Last Observation at the Elementary School

On the last day of my observation I first observed the students making a picture graph on the iPad for a math assignment. This was the first time that the students had done this, so they were exploring the app and all it had to offer. The teacher was so excited about discovering this new app because it allowed them to upload graph paper and then label it with both pictures and text. This proved to be a great tool, because the teacher could give them a word problem and then they could create a graph that showed the correct answers. If they messed up the graph they could easily erase what was wrong and then correct it. The students really enjoyed this assignment, so the teacher said they would definitely do it again. This day proved to be an unusual day, because after the math exercise the students helped the teacher create props for their upcoming music performance. The students have been learning about Native Americans and were putting on a performance displaying traditional Native American music and dances. The entire class seemed to really enjoy helping the teacher make the props, and they did such a great job that the teacher rewarded them with candy. Overall, my experience at the school was wonderful. The students were extremely well behaved and friendly, and the teachers were very welcoming and helpful. This school was completely different from the middle school, and I only wish I could have spent more time there. I am thankful that I was able to observe iPads being used in the classroom, because it completely changed my opinion for the positive. I hope that other schools will take note and realize what an asset they are. Hopefully, when I am a teacher I will be able to work with new technology and be able to expose my students to technology that they might not have been exposed to otherwise.

Second Visit to the Elementary School

My second visit at the elementary school was just as amazing as my first visit! I spent the majority of the time in my mentor teacher's fourth grade classroom, and was able to observe the iPads being used by all of the students. My mentor teacher allows her students to use the iPads everyday, and she incorporates them into every subject area. During the time I was there, the students were working on creating a poem in their writing journals. The purpose of the poem was to write clues in each line that would describe the subject of the poem without actually telling the reader what the poem was about. The teacher gave the students rules to follow and then allowed them to work on the poems individually. Once they finished their poems, the students typed them on their iPads and then gave them to the teacher to print. I was amazed at how comfortable the students were with using the iPads by themselves. They seemed to know pretty much everything about them, but even when they didn't they tried to figure it out on their own. I am so happy that I was able to observe on a day when the iPads were being used for a writing assignment, because I wouldn't have thought that the iPads could be used for all subjects. I liked that the teacher incorporated the iPads only after making the students write their poems first. I am so excited that I was able to observe such an amazing classroom, and see how new technology is being incorporated in the classroom.

First Day at the Elementary School

Today was my first day at the elementary school and it was amazing! My mentor teacher left early in the day so she arranged for me to observe another class. My mentor teacher's class is one of the fourth grade iPad classes, which I am very excited about. She let me observe the other iPad class because of its similarity to her classroom. During my time there the students were all on their own iPads working on math problems and other activities. One of the students showed me all of the apps that were on her iPad and showed me what they do. It was so nice to see a student who was excited to show someone else their schoolwork. She wasn't alone in her enthusiasm. The other students appeared to be genuinely enthusiastic about using iPads for learning. I also had the opportunity to talk to the teacher, and was shocked to learn that even though she has "headed" the use of the iPads in the school, she will not be teaching at the school next year due to budget cuts. This was shocking especially because she was the teacher who the assistant principal bragged on at orientation for having an almost paperless classroom. The teacher told me that even though she has helped build the iPad curriculum, she will be one of the first teachers cut due to this being her first year teaching. After seeing all she has done with bringing technology to her students, I feel that this is an injustice. Her class is so advanced compared to the majority of the classes is South Carolina, and I am shocked that the school doesn't see her as a valuable asset.
Overall, today was a great day! I was able to see a different style of learning that I had not seen before, and I hope to learn a great deal from my observations. I am so excited about spending more time at the school and seeing more of how the iPads and other technology is used.