This weeks post I wanted to discuss how to keep students engaged in the assignment without fading off onto something else on their iPads. As stated in my previous post, many of my lessons and day to day classes revolve around the use of their iPads. We do assignments from quizzes to web quests and many more. Although, there are many times while using iPads that students become distracted and search pictures, and other off task behaviors on their iPads.
Majority of our school iPads have strict security measures placed on them but that still does not mean that everything is blocked! Therefore, it is tough to truly police what students are one.
There are a few things that I find important when trying to ensure that our students stay focused on the topic at hand. First, be sure to monitor the students by walking around the room, checking in on their progress etc. It is important to stay involved in the classroom activities even when the students are not working appropriately on their iPads. In addition, I make sure to make assignments due on schoology at specific times throughout the class period. This is to ensure the students are working appropriately and in a time efficient manner. Lastly, we use a PBS rewards system at our school by rewarding tickets to students that are doing the right thing. We frequently give out tickets when our students are on task.
In the end it can be hard to keep students engaged in the learning task when using technology. So, what ideas do you have for keeping students on task?
I face the same challenges in my classroom as well. My students all have iPads and I constantly have to monitor students by circulating the classroom to make sure they are on task. Our iPads are encased in Otter Box cases with covers that can prop up the iPads. I only allow students to put it on the lowest setting so that it's almost flat on their desk. They must also keep their iPads on their desks (cannot work on it in their laps). This helps with being able to see what students are doing on their iPads. I also use Class Dojo, similar to your PBS tickets, and deduct or add points depending on student engagement. It's a good idea to time assignments on the iPad. I usually have a running timer on the board, but you can also set specific dates and times for assignments on Schoology to be completed.
ReplyDeleteIt is wonderful that your students have the opportunity to use iPads in the classroom so often. I also find that it is sometimes difficult to keep students engaged. They enjoy using technology so much that they usually won't risk getting it taken away for using it incorrectly. However, circulating is a necessary element in integrating technology into the classroom. PBS tickets are also a great way! We use the same strategy in our school and it can be very beneficial. Class Dojo is something I would like to try as well. Great post!
ReplyDeleteIt is wonderful that your students have the opportunity to use iPads in the classroom so often. I also find that it is sometimes difficult to keep students engaged. They enjoy using technology so much that they usually won't risk getting it taken away for using it incorrectly. However, circulating is a necessary element in integrating technology into the classroom. PBS tickets are also a great way! We use the same strategy in our school and it can be very beneficial. Class Dojo is something I would like to try as well. Great post!
ReplyDeleteOur school uses a PBS rewards system as well! I like that you touched on this subject, a lot of times when we think about how wonderful it is to have the 1:1 classroom and all of these great technologies in our rooms to support education, we don't realy dig deeper into thinking " how do i keep them from going astray?" it is great that you bring it up so that all of us can truly expand on how we are monitoring our students to ensure proper delivery of our technology embedded classrooms.
ReplyDeleteWhile we do not have iPads in our school, we do have enough computers (desktop and laptops) that almost every student can have a computer during class. Our school focuses on drop-out prevention, credit recovery and one on one instruction. So we use computers a lot so that students are able to access content on their own when the teachers are working with various students. Like you said though, I do have to monitor students to make sure they are staying on task. Part of that is addressed by having students set bi-weekly goals, and then breaking those into daily goals. That way, students are more accountable for their work and usually limit their off task time. Its not perfect, but it does work well for many students.
ReplyDeleteWhat are some of the most common and popular programs and apps you use with the iPad?
While we do not have iPads in our school, we do have enough computers (desktop and laptops) that almost every student can have a computer during class. Our school focuses on drop-out prevention, credit recovery and one on one instruction. So we use computers a lot so that students are able to access content on their own when the teachers are working with various students. Like you said though, I do have to monitor students to make sure they are staying on task. Part of that is addressed by having students set bi-weekly goals, and then breaking those into daily goals. That way, students are more accountable for their work and usually limit their off task time. Its not perfect, but it does work well for many students.
ReplyDeleteWhat are some of the most common and popular programs and apps you use with the iPad?
We do have a good number of iPads and a school and also laptops and Chrome books. My district is similar to yours when it comes to the tight security. There are so many innocent sites we cannot access when doing research. PBS is a great way to keeps students motivated and on task. Some of the schools in my district use PBS. There are lots of teachers in my school that use Dojo points and quite successfully. We also have class specialist awards where students collect points from STEM, Tech/Library, PE, Art, and Music. They work hard for these points. Gamifying the classroom seems to work great and is so interesting to me. Some people have their system down and it is so extensive. I think it is an amazing way to keep students engaged and on task.
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