The Genius Bar

"A Pew Research survey on 2,462 teachers indicates that 73% of their students use mobile devices to complete assignments, 45% use e-readers, and 43% use tablets. Technology in the classroom is not a future trend, it is already here."


With BYOD here and now, and with a growing number of students bringing their own devices into the classroom, one of the more remarkable things I have seen in our research is the creation of a "Genius Bar."

There are many schools across America who have introduced the concept of creating a Genius Bar in their schools.  For those who do not know, a Genius Bar  is a tech support station located inside every Apple Retail Store, the purpose of which is to offer help and support for Apple users. 

Punnet, Wildern Schools and Burlington High School have created Genius Bars to help support their students who bring their own devices to school each and every day. 

According to the GENYES blog, which produced an excellent document  for schools interested in creating a "Genius Bar", there are a number of things to consider:

• Creating a basic student lead model
• Setting aside space
• Training
• Customer Service
• Creating a culture of excellence
• Managing Students
• Integration into the whole school
• Sustainability

One of the best examples of school wide implementation is Burlington High School's Help Desk.  Burlington has successfully integrated their "Help Desk" into the school's mainstream culture. It not only serves a specific technological purpose, but also helps create an atmosphere of cooperation and forward thinking.  The school offers online tutorials on topics like iOS, using GOODNOTES, and student responsibility.

Are you ready to implement a Genius Bar at your school?

Tweets about "#BYOD"

{Hageman} Professional Development and Digital Literacy in the Classroom

We are at a unique time in our culture and society.  Students are in school studying for jobs that have yet to be created and are ironically being taught by a population of teachers who are not nearly as tech savvy as the students. Regardless, our students future greatly depends on our teachers ability to adapt and integrate technology into the classroom.  

One of the recurring themes from class was again present in this weeks article.   Teachers need for professional development in relation to technology.  Districts need to realize that to fully embrace a BYOD concept, they need to be willing to provide not only time, but many different avenues to help train staff on best practices and means of incorporating technology into the classroom.  

• One surprisingly effective suggestion was the use of nline communities to provide peer support.  
• Do you feel that online communities would provide adequate support for someone who is already uncomfortable in a tech world?

Upon finishing this article and continuing to Should We Be Concerned About an “App Gap,” I couldn’t help but think there needed to be more to technology integration and BYOD than simply training teachers.  

• Schools that adopt BYOD need to consider developing courses that are mandatory for students and revolve around digital literacy.  Students are given devices that have unlimited knowledge, power, and communication capabilities.  Unfortunately, those devices also come with a new set of ethics and severe consequences.  All kids do stupid things.  Today, those “things” are broadcast to the world and have much more lasting impact than in previous generations.  

• If schools are going to embrace BYOD, is it their responsibility to fully educate students on uses and consequences?

Topics that could be covered in a digital literacy course include:

• Cyber Bulling
• Sexting
• Research and plagiarism
• Facebook and online etiquette
• Bias

• Acceptable Use

The statistics in the “App Gap” article were staggering and I am befuddled trying to provide a solution to the problem.   The author poses a great question at the end of the article.  

• "So should we be concerned about an "app gap"? Or does doing so just deflect from other inequalities?"

Training?  Who needs more education on BYOD?  Is it the teachers trying to incorporate it into the classroom or the students, on how to more effectively use their devices in an professional setting.  

Stop Blaming the Devices! (Reyes)

I really enjoyed reading this chapter because it reaffirms what and I believe when it comes to BYOD in the classroom and classroom management.  This chapter shows us that classroom management strategies matter regardless of the tools that you are using in the classroom.  

