Why do you need a mobile/tablet in your classroom?

Overall approach

Technology has an essential role in our daily routine, that is why children should master a productive and responsible use of them.

Integrate technology in the classroom has a positive impact to students, they can explore further than the traditional methods, like for example,  books.  While learners are having a lecture, they can use tablets or smartphones to watch real videos or images, so they can visualize the issue explained and keep this information in a easier way.

Communication is also important. Technology allows teachers, students and parents to stay in touch easily. Emails or a determinate platform can be use to share relevant information, so there will be a lot of data about students, knowing the specific parts of the content they are struggling with, facilitating  teachers' intervention.

For all of these purposes a laptop can be used too, but we have to recognize that a tablet or mobile it's easier to transport and the batteries last more hours than a laptop or a computer.

 

Best practices for technology in the classroom

Students can empower their presentations using real images of their work, it might be an experimental or a research project. Not only images can be used, they can also record video or voice and join it to the assignment. It will provide teachers an overview about how students can plan the activity, do their task and perhaps the most important part, process the information obtained into a project.

Tablets or smartphones could be used as devices for answer teacher's questions. Some students have a hard time each time they have to raise their hands and answer a question in front of their peers, using that system students can build some self confident. Using technology for this purpose, teachers can be sure the classroom  understanding about the topic she or he is teaching. It can be a very helpful tool in order to detect cases which need intervention. Imaging you ask a tricky question in order to check if students understand the content. They can choose their answer of a few options given to them or write some notes. Teachers will collect the data, analyze it and get a general view about how their explanations are working.

Think and share. We know that brainstorming has an awesome effect in creativity and critical thinking. Better solutions come up when you work as a team. Electronic devices can be use for that goal. After introducing the main concepts of your lesson let the students do some research; they can use YouTube for an interesting lecture, pictures, to clarify the instructions you gave them or interesting articles to discuss as a group. They can share with peers, discuss about them and have a deeper knowledge than if they do it by themselves or just keep the notes taken during class.

Information can be accessible from many places, having access to a lot of information that could not be available if they have to carry with them heavy books. For example, if the student has to travel, he or she can access his notes for all subjects in the same device. In teachers' case, they can check all their students' progress, grading and planning assignments.

Resources

·         Mobile learning (2015). Retrieved from http://www.unesco.org/new/unesco/themes/icts/m4ed/

·         How Brandi McWilliams teaches with Ipad (2015). Retrieved from https://www.apple.com/education/real-stories/brandi-mcwilliams/

·         Teaching with Web-based resources (2015). Retrieved from http://www.edutopia.org/blog/teaching-with-web-based-resources-edwige-simon

·         1.1 Ipads in Minnekota classroom (2015). Retrieved from http://www.minnetonka.k12.mn.us/administration/technology/iPads/Pages/default.aspx