My Biggest Takeaway from LAUSD's iPad Problems - Put Students In A Leadership Role

Chris and Thabani were a critical part of our 1:1 Planning Team

There has certainly been a lot written in regards to the problems in Los Angeles Unified School District with their iPad deployment.  My intention in writing this brief post is not to point fingers at another district for their problems, but while reading a recent post written by Katrina Schwartz on MindShift I couldn't help thinking about one non-negotiable in setting up 1:1 initiatives for success. The post, How Students Uncovered Lingering Hurt From LAUSD iPad Rollout, highlighted the feelings of students from all of the negative stories about their district regarding the iPad initiative.

 “In the L.A. Times they did an article about us and about how the iPads were hacked,” said Mariela Bravo. “The comments hurt. I have pride in my school and it was really bad. We were the example of why they shouldn’t give [the iPads] to us. They have to trust us more, we could surprise them and they could see that we are good kids.”

When we started our 1:1 planning in Burlington more than five years ago, the first thing we did was involve our students on the planning team.  The input of our students helped put so many things in perspective for the planning team and saved us time and money. We saved time because instead of speculating about what students may or may not do with new mobile devices they would be receiving, we had students tell us firsthand what to expect. They saved us money because when we were talking about which case we should by for each of the more than 1,000 iPads that we would be purchasing, one of the students told us not to by cases. He told us that the students would take them off and buy their own cases and that we would be wasting our money.

This student input has continued to play a critical role in our support of staff and students with our BHS Help Desk.  As our iPad initiative has expanded to other schools in our district, our student help desk model has as well.   While I could go on and on about what I have learned from students over the past four years of our 1:1 journey, I will save that for a future posts. My main point here is to let school leaders know that the first step in a successful 1:1 initiative is to make students a formal part of the plan.

A Tour of the BHS 1:1 Program With BHS Senior Nikhil Thakkar

This post first appeared on Nikhil's Help Desk Blog

Last week, I was afforded the opportunity of perusing through Burlington High School’s main office hallways, through the art and photography studio, into the heart of BHS math with Mr. Khan’s AP calculus class. The BHS Help Desk shirt, customized for each individual tour guide, was merely the beginning of an imaginatively free session of “touring,” a time when I was able to show teachers, administrators, and parents from around the world how BHS has implemented technology into its classrooms. 

I, as a tour guide played the role of the messenger, answering questions and giving a general rundown about how an iPad may be helpful in “navigating a simulated cell,” throughout a biology class, or reading “ebooks” for an English class, ultimately making highlighting and note taking more accessible and effective. We even learned how Mr. Khan uses Notability and different calculator applications for different functions in his math classes. Although I gave the tour myself, it was not simply I who was talking. Quite the opposite, no one was “talking,” because the tour was much better described as a “conversation” between administrators and tour guide, as I aimed to engage administrators with the tour rather than lecture at them. 

A few prime examples of questions included: How do students use their study period? How are iPads used in foreign language classrooms? Is Burlington a BYOD school? I’d like to address each of these questions in their respective order, the first of which lends itself to explaining the truly open-minded, innovative ideology behind constructing the Burlington curriculum. 

Walking into the library, administrators witnessed a Google-like “lounge” area, where students seemed to be heavily focused on their iPads. I won’t deny that students play games (in class and out of class), but I will argue that students have learned individual responsibility not only for their lives but for their education; the underlying principle is that distractions, by definition, will always exist. However, it’s the idea that we need to learn how to effectively deal with these distractions that Burlington advocates for. Thus, throughout daily 45-minute periods, students are not only working, but they are also taking charge of their education and learning invaluable life skills, the most conspicuous being time management. 

The second question is one of my favorites, as I am a prospective linguistics major (yes, yes I know linguistics isn’t the same as languages). iPads are used heavily within foreign language classrooms as they allow for intensive involvement with reading, writing, speaking, and listening (especially the latter two). We were able to witness first-hand Señora DeSousa’s Spanish classroom using the iPad for a listening exercise. Personally, I find the iPad’s extremely effective and useful, as they launch students into the real world (as they listen to real interviews and read real newspapers). 

Lastly, BHS is not officially a BYOD school, however this doesn’t stop students from bringing their own Mac’s (and yes even Windows at times) per their own convenience. Burlington doesn’t restrict. It only opens doors. Ultimately, like in any school, it’s up to the student to take those opportunities or not (and see whether those opportunities resonate with them).  Being in the spotlight was…well…empowering. I experienced profound joy in knowing I have the power to advocate for and perpetuate Burlington’s ideology of intellectual freedom. As an avid public speaker, I had the most trouble with reigning my thoughts in at the end of the hour long tour as I had so much to say and so little time to say it. Nevertheless, this experience proved extremely invaluable and I sincerely hope to showcase Burlington and all of its talent to even more administrators in the future.

Best regards,

Nikhil

We Hosted A 1:1 Visit Today

Thanks to BPS Mobile Learning Coach Jennifer Scheffer for all of the planning for today's program to discuss our 1:1 efforts at Burlington High School. The slides from the presentation are below along with a brief Storify of the morning with our guests. As is the norm, our students and staff were tremendous with their insights and openness about teaching and learning in Burlington

1:1 Parent Technology Survey for Parents

We are asking Burlington parents to take the brief survey below on the experiences of their children with technology in our schools. Thanks in advance for your input!

