It’s been a while since I blogged about teaching with iPads–when I first started teaching with them in January 2013, it was so new and overwhelming, and now it’s just part of my life.
I’ve found a good rhythm, and apps that work best for my classes. As I write this, my Journalistic Writing students are tapping away, working on their feature stories (due today!), but I told them if they need a break from the “assigned work” to go ahead and switch over to their blogs. They have 47 minutes; they can use it how it works best for the tasks at hand.
Yesterday, I let them choose peer editors, and a good chunk of the class time, students read each others’ stories and then conferenced about what they read. They shared their stories via Google Docs, and I gave them specific pitfalls to highlight and comment on.
I initially gave them 15 minutes for this task, and when that time was up, several students asked, “Can we keep doing this? It’s so helpful.”
Yep. You sure can.
Two weeks ago in my Pop Culture class, I taught a concept (I don’t even remember what it was now) and told students to go find examples of that concept. One student said, “How did you ever teach this class without iPads?”
I explained that I just had to provide all the examples myself and use the projector, but throughout the day, her question stuck with me. The flexibility they provide, the work students are able to complete in my classroom, the feedback they get from both me and their peers–it’s all invaluable.
I can’t imagine teaching without iPads anymore.
Two weeks in, and I wonder if I’ll ever get there!