By: Kimberly Floyd

Her eyes were glazed over and she looked exhausted.  She was the teacher.  Her question made sense to me.  In all honesty, she wanted to know, why should she use iPads when she could teach the content herself?  Why should she?

A teacher can teach literacy, math, spelling, vocabulary, science, social studies, art, foreign language, etc, without an iPad.  Good teachers can teach without lots of bells and whistles.  That's what makes them good.  Technology will not make you a better teacher.  You become a better teacher because of your passion to be a better teacher.

Last year I met a baker whose goal was to make the perfect baguette.  That's it.  Everyday he would come to work with one goal, to finally make that perfect, crusty, chewy, golden loaf of bread.  I remember asking him, "How will you know when you have made the perfect one?"  The baker just smiled at me and said, "I'll know." 
 
So, what's the connection between the  teacher and the baker?  The connection is in the answer to the question, "Why should I?"

The baker bakes with passion, and a desire to better his practice.  He comes to work with a sparkle in his eye, and determination to reach his goal.  He bakes because he cannot imagine doing anything else.

And the teacher?  The teacher's goal should resemble that of the baker, perfecting one's practice until that day in the classroom when her eyes have that sparkle, and and her heart knows she has had that perfect lesson. Those perfect lessons do happen.

So, why do I use iPads in my classroom?  I use iPads because I can do more than ever before.  I can differentiate curriculum quickly. I can allow students to review content independently.  I can provide multiple avenues for students to access content.  I can keep students engaged longer.  I can assess deeper thinking when they create digital stories and record video.  I can watch students assess their own work when they listen to or view their own creations.  I can observe students collaborating in ways with digital tools that seem to even the playing field regardless of language barriers.  I can share student work with parents instantly.  Those are some of my reasons for using iPads.

  Why should you?

By:  Kim Floyd

I started with one iPad before anyone realized how they would change our classrooms.  My staff made fun of me.  My principal at the time thought I was nuts. Parents could not understand what their kids were doing. No one believed my one iPad mattered, but I knew, and the kindergarten kids knew, our classroom would never be the same.

Three years later, I cannot imagine teaching without iPads. I currently have a 2:1 iPad ratio.   My students are engaged, they believe their work matters, and they are confident learners.   They have become independent, curious students. Their work is differentiated.  Some days, when  I look over my classroom and realize that every student is on task, and there is that quiet hum of contentment, I know having iPads is part of that success.  We are not working harder, we are working smarter.

I started small, and still do.  At the beginning of the school year, I introduce iPads by modeling. They just watch me, and I begin to instill in them how I care for and use my iPad for learning and sharing. I do whole group work using my iPad under my document camera so the children can interact with me, and we model iPad skills together. Within a few days, I begin what I call a "slow release."  I teach a few children at a time how to access an app, or login with a password. We begin with a few apps at a time. I do a lot of monitoring, and have a "no tolerance" policy for iPad antics. We learn in small groups.   And then magic begins.  They can do it.  They work in pairs.  The collaborate to solve problems. They can move in and out of apps on cue.  And sometimes, they carry their iPad back to me with that confused look in their eyes, and reteaching or troubleshooting begins.  We are learning together.

What about you?  What will you do with your iPads?  Remember that little blue engine that taught us the power of the words, "I think I can, I think I can"?  I love that story.  That little engine moved forward one little chug at a time.  You can transform your classroom too, one little chug at a time. Try one app. Draw a digital picture. Create a digital story.  Take a photo and email it home.  Just do one new thing with your iPads today. I think you can.