How Staying Uncomfortable Is The Key To Success

This post first appeared on Edudemic

Burlington students presenting at the recent New England 1:1 Summit 

As we near the completion of our third year of being a 1:1 tablet school in Burlington, I continue to ponder what is the next step. Glancing in the rearview mirror, it is hard to believe that nearly three years have passed since we distributed mobile devices to over 1,000 high school students in a school that had previously policies in place against mobile phones and MP3 players just two years earlier. In fact, the integration of iPads into classrooms went so well that we expanded down to our middle school the following year and added in half of our elementary grades this year. While I am excited that Burlington Public Schools will have iPads for students in all grades at the beginning of the 2014-15 school year, I am also anxious about our continued growth as learners. A few years ago we were looked at as a progressive school for our work in deploying mobile devices and allowing our school environment to look more like the real world where access to online resources is ubiquitous. However, just providing access was really the starting point, and as I see other schools still struggle just to get the infrastructure in place to provide the same access I worry about stagnation.

How can we continue to move forward?

Looking at some of the work of Amy Edmondson recently has helped me to frame my thinking a bit. Edmondson, a Professor of Leadership and Management at Harvard Business School, has written a great deal about organizational change. She describes four zones for organizations involved in change initiatives in her article titled The Competitive Imperative of Learning:

1. Apathy Zone
2. Anxiety Zone
3. Comfort Zone
4. Learning Zone

Although my descriptions of the four zones are be a bit different than Edmondson’s, I think that these four zones can be repurposed rather nicely for schools making the move to 1:1 environments.

Apathy Zone

This is where our school was back in 2008-2009 when we did not allow students to bring their cell phones and other mobile devices into our classrooms. Living in the Apathy Zone, means that you give little or no credence to the fact that having students access web-enabled devices could add any value to learning.

Anxiety Zone

There was certainly a sense of accomplishment as we moved beyond our state of denial and embraced the reality that we would be better preparing our students for what they would be facing if we allowed access to mobile devices. However, this move also moved us into the Anxiety Zone, a place where educators run the gamut from the apoplectic few who are still shocked that we would put these gadgets in the hands of every student, to the app-addicted staff members who want to learn about every new app that hits the app store. Of course, our continuous focus on a Professional Development model which focuses on a few foundational web-based resources that can provide easy wins, along with regular time for colleagues to share best practice, provided an exit route from the Anxiety Zone.

Comfort Zone

But there was still trouble ahead because the next stop, the Comfort Zone, is one that can breed complacency and a false sense of security. This is the place where a great deal of reflection is needed to be sure that momentum is not halted. This is our current reality in year three of 1:1 in Burlington. We have a seen many more examples of students being empowered and following their passions to do things that we would not have seen prior to our 1:1 implementation. This was evidenced during the recent New England Student Showcase during the New England 1:1 Summit. However, we still have a lot of work to do in establishing the learner-led environment that will make these types of experiences the reality for all students.

Learning Zone

This transition would put us into the Learning Zone, a place where collaboration and creation is the norm for all learners (both staff and students). This is the place where we stop asking questions like “How often do you integrate technology in the classroom?” and start focusing on the tools of differentiation that can foster endless opportunities for students to show their learning in ways that best suit their learning styles. Of course, the challenge here is allowing staff the same opportunities in their Professional Development so that they can make the connections as learners that will allow them to seek these same options for their students. We can clearly see the Learning Zone on the horizon, our challenge is not to become satisfied with our arrival in the comfort zone.

Stay uncomfortable my friends!

A Great Conversation On The Technology Concerns Of Parents Regarding 1:1

photo via Wesley Fryer on Flickr 

As I was playing catchup on my blog reading from the last couple of weeks, I came across a great post from Scott McLeod on the topic of parents choosing to opt out of their students having a device in a 1:1 setting.  The major questions that Scott asks here are certainly ones that have been wrestled with in every school that has implemented a 1:1 program:

"Should parents have the right to refuse or limit a 1:1 initiative – or other educational technology usage – for their children? If so, in practical terms how would that work (e.g., would schools be required to provide analog assignments and/or homework)? What do you think?"

When it comes to supporting parents here in Burlington, my typical response is "we own the device, but you own the child." We need to try to work with parents to help them ensure that they can find the balance of screen-time that they feel is warranted for their children. The problem here, however, is that this is far from a black and white issue due to the fact that most debates on this topic we tend to leave out the purpose of the time that students spend online. Personally, I think there is a difference between a couple of hours spent researching and creating a multi-media project as opposed to a couple of hours spent playing candy crush.

With this in mind, it is imperative that schools communicate with parents in regards to the expectations for device use at home. What tasks will students have to have access to their device to perform? Also, what tasks will students be able to complete with devices that are already at home (and which parents have a better grasp on monitoring)?  The comments on Scott''s post offer some wonderful insights into responding to these issues. One in particular comes from Sandy Kendell, an Educational Technology Specialist in Texas who provided the link to a great blog post Parent Concerns in a 1:1 Initiative. Kendell nails what is at the heart of the issue for parents:

"Keep in mind, the child being able to say, "I'm working on my homework" is somewhat of a game-changer when it comes to supporting and setting limits. How easily could you tell your child to just put the technology away when it could be impacting their grades?"

Sandy's post is one of the best I have read in regards to the conversations that need to take place in order to support the dramatic change that a 1:1 school can have for parents and students at home. Another must-read link in the comments is to Beth Holland's post The Balancing Act of Screentime. Beth really gets to the heart of the matter in regards to what we need to ask ourselves concerning device usage and our children by asking three simple questions:

Is it Appropriate? 

Is it Meaningful? 

Is it Empowering?

It is definitely worthwhile to read all of the 32 comments from Scott's post. There is so much more to talk about on this topic.  I particularly like the direction that Lyn Hilt takes the conversation in her comment about ensuring that work assigned as homework (whether on a device or not) is meaningful. However, I'll leave that for a discussion on another day.