One of the parts that I found to be very interesting was when the book talked about classroom layout.  I agree with the author about how teachers should be monitoring what students are doing on their devices, just as we would if they were working on paper and pencil.  However, I think the author brings up a good point when he discusses how teachers should have their desks arranged based on the type of activity they are doing.  Most teachers that I know have moved their desks before to accommodate an activity but I do not think that many teachers have moved desks several times during a class as the activities changed.  When the author brought this up, he talked about how this would help the teacher be able to monitor what was going on in the class as well be able to engage the students more effectively during different activities.  My first thought was that this would be very challenging because it takes forever to move things around the room and it can create chaos.  However, the author had a great suggestion of using a stopwatch and giving them a certain amount of time to move.  This allows teachers to move the classroom to be most effective for the type of instruction that is taking place without creating too much chaos.  

I also really liked what the author had to say about how devices are not there to do the instruction for you but are merely a tool to be used to enhance learning.  One of the parts of chapter talked about the different ways that the author would have the students use their devices.  He talked about how sometimes the author would have each student working on his or her own device but at other times they could be working with just two devices in a group of six.  There were also times that the author had them put their devices away for several reasons including the devices being a distraction or to have students share what their reaction was to the activity with the group.  No matter what way the teacher chooses to go is fine, as long as you see the devices as a tool to help the student through the lesson instead of being the lesson.  I think that this is one of the biggest concerns that I hear from other teachers when it comes to BYOD.  They will often say that they do not know how they would use the devices in their classroom.  My response is typically to point out that they are using devices all the time but we no longer see them as devices.  For instance, paper and pencil or calculators are all tools.  Why couldn’t students type their answers, read an article on their devices or use their devices as their calculators?  These are all questions they didn’t have a good answer for other except that it would be a distraction.  However, after reading these past articles and this chapter I know now and can pass along that it is not the device that will be the problem but the way we as teachers set up the classroom that will be problem.  

Overall I really enjoyed reading this chapter as it gave me some new things to think about when it comes to BYOD.

(Claus) BYOD Classroom Mangement

I liked how the article started off by stating that we all need to agree that technology is MUST in today’s classroom.  It is as essential as (or even more than) paper and pencil.  I believe we still have some teacher who needs convincing of this.  One reason I believe teachers are so reluctant to use more technology in their classrooms, especially BYOD, is the classroom management aspect of BYOD.  I really liked the comparison of texting to note passing.  I have never really thought of how obsolete note passing has become.  However, I have noticed the texting.  As I began my journey in implementing BYOD in my classroom texting was my biggest fear.  I was pleasantly surprised about how my students handled having their phones and not texting.

The articles next main point was that just because your adding more technology to your classroom does not mean you need to start managing your classroom differently.  I liked the key point the author made by saying teachers must manage the students not their technology tools.

Another statement that stuck out to me was the one about instructional design impacts classroom management in a BYOD setting.  I don’t only strongly believe, and I’m not sure how anyone could argue, that this is true in a BYOD classroom but in ALL classroom.  Keeping student busy, engaged and learning is key in all classrooms.  One of the most important things the author pointed out was making sure there was never downtime for the students. The downtime is definitely when you see the behavior issues when using BYOD in your classroom.  I try to avoid it at all cost by differentiating instruction and always having extension activity on hand.

The final part of the article stated some classroom management strategies.   To be honest most of them seemed like common sense to me.  The first one talked about walking around the room, of course if you are sitting at your desk the entire class there will be students off task, not doing what they should be doing, it seemed like a no brainer to me.  The second strategy, I did like and never really thought of.  I will definitely be using it in my classroom.  I especially liked the idea of having student simply flip over their mobile device while the teacher is giving directions.

Overall I felt the article would be a great article to sent out to teachers who are thinking about incorporating BYOD in their classroom, I may even share it with my team in hopes to get more of them to implement BYOD in their classroomsJ

{Long} eReaders vs Tablets - Not a Fair Contest

The boring stuff: the two readings this week discussed eReaders and tablets. While one reading focuses on the positives/negatives of eReaders in the education setting, the other reading takes a closer look the use of iPads with a non-technological group and the benefits in career training the tablet brought. One thing I found interesting was the responses being reported by students, that they were more engaged and appeared to want to learn more simply because of the device. While I feel this is still a current view in our schools today, I don't see this sticking around much longer. Our students are going to eventually consider the use of tablets and devices in the classroom to be second nature. 15 years ago cell phones weren't as prevalent as they are today. Now you have elementary students with their own phone, and many people with more than 1! Tablets and similar devices will become second nature which is why it is important that educators learn how to keep students engaged with the content and lesson when using the device, not using the device itself as the engaging aspect.

