Having never been to Oceanside High School prior to our
visit, I was amazed at how the campus resembled a small community college. It was incredibly modern looking and
seemed well designed. The science building was amazing all by itself.
1. How was technology integrated into the curriculum? Do you
feel that it promoted student learning?
The
technology was primarily in the form of iPads that the students used at their
desks to carry out the day’s instruction. The students immediately came into
the classroom and began working “warm-up” questions that the teacher had
prepared. The primary use of the technology was for assessment. Students would
complete assignments and formal assessments on their iPads, and the teachers
could receive immediate feedback on their understandings. This can really help
during the formative portions of a lesson or unit. Although the fullest
potential for the technology’s use isn’t realized through its incorporation
only in assessments, this is a start to a much more student centered, and
personalized form of instruction. The amount of feedback a teacher can receive
through the use of these tablets, is far greater than any teacher can obtain
through verbal communication alone.
2. Is there anything you saw that makes this
classroom/school unique?
The
use of the technology isn’t what made the classes unique for me. It was the
familiarity and comfort with which the students used the technology that I have
not seen previously. They seemed as at ease with the iPads as they would be
using pencil/paper for note taking, and completing assignments.
In
contrast, I have observed at several schools that don’t allow students to use
any electronic devices. This extends to the computers that might be already
present in the classrooms. Their concern is that the students will spend too
much time on frivolous activities and not on their schoolwork. This was shown to not be the case in
the classrooms we visited at Oceanside High School. The students were
productive and used the iPads appropriately.
3. What did you learn and how does it relate to the class
questions?
I
found it interesting that the teachers were committed to ensuring that
eventually each student could be issued an iPad, or similar device, to carry
with them throughout the day, and take home for homework/additional support. I
am having difficulty in understanding why this is so critical to the students’
learning, if they in fact have home computers and are able to access all applications
and information from their homes.
My personal belief is that it would be much more effective if they had
access to the tablets at school, and utilized their own computers at home.
If
a student is issued a tablet and therefore responsible for its condition, I can
only see that a great many students will be responsible for reimbursing the
school at the end of the year for damage incurred throughout the year. This can
have the effect of not being equitable for all students considering the wide
differentiation family financial situations. Where the replacement of a broken
iPad for one family might be a non-issue, for another, it may very well be a
financial impossibility. Having seen the condition of many students’
smart-phones over the past semester, I am certain that a fair amount of
students will be buying the school new iPads if they are permitted to carry
them to and from school. In speaking with my current Cooperating Teachers, I
have been told that there really isn’t a tech gap among their students’
families. They all have internet access and capable computers at home. In one of my classes, my CT has
supplied web-books for use by each student while physically in the classroom.
This has eliminated the need for booking computer lab time, and allowed
students to accomplish most of their work digitally.
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