Registration Open for the The New England 1:1 Summit (It's FREE!)

From the BPS Ed Tech Blog:

THE EVENT THAT STARTED IT ALL RETURNS TO BURLINGTON THIS APRIL!

Join us for the New England 1:1 SummitA FREE event from the BPS EdTech Team

Friday, April 11
9AM-12PM1:1 School Visits at elementary, middle, and high school locations

Attendees will learn about the 1:1 iPad program in Burlington Public Schools. The Friday session includes a presentation about 1:1 learning environments and best practices for creating the most beneficial educational technology programs. Attendees will also have the opportunity to tour 1:1 classrooms in session with students. The opportunity to visit a 1:1 classroom in action is a powerful way to see what 1:1 learning looks like especially for those educators who have not yet taught in that environment.

There will be three options for attendees happening at the same time in Burlington – elementary, middle, or high school presentation and classroom visits:

Francis Wyman Elementary School which is 1:1 iPads in grades 1, 4, and 5.
Marshall Simonds Middle School which is fully 1:1 iPads in grades 6, 7, and 8.
Burlington High School which is currently an Apple Distinguished 1:1 iPad School for grades 9-12.

Saturday, April 12
8AM-4:30PMThe New England 1:1 Summit at Marshall Simonds Middle School in Burlington

Join educators from around New England and beyond for the 2014 New England 1:1 Summit. The New England 1:1 Summit was first held in Burlington by the Burlington Public Schools EdTech Team in 2012. The 2012 event was the first educational technology event focused entirely on 1:1 learning environments held in New England. The event had over 450 participants and featured presentations from educators, administrators, and IT professionals.

The event returns to Burlington this April and will again feature presentations and hands-on learning about technology in the classroom. While the focus is on 1:1 learning, the event is not device specific. Sessions will include discussions about iPads, Chromebooks, PC and Mac laptops, as well as educational applications that help our students succeed and grow.

The event is FREE and even includes lunch and prizes!

Continue to check the event site for more event information. Event registration open. 

Top Post #8 - Ignore The iPads! - Looking Back At Year One of 1:1 (with iPads) Part 7

As I look to unplug a bit during the first week of summer vacation, I am continuing to repost my top posts from last year. Below is #8 from last August.

The most common question we get regarding our 1:1 initiative (with (iPads) is - What apps do you recommend?

While I understand that it seems like  a logical question, I hate it. The reason for my disdain is that the focus of educators should be on outcomes first and not on devices or apps.  Before we can answer the app question, we need to have a bit more information about what the goals are for the class and how the teacher would like to facilitate the lesson (i.e. will students work independently or collaboratively).

So when it comes to the iPad, there are over 225,000 apps in the App Store. I am not going to even get into the discussion that we should stay away from becoming app-dependent and focus on digital resources that are free and will work on an platform. (I'll leave that for a future post).

Instead, we'll stay on the topic of not using technology for technology-sake.  We need to be careful with all of the excitement over bringing shiny new devices into our schools that we do not put gadgets before goals.

Here's a post from BHS English/Tech Integration teacher Tim Calvin (@nothingfuture on Twitter) that nails down this point clearly (from TimCalvin.com):

I ignore iPads. 

It’s true- I do.  Let’s sort this out, though. 

I like iPads a lot. They’re not the only decent device anymore, but they’re very good, and they’re not too expensive. Blah blah blah.  I love that my students have a device with them all the time. I can’t imagine teaching without it, at this point. I’d cry (and debate a change in location/profession) if they were taken away or banned. 

All that said, people keep asking me “how I use the iPads in the classroom.” And the answer- the honest truth in the answer- is that I mostly ignore them. The device isn’t the point. I’d never try to shoehorn a device (or tech of any sort) into a lesson. That’s all sorts of backwards. The tech lubricates the lesson. It allows things that weren’t possible before. It allows things to happen quickly. It smoothes the road. So when I design lessons, I just factor in the myriad things that students can now do. It’s like a bunch more colors got added to my pallet and the pictures I’m painting are that much more vivid. I simply factor into the plan that research/writing/notes/web work can all happen on the fly. That collaboration on an essay is not only possible, but is normal. That data isn’t lost. That the classroom can extend far beyond the 43 minutes I have. 

But I don’t know that I’ve ever told students to open a specific app. I know I’ve never demanded that they have an app. I know that I don’t really care about the apps that they have- just that they have apps that work for them to accomplish the tasks that I need them to do. 

I know what I’m talking about here is specific to High School. That’s what I do, and that’s likely to remain the focus here.

I think this point is relative to all levels and I think it's something we need to reiterate.

Thanks Tim!

Related articles

• Looking Back At Year One of 1:1 (With iPads) Part One (patrickmlarkin.com)
• Looking Back At Year One of 1:1 (With iPads) Part Two (patrickmlarkin.com)
• Looking Back At Year One of 1:1 (With iPads) Part Three (patrickmlarkin.com)
• Looking Back At Year One of 1:1 (With iPads) Part Four (patrickmlarkin.com)
• Looking Back At Year One of 1:1 (with iPads) Part Five (patrickmlarkin.com)
• Looking Back At Year One of 1:1 (with iPads) Part Six (patrickmlarkin.com)

Top Posts # 6 - Looking Back At Year One of 1:1 (With iPads) - Part One

As I look to unplug a bit during the first week of summer vacation, I am continuing to repost my top posts from last year. Below is #6 from last June.

