should change the negative stance on cellphones, and begin to work on letting students use their smart phones for educational purposes in school. The digital world is still evolving around us, lets evolve with it!

Also here is an article published by NBCNews on 5 good ways to use smart phones in high school. Check it out!

-Lisa Costello