Comparing eReaders and Tablets is not a fair contest. I would never recommend anyone purchase an eReader. Let's explore why:

What can you do on an eReader?

1. Read digital textbooks
2. Browse the internet, sometimes when it isn't slow
3. That's about it...

What can you do with a tablet?

1. Read digital textbooks
2. Browse the internet, at a respectable speed
3. Download apps
4. Listen to music
5. Watch videos
6. Consume, create, and share content (big point)
7. list goes on...

My opinion and view is that anything you can do on an eReader, you can do that and more with a tablet. The comparison I would make here is that of a bike and a car. Sure the bike will get you from point A to point B, but you can only go by yourself and it will take you forever. In a car, not only can you get from point A to point B, but you can get there quicker, listen to music on the way, take friends, etc.. Another good comparison is the flip phone and smart phone.

Why would schools and universities limit their students capabilities by having them use eReaders as opposed to tablets? Tablets allow students to consume content, create content, and share content. Devices for students now need to be a 2 way street and allow for more creation, collaboration, and a deeper learning and knowledge.

[Linenkugel] Using Smartphones As Essential Tools For Learning; 40 Simple Ways To Use Smartphones; 33 Interesting Ways To Use Mobile Phones In The Classroom

Using Smartphones As Essential Tools For Learning; 40 Simple Ways To Use Smartphones
Some key notes I took away from this first article were that the findings from the first wave of the 1:1 of using technology were viewed as supplemental to the existing curriculum and with the second wave of the 1:1 that is still gaining momentum the views are that the use of technology is essential to the curriculum.  As stated in the article, schools are reporting upwards of 30% improvement in standardized test scores, computing devices are being used as essential to the curriculum, i.e., the students use the devices from 40–70% of the school day and for periods after school as well, and the “active-learning” pedagogy emphasizes student constructive and collaborative activities (Bransford, Brown, & Cocking, 1999).  This second wave will be based on the use of computing devices of choice (smartphones, tablets, etc.) the implementation of BYOD.  The schools will just need to provide the internet access and educational software and the analogy that is used here references the internet as a roadway with the mobile technologies being the cars.  Not only are these mobile technologies important and relevant in the educational setting but they are emerging as significant additions to both our consumer and business as well.  I agree that the teachers that are already using project/problem/inquiry based strategies find it easier and are possibly being more willing to accept and utilize the benefits of mobile learning devices in their classroom & existing curriculum.  “We have gone on record publically with the following prediction: Within five years every child in every grade in every K–12 classroom in America will be using a mobile learning device technology (Norris, Hossain
& Soloway, 2011).  That being said, I have all 3 grade levels in the middle school and when taking a poll to see how many of my students have a mobile learning device to use - the results were 85% or higher in each of my 6 classes.  Most of them have their own smartphone; some of them have both a smartphone and an additional device (ipod, ipad, tablet, kindel, etc.) and are more than willing and excited to use them in my classroom.  