As I reflect on our first year as a 1:1 school, I am overwhelmed by the insights that we gained after distributing over 1,000 mobile devices to our students in grades 9-12. As I look at the data from an end-of-the-year survey completed by students, I am reminded of an excerpt from Milton Chen's book Education Nation - Six Leading Edges of Innovation in our Schools.  Chapter 3 of the book is titled The Technology Edge: Putting Modern Tools in Young Hands.

There is a great excerpt from the Abilene, Kansas High School Dialogue Buzz Website that sums up what we will do for students when we create a 1:1 environment for our students

Here's the excerpt:

Let’s have a little competition at school and get ready for the future. I will use a laptop and you will use paper and pencil. Are you ready…?

• I will access up-to-date information - you have a textbook that is 5 years old. 

• I will immediately know when I misspell a word – you have to wait until it’s graded. 

• I will learn how to care for technology by using it – you will read about it. 

• I will see math problems in 3D – you will do the odd problems. 

• I will create artwork and poetry and share it with the world – you will share yours with the class. 

• I will have 24/7 access – you have the entire class period. 

• I will access the most dynamic information – yours will be printed and photocopied. 

• I will communicate with leaders and experts using email – you will wait for Friday’s speaker. 

• I will select my learning style – you will use the teacher’s favorite learning style. 

• I will collaborate with my peers from around the world – you will collaborate with peers in your classroom. 

• I will take my learning as far as I want – you must wait for the rest of the class.

 The cost of a laptop per year? - $250

The cost of teacher and student training? – Expensive

The cost of well educated US citizens and workforce? - Priceless

How important are the above bullets? By what criteria would you measure success in a 1:1 initiative?

I will be sharing the results of the student survey soon.

Top Post #5 - Who Cares About Devices!?

This post was written back in April and was cross-posted on EdTechTeacher

So I received the tweet below from a friend in Iowa this morning:

Being one of the first schools in our region to go all in on iPads at the high school level, I am always interested in reading the perspectives of others on this topic.  I think that there are a number of questions that need to be addressed for schools thinking about increasing the number of devices in their classrooms or moving towards a 1:1 program.  The post referenced in the tweet by my friend Jimmy, a high school Principal in Iowa, is worth a read for people looking at investing in iPads (or going 1:1 with any device).

The post, Why most K-12 schools aren't ready for the iPad Revolution, cites four reasons that most schools are not prepared to purchase iPads for all students.  The four reasons cited by the author, Mike Reiners (CEO of Nomad), are as follows:

1. Teaching requires planning.
2. Consider where we’re spending our education dollars.
3. The iPad is primarily a consumption device.
4. Our students should be mobile multilingual.

Below are my thoughts on each of the points.

Teaching requires planning

Yes, I could not agree more. Our Superintendent is fond of saying, "Teaching is hard and Technology used to be hard. But even though the technology has gotten easier, the teaching is still hard and it will always be hard."  Despite the fact that the technology is easier, the sheer number of resources available when you add web-enabled devices to the mix can be overwhelming.  I agree with Reiners point that thought and consideration and support are needed so that teachers have opportunities to prepare for this shift. In Burlington, we spend a year and a half before we had iPads teaching staff members about a variety of digital tools that they would be able to access and integrate into their curricular areas with any mobile device. We also focused on resources that we thought would save teachers time and could potentially increase student engagement.

Consider where we’re spending our education dollars

This consideration is one that we actually utilized to help us purchase our devices in Burlington. I am pretty sure that many schools do not spend enough time looking at what they are spending their money on now. What are some of the annually purchases that we make that we just don't think about? (i.e. paper, printers, textbooks, computers, etc.) Our purchase of the iPads saved us in the vicinity of $100,000 due to the fact that we were looking at new options for a Foreign Language Lab and that does not take into consideration that most schools also add a para-professional to the mix to help maintain such a lab. We were also able to stop our annual expenditures on maintaining other labs in the building that were used primarily for word processing and research since the purchase of the devices allowed us to have this access in every classroom. Add in the fact, that we are no longer making large-scale textbook purchases for a course and we were well on our way to the amount needed to purchase our devices.

The iPad is primarily a consumption device

I've heard this one over and over, but I agree with the words of Scott Meech who hit on this topic a while back during the 2011 K-12 Online Conference in his session on "Purposeful Play:"

"Many argue that the iPad is the premiere consumption device at this time but it isn’t very good at creating. Is that accurate? I tend to believe that the iPad is an amazingly creative device and the user is the only limit for the device."

Adam Webster also wrote a post on Edudemic a while back titled 5 Reasons The iPad Will Stay King Of The Classroom in which he stated:

"The iPad, its workflow and its apps, allow for real change and makes it easy. Your students will create work that not only wasn’t possible before their innovative use of the technology, but that you as their teacher had never even thought of."

Our students should be mobile multilingual 

This definitely should be the goal for our students and I touched on this idea in a post back in January titled Is The iPad King? It Is For Us And That's All That Matters (For Now). My concluding statement in the post was - "While I believe that we have made the best decision for our school today, things change quickly and we need to create organizational and individual flexibility to adapt to these changes when they occur." 

Royan Lee wrote a wonderful post on this topic about a month ago on his blog titled "Why Mish-Mash Is Better Than 1:1."  In the post he noted:

"I prefer teaching with the limitations of no class sets, because it means we’re constantly reflecting on the merits of each tool for the given purpose."

The bottom line is that we need to make sure that the adults in the schools are modeling the flexibility and adaptability in their practice that our students are going to need to have to be successful. All of us who work in schools know that this is can be difficult since change is not something common in our traditional educational system and we have grown comfortable with many tools, workflows, and practices that are long outdated. 

