Pilot Program Reflections

Last school year, I was lucky enough to get a set of laptops to try out in my classroom. 

Here are some reflections of what I did and learned.

Fall 2014- 

Before the laptops came in, I went ahead and checked out the laptops from the library to introduce students to Edmodo, which we had major problems with and Actively Read, which is completely awesome for reading teachers. I did this all in the same day which really overwhelmed the students as well as me. I learned to only introduce one thing at a time!! I also learned to not try and announce anything important while the laptops are out because students are super-duper engaged and will ignore you once they start a task on a computer!

When laptops came in, I began to use Google Classroom, slides, docs with my PreAP classes only. I kept it simple for awhile. I wanted them to get good at the basics! They were able to collaborate, revise and edit on a pretty regular basis. I also experimented with StoryBird for creative sentence writing to enforce grammar skills (this was in a learning station setup).

Spring 2015- January-March continued with laptop use for PreAP only where they created Blogger accounts to write/reflect/connect with others across state lines, they created digital poetry scrapbooks using Glogster, Smilebox and some used QRC codes to read their poetry, they created Google sites for possible portfolio use in future grades, and they continued using docs and slides for various written and analysis assignments/presentations. 

In April I began transitioning my on-level students onto laptops. I introduced Google Classroom, docs and slides to them. At this point, all students were using Google Classroom and docs for script rewriting. A lot of collaboration, revising and editing was happening. Students were engaged and I was able to monitor all at the same time right from my computer. I was able to communicate and help with revising/editing to all and guide them if I saw that they needed help. At the end of the year, all of my students continued using Google Classroom and Docs to make digital notecards for research. They used our Gale Database to research a topic for their final Public Service Announcement research project which they either used Google Slides or Smore to present with. One student recorded their PSA and shared it with the class!

What I learned? 

- I still have an interest in integrating technology. 

- Having the computers at your fingertips is key. 

- You may think that all levels of students are proficient with computers and all you have to do is tell them to go to a website…nope. 

- Even if they have been taught in middle or elementary school, this doesn’t mean that they retain how to access these nifty sites and apps(just like with everything else). 

- Have a presentation with “how to” steps to access a website or app for the first time. 

- Come up with Technology Rules like “Ask 3 before me.”(This would have saved me from so much stress when I first started with the laptops.) 

- I learned that having some classes go digital/paperless and the rest stay traditional can be extremely frustrating. 

- Digital and paperless is the way to go because teacher grading turnaround is quick. It also keeps everything MUCH more organized! 

- I learned that experimenting can become overwhelming and that it is key to keep the standards in mind first and test run everything. If I could have the pilot program again, this would be the one thing that I would work on. 

- I learned that I still want to get better and continue growing in this area, but I must have access to the sources and training that is needed to do so.

- It would also be nice if our classroom designs were more tech friendly.