Math_Matt

__**Goal**__: Improving student engagement so as to foster better learning by introducing a number of different apps in and lesson ideas into the classroom.
 * By: Matt Przydzial, June 2012**


 * __Getting started__:** I found that my best preparation came from speaking with other teachers who have used the Ipads in the past or were using the Ipads currently. So many good ideas came from discussions with my colleagues. Individually, each of us does not have enough time to comb through all the resources available, but together we were able to really determine what apps would work best for each of our classrooms. Personally, I spent the summer auditioning certain apps that I thought would be useful and most importantly, found of number of apps that would not be successful in the classroom. I found that reviews and screenshots of apps are not effective methods of determining the usefulness of the app in the classroom. This determination came only from using the app. Honestly, I did not prepare my students. I am fortunate enough to teach several mature classes and most of them adapted very well to the new technology.

__**Implementation:**__ I decided not to overhaul my entire classroom procedure to fit the Ipads. Admittedly, I was apprehensive about altering my class routine after over 2 months of non-Ipad time and then taking this away from the students at the end of the 2nd quarter. Looking back, I wish I had done something similar to Jenn by using the Ipads everyday to complete a warm up, occasional exploration depending on the lesson, and then an exit ticket through Socrative or Google Forms. I think that even a quarter of this would have been beneficial for the students.

In TOK, the Ipads were used as a tool for reading articles, quick research and a as tool for posting to my blog. In Calculus, the Ipads were used as a hand-held exploration and for warm-ups and exit tickets.

__**What Worked:**__ //Google Forms// and //Socrative// are invaluable tools for gathering student responses to warm-ups and exit tickets. If these were posted on my website, I had a number of students that were absent completing these forms at a later date, which never occurred while I was using the traditional style of warm-ups. //JoinMe// works with the right class. I used this app to listen to a podcast and have a discussion with my students while the podcast was playing. It was not necessary to listen to every second of the podcast and most students were able to multi-task and have a valuable discussion with me included. I asked them to change their screen names to their real names and projected the conversation on the Smart Board to ensure accountability of their words. This lesson worked perfectly with a smaller class (14 students), but was difficult in a larger class (19 students) that had a lot to add to the conversation. In the larger class, many of the posts got lost in the shuffle and it was difficult to keep up with the conversation and the podcast. //ShowMe// is a great tool for math students. They can record a procedural answer to a problem and it can be posted online. I am hoping this will be an efficient way to review for the AP exam in April this year. //SpaceTime// was the best graphing application I found. Students were not only able to easily graph functions, but also manipulate the graph and axes. //Sketchpad Explorer// was a great app to view Geometer's Sketchpad files and manipulate them as a tool for discovery.

__**What did not Work:**__ //Saving!// I rarely asked students to save work from their Ipads because the process was so cumbersome. Webdav has too many clicks for students and was running too slow for it to be effective. Between saving and putting away the Ipads, I was required allow for at least 10 minutes at the end of class. //Google Docs// are poorly represented on the Ipad. My students were working together on a presentation in Google Docs and using the Ipad was not possible. Multiple students cannot edit the presentation at the same time and it is poorly viewed on the Ipad.

__**Wrap-up:**__ I feel that the Ipads would be incredibly useful in the classroom everyday if the teacher fully commits. If the teacher is not fully committed, they would surely be useful on a "every 3rd class" basis. Fortunately, I think they can be valuable in either format. For instance, I believe that students can effectively use the Ipads for warm-ups and exit tickets, even if it is not everyday. The students are comfortable with the technology and welcome the change. The "every 3rd class" exploration will always be successful, provided the teacher has previewed the app and ensures it will work well in the context of the course.

__**And finally, if APS were going in the direction of iPads 1:1, what are your recommendations for PD**__? In my opinion, I would not go 1:1, which is a complete turnaround from my original opinion. The Ipads are a useful classroom tool for teaching and discovery, but I am not sold on the Ipad as an e-reader. Until, multiple copies of e-books are easily available and transferrable, the cost of one book per student per year does not seem economical. I would much rather see a class set of Ipads available for each teacher to use on a semi-daily basis inside the classroom.