In fact, the most important statement made in the post by Reiners is the one at the end which notes:

In summary, let’s think about what we’re doing. Blind, quick-trigger actions in education, especially expensive and invasive ones, have historically disastrous results.

I find this a bit ironic considering that some would say that we are exactly in this place with our mandated standardized testing and the development of the common core, two things that have certainly been expensive and invasive. While I could speculate on the results, that is probably best left for a future post.

The bottom line is that we don't need any new devices in our schools, what we really need is new thinking in regards to our purpose for having schools. Any implementation of new gadgets and gizmos which strives to simply integrate them into our "traditional system" with teacher-focused learning environments instead of learner-centered environments is destined to have "disastrous results."

Related articles

• Top Posts #1 - How Necessary Is Homework? (patrickmlarkin.com)
• Top Posts #2 - An Uplifting Video (Created By A 16-Year Old) (patrickmlarkin.com)
• Top Posts #3 - 5 Ways For Teachers To Get Quality PD This Summer (patrickmlarkin.com)
• Top Posts #4 - Is The iPad King? It Is For Us And That's All That Matters (For Now) (patrickmlarkin.com)

Guest Post: Thoughts on Year One of 1:1 in Grade One

This was first posted on Ms. Farmer's Classroom Blog:

One of the lucky ones?
Through a grant announcement at the end of last year, I learned that I would be one of four first grade classrooms in our district to pilot a 1:1 initiative with iPads this year.    I was excited and VERY NERVOUS to embark on such an endeavor.

Why Me?
I wasn't chosen to pilot the iPads because of my extensive knowledge and experience of iPads.  I had very limited experience through the use of a some school-wide iPads made available a few times the previous year.  The classrooms chosen to pilot this initiative were ones which taught struggling readers specific skills through targeted instruction.  My job was to learn how to use these devices to enhance their learning.  But how?  I needed answers -- and quick!  So I attended many summer workshops in preparation prior to the beginning of this school year.  And I consulted with the technology gurus in my district (there are many in Burlington -- thanks to our incredible Tech team!).  I also immersed myself in reading about the first scientific study which was demonstrating the success of iPads in improving literacy in kindergartens in Auburn, ME.  (To read more about this incredible study, click here: ipad-improves-kindergartners-literacy-scores )

I had so many questions, but the more I looked for the answers, the more questions I had.  Little did I know that I was to learn the most from simple exploration ... and from the students themselves.

The iPads Arrive...
The iPads rolled into my classroom around the third week of school.  I was still in the midst of teaching classroom rules, routines and how to take care of classroom materials.  Perfect.   They had some apps already loaded onto them, but we weren't going to start there.  The students needed to know how to turn them off and on; how to carry them; where to use them; how to plug them into the charging cart (still a challenge), etc.

OK, first item to check off the list was "Routine".  This took a week.  One thing I am sure about is the nature of a first grader.  If you don't teach them proper care at the onset, you are teaching proper care for the entire year...and not much more.  It's very similar to teaching them to put the cap back on a glue stick to keep it from drying out.  The difference being that this "glue stick" was very expensive!

Now What?
It took the children nearly no time at all to learn how to use the iPad.  In the beginning of the year, they would have to use the apps in a small group with a teacher present to make sure they were using the app correctly and not just pushing random buttons (it happens).  As the year went on, the app could be introduced merely by displaying it on my Smartboard through the use of "Reflection" on my laptop.  We would play a few rounds of an app as a class and then I would set it out as a station.  My wonderful colleague and fellow iPad pilot, Erin Guanci, then created (and shared with me!) many iPads menus with apps from which the children could choose.  Here is a sample:

I also used the Voice memo on the iPad to have the children record themselves reading.  The  student and I would then listen to the recording.  I would pause the recording when the child made an error and then teach the child how to use their strategies to self-correct their miscue.  The Voice Memo app became both an invaluable teaching tool and an electronic library collection of books which the children had read throughout the year.  (Plus I could now share the child's reading with their parents via e-mail and at parent-teacher conferences).

In Math, as in reading, the iPads were also invaluable in reinforcing skills.  Time, money and fact skills need repeated practice.  A teacher cannot teach a week-long unit on money, for example, and have first graders magically remember what a coin looks like, its value and how to add them together.  The iPads were useful in helping the children practice these skills for 10 minutes or so every morning during "free time" after I taugt the unit.  They loved it and it helped to reinforce these skills.  I could not have done this without an iPad.  No amount of "drill and kill" worksheets could give students the immediate response they need.  And I am only one person, so I certainly could not get to every child in the class on an individual basis in a ten-minute time frame.  Invaluable.

How Else Were The Ipads Used?
For more detailed information on how the ipads were used and what apps were used, click here: one-to-one-elementary-classroom by andrew-marcinek

This article details how Erin Guanci and I make use of the iPads.  More to follow on this subject in a future blog.

Now For the Big Question:

There is no doubt in my mind that the iPads have been effective and have increased engagement in a number of ways.  I know for a fact that all children are engaged when I am teaching a lesson as a whole group if they have an iPad in front of them and are working on the same task.  I can quickly glance around and see who understands and who is struggling.  My feedback can then be effective and immediate.  They are not daydreaming, rolling on the carpet or fooling with their friends.  They have a device in their hands and are very engaged.  By using the iPads to record their reading, students are increasing their reading fluency and providing me with a useful teaching tool.  

However, something continues to come up in conversations in regard to iPads which troubles me personally.  