40 Simple Ways To Use Smartphones
Sorry I have gotten carried away looking into several of them...which has led me off task & has  taken much longer than planned! :)  Here is some notes specifically from #3 Scavenger Hunts
I took note to several of these 40 that were listed and hope to tweek them in a way that I can use them within my own subject area.   I especially look forward to using the storyboarding, scavenger hunts and animations.  This week I am going to try to use the scavenger hunts - although when looking at the lesson plan that was provided (btw LOVE that feature) I saw that it was for local history and instead plan on using this to complete (what was my former magazine collage) scavenger hunt for images that illustrate the elements & principles of art.  I hope that this will enable the students to be excited to learn and find examples outside of my classroom walls.  I also think that there could be some collaboration aspect to this where they would work with a teammate/partner and then we could compare and contrast the answers of all groups when we all finish as a class using a discussion/critique of which ones we think are the best examples for each of the elements and principles of art.  I also hope that this will make them acknowledge that art is everywhere and these along with other important vocabulary are not just found in art works but in our everyday lives (advertising, clothing, houses, etc.). I would love to think of other ways that this could be used, I am thinking that they could be assigned to find examples of certain techniques, vocab, etc. using their devices, and document them by taking a picture then posting it to our companion site and describing what and where it is? or maybe leave that part open ended and have them crop the image and make it into an I spy type of feature...where students are then critically thinking about what it is and where it was found? Not sure but my wheels are definitely turning with some of these and how I can make them apply to me and my students.

33 Interesting Ways To Use Mobile Phones In The Classroom
#14 Use Posterous as a class blog for language students (could use this with images and then have digital discussions/class critiques)
#18 Create a mobile group (use Remind 101 and love it)
I found only a couple of additional uses listed with this article/presentation but have heard of some of the others already or did not feel as if they would be as beneficial for me specifically.  I have used Remind 101 and have seen great results with that for my clubs and also my classes.

[Berger] Smartphone/Cell Phone Perceptions

The perceptions and integration of cell phone use in classroom clearly varies from school to school, district to district, and even state to state.  The readings this week opened my eyes to the general perception of teachers of cell phone use in the classroom.  I was particularly surprise to realize how many schools were not taking advantage of cell phone use.  I assumed cell phone use was not particularly widespread, but I was shocked to find that 62% of schools still ban cell phone use all together (Nash, 2011).  I believe even the entire NYC school district bans cell phones for its students.     I wonder if they realize how much money they are wasting on new technologies while they are banning FREE technology from the schools?  The Birch article stated: " Project Tomorrow (2010) reported that 98% of 9th—12th graders and 83% of 6th—8th graders own a cell phone (as cited in Kolb, 2011)".  Why not take advantage of this overwhelming statistic?

The Birch article also focused on the perception of teachers on the topic of technology and cell phone use.  It stated that "Teachers‘ own perceptions of their professional development needs in this area [technology integration] centered on finding enough time and getting enough help

 from colleagues so they could explore planning and pedagogy to integrate technology into their everyday classroom practice. Goos and Benninson (2008)".   Although our district does a great job at fostering a technology friendly atmosphere, there will definitely be a need for significant professional development in the area of BYOD in order for it to be successful.  Even if teachers are willing to integrate BYOD into their classrooms, professional development will be necessary in order for the integration to be effective and more importantly for BYOD to have a direct impact on learning.  Some teachers I believe still hold the perception that allowing BYOD in your classroom equates to allowing students play Angry Birds during classroom activities.  If teachers were more aware of the extensive BYOD opportunities available to them, are were given the tools to make it happen, they would be more willing and able to integrate BYOD successfully into their curriculum and instruction. 

As I look at the technology integration I have attempted in my own classroom, I can't help but to also think about how much my own perceptions have changed since my first year teaching.  Prior to stepping into the classroom as a teacher in Oak Hills, I realized that although I was completely comfortable with using technology in the classroom, I had little experience with integrating technology effectively.  Effective technology integration was never a  focus throughout my college courses.  I realized after my first year teaching, that I was integrating technology for the "fun" of it,  instead of for the purpose of achievement.   The Birch article states that research "determined that although teachers entering the profession today are more technologically literate and have a positive attitude toward technology, they have a limited knowledge of how to incorporate it effectively in their classrooms. - Lei 2009".  The perception of technology and cell phone use in the classroom needs to start with pre-service teachers!