Ruminations as a first time user (Jan 16)

Blog notes: so far the transfer from excell to numbers seems to be going fairly well. Some of the previously unconsidered advantages of a digital dorm attendance will include: -quick search for names to find a students room quickly -drop down menus for quick attendance/qualifying of students where abouts. -Links to house parent's emails for quick notes a to them. I have used the pad quite a bit this week. The portability of the device allows me to type this bog entry from the front seat of the bus (barring minor car sickness). Some of the technologies I had not considered using it for that cam in handy include: -chess timer (for chess club) -quick document camera for capturing pages from a book and then displaying them on my white board -movie playing remote. I was able to stop and start a movie repeatedly from the front of the class, without having to go to my desk each time. -a interactive manipulative (math) for students that, with the help of splash top, can be easily projected so that the whole class can watch it. It is also handy to plug it directly into the projector and display it that way. -notes display for myself at the front of them class. I write my notes out on the white board and I find that I can do this a lot faster using the pad, via splash top, when I am writing. -quick referencing facts a via a search engine. I can quickly and easily search a fact for my students from the front of the class. -homework check allows me, again with splash top, to enter my grades directly into my spreadsheet as I rove in the classroom. Other notes: after having used to for a while now, I don't even mind the keyboard. The interface, zoom/pan is also excellent, though it would be nice to have better control of the fine motor adjustments on the screen. Perhaps a stylus ... Students really enjoy seeing the new technology in the class they get quite excited by the possibilities that it presents. One student recommended that I use splash top with my laptops web cam to "spy" in the class while I was out for a moment. Since I used splash top in the class, about a dozen students have also got the program. In a few weeks time I will have to ask them if they use it regularly and if so for what? The technology certainly has made me more popular, but how can I maintain this high ... I suppose I will have to continue to ask for the latest technologies to keep me current and "with it" as the kids say. All joking aside the use of these technologies does send a clear message to the kids in my class room. "you should have one of these if you want to participate fully in all the fun" ... I hope apple is giving us a deal for all the free advertising we are giving them. Even my use of apps will influence students choices and buying habits. In short we are role modeling the use of this technology to students, the more we misuse it or use it ineffectively (for the sake of itself) the more we pass those choices on to our students.