I hear and read how educators need to teach 21-Century Skills and I agree with that 100 per cent.  But I have also read and heard some discussions (in casual conversation) about how districts may consider using less construction paper, markers, glue, building blocks, etc. since we have iPads.  This goes against every fiber of my being!  I am totally on board when it comes to making technology accessible to every child at an early age so that they can not only learn how to use the devices and learn from them but so that they also may be able to make educated and responsible decisions in regard to technology in their future.  However, I do not agree with reducing the use of paper, pencils, crayons, markers, paint, construction paper, scissors, building blocks, etc.  

What I do support is providing every child with a rich array of experiences -- both technological and traditional.  In my view, balance is key.  Choice is important.

I have a simple observation to share.  Occasionally, when our school has indoor recess due to inclement weather, I invite the neighboring classroom of children who do not have iPads to come in and share iPads with my students.  In the beginning of the year, every child wanted to use the iPad and they had the opportunity to do so.  As the year progressed, however, and the novelty wore off, the childrn were given the choice of staying in my room to use the iPads or going into the neighboring classroom to draw, read books, play with blocks, paint, etc.  Can you guess what happened?

As the year progressed, the number of children using the traditional materials of paper, pencil, glue, paint and building blocks become equal to that of the number of children choosing to use the iPads.  I counted and it was equally split.  Choice had won.  This  has since happened on numerous occasions, so I'll consider it my "informal" research.

How can children choose or gravitate toward that which they love and are passionate about if they are not given the opportunity to explore all paths of learning?  Should you sacrifice some traditional opportunities in lieu of technology? Isn't it our job as educators to provide the landscape which allows choice and provides varied experiences?  Where are our future budding artists, builders and craftsman without tactile experience of paper, scissors, construction paper, paint, blocks, etc.? Also, what will lack of these hands-on experiences do to their cognitive and physical (fine motor) development?  What is wrong with providing it all?  It is possible.  I can attest to that.  As much as I am open to the idea of providing technological opportunities for our young children, I am closed to the idea of taking the other more traditional opportunities away.  I consider myself a very open-minded educator who embrace change.  Am I being too "old school?"  What are your thoughts on this?

If It Aint Broke, You Still Need To Try Something Else

For the last two years here in Burlington, there has been a great deal of focus on our integration of iPads into our classrooms. It has been an exciting time where many people have changed their workflows and started to rethink what learning environments can and should look like.  But even as I witness the excitement from students and teachers as we continue to add devices at the middle and high school level, I am always wondering if we are going to remain open-minded to other possibilities that may come along.

A recent post by Royan Lee on his must read blog, Spicy Learning, got me thinking more about this. In the post, titled "Why Mish-Mash Is Better Than 1:1," Royan states the following:

"I prefer teaching with the limitations of no class sets, because it means we’re constantly reflecting on the merits of each tool for the given purpose."

As I think about the skills that our students will need most, I am sure that flexibility and adaptability will be at the top of the list.  I think the best option for students would be a buffet of options where they can choose which option is best for them and the task at hand.  I am worried that we will be handicapped by traditional thinking and forget that the question of which device is best or which tool is best to perform a particular task will never again have a static answer.

This whole thing is a moving target that I don't ever see stopping. We need to make sure that we are helping our students see beyond the device or resource of the day and keep their eyes open for what comes next.

Going 1:1? How Would You Respond To Comments Like This?

Also posted on the Connected Principals Blog:


I had the opportunity to appear on National Public Radio’s Here and Now Program last week along with one of our students to talk about our 1:1 iPad program here in Burlington at our high school. The segment was titled Educator Answers Your Questions On iPads In The Classroom.  While the interview went well, I really enjoyed reading the comments from listeners who choose to enter their feedback.  Our first appearance last March resulted in 122 comments and while this year’s appearance prompted a bit less feedback, I think it is important for people who pursue these types of initiatives to be ready to respond to comments like the one below.

For about three thousand years or more all that was needed  for learning and writing was some sort of pencil. Plato never wrote his master piece The Republic on an iPAD. Leonardo Di Vinci never used and iPAD. Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa did not use an iPAD to write his Sicilian masterpiece The Leopard and Hemingway never wrote A Farewell To Arms with on a iPAD. Pencil and paper are a thousand times cheaper, yet we continue to spend my tax money on iPADs which don’t seem to improve learning, or on car race tracks as part of the Fiscal Mythical Myth phony deal which produced a modicum for revenue to pay down deficits. Apparently if a young person at school does not have access to an iPAD he or she can’t learn! The simple process of using pencil and paper is good for students. This simple process exercises and induces the brain growth plus coordination of other areas of a young persons developing body including learning how to write. So what does a young person really for a quality foundation to learn? He or she needs a grownup at home to help them with their after school home work. To many households in America have two people working and are to tired to help their children with their homework. Really, this is just a slick promotion for selling Apple products (which are quit good) which in turn make money for investors and does not guarantee success in the class room.

While there are a number of predictable questions that you will need to answer in regards to WHY you support such a financially significant initiative, the one above is one that is common from taxpayers who don’t want to spend the money necessary to put modern resources in the hands of teachers and students.   I know I did not respond to all of the arguments that were made and I am not even saying that my comments were “the right answer.”  The point is that schools and/or individuals entering into this type of an endeavor need to be prepared to provide a response that they are comfortable with. Of course, the best part is that we have a growing number of schools creating concrete evidence of what can happen when these initiatives are implemented thoughtfully.
As I conclude with my response below, I am wondering how others would respond to this type of comment?

I agree with some of what you say, but the point is that none of the creators of classic work that you mentioned had the opportunity to use technology like an iPad.  While I have no problem with pencil and paper or someone who prefers to get a task done with those tools, I think we have to face the fact that the world has changed and that the jobs that our students will be working in will probably not be employing paper and pencils. Learning happens and it happens in many more ways than what you and I were programmed to think in our traditional experiences.

