This I'm teaching both middle school and high school classes. My freshmen (and the rest of the high school) were fortunate enough to be part of the 1:1 initiative with MacBooks. This was a blessing and a curse. What started out as a privilege for them seemed to become more of a right as the school year went on. We've had some time to work out different forms of management styles to keep kids on focus and to do the "right thing." Hopefully next year, we'll be able to make this happen.
Speaking of next year, the middle school is looking at going 1:1 with iPads. I'm not sure how I feel about this. If we're having issues with the high schoolers, it could go either way with the younger crowd. There are so many things that iPads can do, but we also have laptop carts for every middle school room. These carts were the left overs from the high school and, besides battery issues, they are in great condition. I just hope that we're not moving too fast in the forward direction.
I LOVE your title!! You even included the Oxford comma before the "and". Very APAish.
ReplyDeleteLooks like this will be an important place for your school to follow your ideas on leading technology.
Z
http://drzreflects.com
Interesting blog title for your 1:1 initiative with iPad’s. There is always a learning experience I can’t wait to hear more about how it’s going for your district. Our district will be embarking on the same journey with the 1:1 initiative for middle school.
ReplyDeleteI second Dr. Z's cudos! MLA likes the Oxford comma as well - all intelligent beings do (lol).
ReplyDeleteIt does seem like your school is rushing things a bit. Why change the technology? If MacBooks are being used in the HS, perhaps the middle school's learning curve would be less steep, if they stayed with the same thing.
It will be interesting to see how it evolves.
MacBooks are expensive for sure. It's not something that every school district can afford so there may be some political games going on there. How much support from a tech side is the district willing to commit? Unlike a computer, iPads still need to be individually pushed in order to install a new app. It's kind of unfortunate that your district is moving so quickly. Sometimes there is money to be spent and you catch up later. Make sure they get some good staff development or they will be underutilized for sure. Also, what MDM solution are you planning on using?
ReplyDelete