iPads in Action!

I have struggled with how to tell the latest news about our iPad journey and I have started this post about 3 times now, but I think I need to start with some gratitude for a few people. First, I need to thank Rosamar Garcia who delivered our district's mobile iPad lab to us and not only did she deliver it to us, she spent some time walking us through the basics (how do you turn it on?), to showing us some really cool apps. People started to get excited and off they went with their new little best friends clad in white vinyl. Next I need to give a huge thanks to the staff at Blair and in particular to their principal, Mark Hoath, who took all of the iPads we have (all 27 of them), and offered to sync them all for us. What a world of difference that has made for us as now all of the iPads have the same apps. I know, I know, that is what syncing does; there really isn't anything magical to it. Let me tell you, there is magic at work here.

Once we got them back. we were able to start using them. And, staff were also able to take them home again and get to know some of the new apps.

I decided I would be bold and continue on my journey and try out the iPads with the classes I take to the computer lab. Again, there was magic at work. When these students get a hold of their own device, it really is a lovely thing to see; they just jumped right in and figured out what to do! They were like little word explorers, boldly striking forth with both curiousity and confidence, happy to welcome any new challenge that came along. Their squeals of excitement that came from the pure joy of discovery gave me chills and made me think that maybe we are on to something here.

One of the most dreaded moments as a principal is when you have to announce that it is an inside day. Everyone, students and staff alike dread these words as we know it generally means our 45 minute lunch can feel like a 3 hour lunch. Students typically don't know what to do with themselves, which means they can often wreak havoc. This week I had to make the dreaded announcement and off I went to supervise in the computer lab which we open as a place of refuge during wet rainy lunch days. This day was different; this day I said students could either use the desktop computers, or..... iPads!!!

Many students asked for the iPads and then realized that they had nowhere to sit as many students were sitting in front of computers occupying that space. When I pointed out that all they really needed was a chair, they formed these little mixed grade groupings to explore the devices; what an amazing sight to see!

Now, I know I haven't really talked about any great educational applications (yet), but that will come soon. I was just so pleased with the enthusiasm and excitement I saw when we put these devices in even the smallest hands. The students are marching back to class thrilled with what they have done and that which I had very little part in creating. My next hope is that more of our teachers will catch the enthusiasm and take some baby steps on their own journeys.

Pumper Truck Visit

 I often tell people that I have the best job and one example of that was last week when Ms. Byrne, one of our Kindergarten/Grade 1 teachers asked if I would help supervise her class when the pumper truck came to visit our school. You see, the pumper truck is a HUGE deal for these  6 and 7 year olds. They get to get up close and personal with not only the firefighters, but they also get to climb up into the truck and see how it all works. The students have been learning all about community helpers and their brilliant teachers (Ms. Byrne and Mrs. Rose) invited the truck to come to us. This is always a slightly dicey move as sometimes the truck (and the firefighters) have to actually report for duty and so they may have to cancel their visit if duty calls. But not this time. Both of our Kindergarten/Grade 1 classes got to have a look and ask lots of questions and I think that was my favourite part. "What's this?" was asked about 3 thousand times and the firefighters very calmly and patiently showed all the cool stuff on the track and explained what it did. The kids learned way more from each other and the firefighters than they would have from looking at books. The highlight of the day was of course when the fire crew had to leave with their sirens going because they got a call. Thank you to the students of Division 9 for letting me watch and enjoy your curiosity and thank you to all of the staff from these two classes for organizing such a fabulous learning experience!

Evan and Isaac; so excited!!!

Learning from Captain Dave.

Burla-future fire captain?

Division 9 students looking on.

Amber, Sam and Jem looking at the hoses.

Adrian-"Can I ring the siren?"

The crew from Division 8.

Sammi driving the truck.

Joven ready to go!

Kai and Derek learning from firefighter Bola.

Amber driving the truck.

More Ok Go

In a previous post, I shared a music video by the band Ok Go. They now have a new music video (see above). The video is pretty cool, actually very cool and worth watching a couple of times. It is also worth going to www.caranddriver.com to learn about the making of the video. Why am I including the video in my blog? Well, for me showing these videos in the computer lab with the classes I teach is a great and easy way to integrate technology into what we do and show kids the variety of things that are available on the net. What was especially satisfying for me yesterday was when I brought my Grade 4/5 class to the lab and said, " I'm really excited, I have a surprise for you!" and one of the students said, "I know what it is, "Ok Go" has a new video." At first I was a little disappointed that he had burst my bubble, but then I realized that he was excited about something I had shown him in the lab, something that he may not have been aware of before. Once we watched the video, the kids commented about how it compared to the band's other videos, and I had them do some writing about that (see Division 3 folder). Their opinions are still developing, but I appreciate how they are trying to think critically and make comparisons. I hope to do the same thing today with my Grade 3/4 group. Look for their writing in the Division 4 folder.

Last week, the elementary principals and vice-principals took a little field trip and got to go to the Apple Canada offices here in Richmond. We spent a good deal of our time there "oohing and aahing" over things like the cool coffee maker, the floor to ceiling white board walls (is he really going to write on the walls??) and the two 103" plasma screens in the main classroom. We were also impressed that they would do FREE afterschool sessions with staff and/or parents and to think of their facility as an extension of our schools.
I appreciate Apple's efforts to help and I try not to be too cynical about this effort ie. they just want us to buy more stuff. They do make really great, creative products that we will be using for many years to come, and the people we met were enthusiastic about what their products can do for us and for our students. If they are truly the only game in town and they provide something we want and perhaps need, then let's play. Let's also talk to our students about the fact that Apple may be at the forefront, and may make things that kids feel they can't live without, but that they are a business with a ton of money to put into advertising to convince us that we are not complete without an iPad. I guess this topic leads us into what it means to be a digital citizen... My musings for a Monday morning.
PS I also finished the Steve Jobs biography yesterday. Great read and certainly gave insight into the man and the company. Let's put it this way, I would still drink the kool-aid if he handed it to me.