 Having said this, I think that the role of public education is to prepare students for the real world. The fact of the matter is that the people outside of our schools, in the real world, are using these tools more and more. My doctor walks into the exam room with an iPad in his hand and the pilot who flew the last plane I traveled on also utilized an iPad in lieu of his old flight manual. 

Whether we like it or not, I think that the our students need experiences utilizing modern resources like tablets or whatever comes next. While I do not think technology can be used to do everything (i.e. DaVinci’s masterpieces), I am pretty sure these great minds woud have taken advantage of modern technology. In fact, I am thinking that Plato would have been much happier with a pencil that had an eraser instead of something along the lines of a metal stylus that was probably in his hands at the time.  

 In regards to the change that has occurred with families in our world today, I do not think we can blame technology for that. My belief is that we can utilize some of the technologies we have available to keep families connected in a time when so many more factors keep them apart. While nothing can replace the physical presence of a family member or loved one, we need to be thankful that we have ways to stay connected when we can’t all be together in the same place.

That reminds me, I need to facetime my son to see how his day went at school today. It’s so much better than a text or phone call. I am thinking Alexander Graham Bell would approve?!

Marshall Simonds Middle School 1:1 iPad Program Details

Thanks to BPS Director of Technology Integration Dennis Villano for the great overview of our Middle School 1:1 program that will begin next month!



Marshall Simonds Middle School will soon be Burlington’s second full 1:1 school. The BPS EdTech and IT Teams have been preparing for the deployment to students. Here are some important details about the initiative.

All students in grades 6-8 will be assigned iPads. Students will be using iPad 2s. Students will not be taking iPads home at this time. The MSMS iPads will be fully managed by Burlington Public Schools. The iPads have been set up using Apple’s Configurator program. Students will not be able to install or delete apps. Students will also not have access to the iMessage app. Safari will remain as the web browser for all devices since the iPads are staying at school. Burlington will be providing cases for all student iPads. Parents and families will not be asked to purchase insurance for student iPads.

Marshall Simonds teachers have been working on developing digital content and materials. Teachers have also selected curriculum based apps to be installed on student iPads. Although student iPads will have just over 40 apps installed during the initial deployment, we have always believed that any 1:1 program should not focus on just the device and apps. iPads and 1:1 environments provide students with constant access to powerful digital learning tools. These tools can be used to help create engaging content and lessons. Burlington continues to focus as much as possible on what we call Foundational Apps. We are also committed to having students and teachers use cloud based apps and services.

Foundational Apps provide students and teachers with powerful digital content creation, distribution, and storage. Students can use these apps to complete assignments and return completed work to teachers. While not all classrooms will be paperless, the workflow provided by our Foundational Apps can enable teachers to use digital forms of content as much as possible.  These apps serve as the basic workflow for students and can be used in any curriculum area.

Please see the BPS EdTech Apps blog for a complete listing of MSMS apps. Click on the Middle School category tab to see all the apps being installed on MSMS iPads.

One of the best aspects of the Burlington High School 1:1 program has been how BHS students have take an active role in the learning process. Students have been involved in every step of the program from initial planning to daily classroom best practices. The 1:1 program has given students many opportunities for leadership in the program. A great example of this is the BHS Student HelpDesk.
Marshall Simonds will also have a similar program to the BHS Student HelpDesk. Each homeroom will have two Student Tech Leaders who will assist with the iPads and iPad Cart Management. Students will also the opportunity to be part of a new MSMS Student Tech Crew that meets during activity block periods.


The MSMS iPad program will have the added benefit of some great new classroom technology. Marshall Simonds has recently completed a major renovation as part of a Massachusetts School Building Authority project. Every MSMS classroom has been outfitted with new wall mounted LCD projectors and AppleTVs during this project. Teachers also have access to the Reflector app for iPad mirroring. AppleTVs and Reflector provide MSMS with an outstanding technology infrastructure driven by a student centered classroom.

All MSMS students will receive their iPads during introduction sessions. These sessions will be similar to the iPad Driver’s Ed sessions that we have completed during the deployment of all BHS iPads. Students will learn about responsibility, care, foundational apps, workflow, and expectations.
MSMS families were welcomed to a special 1:1 introduction night on Monday, January 7. Here are some key points if you missed the event:


Please continue to follow this BPS EdTech blog and the Marshall Simonds Middle School blog for more details and information about the 1:1 iPad program. We will also have posts about upcoming Parent Technology Events and family learning opportunities.
Dennis Villano, Director of Technology Integration 

BYOT and one-to-one initiatives are literacy initiatives

The following post was on the Smart Blog On Education earlier this week.



As a school leader who recently sold my community on the importance of moving to a one-to-one environment where every student has access to a web-based device, I believe strongly that our students will be more literate than students in other schools who do not have access to web-enabled devices.  A look at the world outside of our schools and the technological resources being accessed in so many professions that allow people to work “smarter” is a clear indication of the track that our students need to be on in order to be able to function in the “real world.”

The biggest stumbling block in schools even if we can get the devices is the proficiency level of the adults in the building in utilizing the technology resources effectively. This is not meant to be an indictment of educators, but it is a critical question that we all have to look at, assess, and then move forward. Technological tools/resources can assist educators in some of our biggest undertakings (i.e. common core standards integration, teacher evaluation, providing relevant professional development, etc.). However, because so many educators in schools are not comfortable with the most modern literacy skills we are not able to make better progress.

