Integrating Handheld Technology

There are several different types of handheld technology tools that can be integrated into the classroom. These tools include the iPad, iPod, tablets, GPS, clickers or Response systems, cellular phones, digital pens, and eReaders. Some of these tools are more appropriate for older students (such as the cellular phone) than they are for Kindergarteners. For many students, these tools are very engaging. They allow the students to use a technology tool that they may not have access to outside the school building. 

iPads are the newest craze in technology from Apple. From the research I have seen and heard, there are many apps available for the iPad that would be beneficial to teachers and students of any age (even graduate level students). iPads are being used not only in the general education classroom but in the special education and LifeSkills classes as well. In the general education classroom, they are being used to build students’ skills in all content areas. In the article, Five ways readers are using iPads in the classroom, the author talks about ways the iPads are used for interventions, enrichment, assistive technology, digital literacy, and organizing resources (http://www.eschoolnews.com/2011/05/27/five-ways-readers-are-using-ipads-in-the-classroom/?). I could see incorporating an iPad in my classroom as an intervention. The article talks about the teacher using an app that helps students learn their math facts. These apps could also be found for reading and writing skills. It would be nice if I could go to a MTSS (Multiple Tier Support System) meeting and show the team how much a student gained over a period of time using the iPad. To me, it seems like it would be engaging to students as well as a tool I could use to differentiate student learning. It also sounds like a great tool to help keep my notes and materials organized. In the article, the author mentions a couple of different apps that help him keep his notes organized. It would be nice to be able to grab one thing to take to intervention meetings instead of grabbing my grade book, my anecdotal notes, data, and the child’s folder. I could take my grade book and the iPad and have all that information with me.

It was very interesting to learn about digital pens. A digital pen looks like a regular pen but is able to record notes, capture audio, playback recorded items, hold up to 400 or 800 hours of recorded audio, and has a display to show the different apps on the pen (http://www.livescribe.com/en-us/education/). One way I could see a digital pen being used in my classroom is to record a lesson for students who are absent or for students who need to hear instruction over and over. Not only could I record the lecture part of the lesson, but I would be able to record any modeling that I did. Then the student could replay the lesson. If a student did not understand the content the first time they heard the lecture, they would be able to listen to the lesson as many times as needed. On the website (link is above), they talk about using the pen with their special education students. Teaching Kindergarten, I never know how many students I will have in my room who require assistance or have a learning disability. This would be a good intervention for these students. Another way I could use this pen is with my ELL (English Language Learners) students. They would be able to hear the lesson as well the examples as many times as they need to. Already in my classroom, I have a Tag book set by LeapFrog which sounds similar to the digital pen. This is a pen that will read books (printed by LeapFrog) to the student. The one big difference I see between the Tag pen and the digital pens is the Tag pen does not record anything and is already programmed to read the books created specifically to go with it.

To purchase a digital pen for the classroom, it would cost anywhere from $50 to $500 depending on the brand selected, how much memory wanted/needed, and which company makes it. The digital pens by LiveScribe are listed from $150 to $200 dollars. These amounts sound reasonable but to purchase a set for the whole class (approximately 25 students) would cost $3,750 to $5,000. To purchase an iPad for the classroom, it would be $499. A class set (25 students) would cost $12,475 plus the insurance to cover them if they were damaged plus the cost of any apps that are not free. For some teachers, they would have to come up with these amounts on their own. To do this, many would write grants explaining how the technology would be used in the classroom and how it would benefit their students. Other school districts may have enough money in their technology budget to purchase these for a teacher.

I would love to be able to have an iPad in my classroom. I see so many benefits for younger students. I have talked with several other teachers who already have them in their classroom; they feel they have seen a difference in their students’ abilities from the beginning of the year to the end of the year. Because my district is cutting budgets, like many others, I would need to either purchase my own iPad to use or receive grant money to purchase them. I will be looking into our Public Schools Foundation which gives out grants each year to teachers as well as other places I can write grants to purchase the iPads. I could see myself using a digital pen within my classroom. Because I do so much modeling, I think it would benefit those students who need a little extra time looking at the model or who need to hear the lecture over and over. As a teacher, I feel I need to keep up with the new technology that is available to our students. We are preparing our students for their future and the “real” world. We need to allow them to learn by using the technology as well as teaching them how to be respectful of the new technology and others who use it.