Are these your literacy standards?
From an educator’s perspective there are a few places that we can turn for a concrete look at the standards.  The best resources for modern literacy standards are the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) and the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE). Let’s start with NCTE.  The Definition of 21st Century Literacies listed below was adopted by NCTE in 2008. While you look at the list below,  think about how many educators in your community are comfortable in these areas.

• Develop proficiency with the tools of technology
• Build relationships with others to pose and solve problems collaboratively and cross-culturally
• Design and share information for global communities to meet a variety of purposes
• Manage, analyze and synthesize multiple streams of simultaneous information
• Create, critique, analyze, and evaluate multi-media texts
• Attend to the ethical responsibilities required by these complex environments

As educators, we need to be able to start to list concrete examples of how we meet each of these standards and then assist our students in doing the same.

What about the ISTE standards?
Like NCTE, ISTE also provides us clear standards to help schools better prepare students in the digital age. Unfortunately, the vast majority of educators look at the ISTE standards as technology standards when in reality they are learning standards. As the introduction to the standards states on the ISTE website, “Technology has forever changed not only what we need to learn, but the way we learn.”
Like the NCTE standards, ISTE’s contain six focal points:

• Creativity and Innovation
• Communication and Collaboration
• Research and Information Fluency
• Critical Thinking, Problem Solving, and Decision Making
• Digital Citizenship
• Technology Operations and Concepts

As with the NCTE standards, I question how many of these our staff members are comfortable with at this point.

Is this even on our radar?
So as we look towards the new things on the agenda for schools throughout our country like common core implementation and new teacher evaluation methods, I am worried that the integration of technology is still looked upon as a detached task that will have to be kept on the back burner.  The reality of the situation, however, is that if we understand how to utilize the vast array of collaborative resources out there that we can accomplish our tasks more effectively. But we cannot even start down this road if we do not provide access.

There is a great quote about technology in Jim Collins’ book “Good to Great”: “Technology alone is not going to move an organization or an individual from Good to Great. However, technology that is thoughtfully deployed can help us move a bit faster. ”

In closing, I have to mention the seven survival skills that Tony  Wagner discusses in his book “The Global Achievement Gap,” skills that our students need whether they are going on to college or the workplace.

1. Critical thinking/problem solving
2. Collaboration/leading by influence
3. Agility and adaptability
4. Initiative and entrepreneurialism
5. Effective oral and written communication
6. Accessing and analyzing information
7. Curiosity and imagination

We cannot get where we need to go, if we as educators do not model these skills and we cannot model these skills if we do not provide learning environments where staff and students have access to digital resources that allow them to experiment and discover the power of being a connected learner. We are at a point where we have to consider whether or not those who are learning in “disconnected” environments can be called literate by today’s standards.
So as you are thinking about whether or not a BYOT or one-to-one initiative is right for your school, you need to ask yourself the following question: Is it important that students in our school are literate?

Patrick Larkin (@patrickmlarkin) is the assistant superintendent for learning for Burlington Public Schools in Massachusetts. He is a former high school principal and former commission member of the New England Association of Schools and Colleges.

Related Posts:

• Enriching literacy with cellphones: 3 ideas to get started
• Q-and-A: Financial literacy by immersion
• Reading nonfiction is not optional
• Stop passing the buck: Literacy for STEM educators
• What does it mean to be literate?

BYOT and one-to-one initiatives are literacy initiatives originally published by SmartBlogs

Trusting Students (and Staff) - Looking Back At Year 1:1 (with iPads) - Part 8

BHS staff member Andrew Marcinek, who blogs  regularly for Edutopia, had a great reflective post regarding our first year as a 1:1 school with iPads.  It is extremely helpful for me to see the reflections of staff and students from the past year. One of the major points I take away from Andy's post is the focus on trusting students.

Trust students.

"One of the best decisions we made before we deployed 1000+ iPads to our student body was to create a student-run genius bar. With this decision, we were putting a lot of trust in the hands of our students. However, it turned out to be a core component of the launch...

...Aside from simply troubleshooting, our students help their former teachers at the middle and elementary levels as well as create how-to scripts and videos for students, faculty and the Burlington community. Our students have not only helped within the BPS community, but have helped our Tech Team organize two major conferences in the past year..."

Beyond the student help desk, I think the trust of students in regards to access of social media sites and other apps and sites that can be used for non-educational purposes allowed our efforts to focus more on supporting educational uses of the technology. We did not go into this undertaking with a mindset of blocking and denying access.

We went into this with a mindset that we are preparing our students for life after school where they are going to have to know how to make choices about appropriate use of apps and sites that do not apply to their work. We felt strongly that the conversations that need to take place and the authentic experience of making choices about what to access and when to access it is not something that can be replicated with theoretical conversations.

As an organization, we do not feel we can have the type of learning and interactions between learners that we envision if our default reaction is that the individuals who inhabit our school will choose to do the wrong thing.

We trust teachers and we trust students. Then on the rare occasion that someone misuses that trust, we address the situation with that individual.  Should it happen any other way?

Related articles

• Looking Back At Year One of 1:1 (With iPads) Part One (patrickmlarkin.com)
• Looking Back At Year One of 1:1 (With iPads) Part Two (patrickmlarkin.com)
• Looking Back At Year One of 1:1 (With iPads) Part Three (patrickmlarkin.com)
• Looking Back At Year One of 1:1 (With iPads) Part Four (patrickmlarkin.com)
• Looking Back At Year One of 1:1 (with iPads) Part Five (patrickmlarkin.com)
• Looking Back At Year One of 1:1 (with iPads) Part Six (patrickmlarkin.com)
• Looking Back At Year One of 1:1 (with iPads) Part Seven (patrickmlarkin.com)