Tool 9 - Tools for learning

Tool #9 Assignment, create a new post in which you respond to the following:

1. Why do you think it is important to tie the technology to the objective? Studnets are very used to playing games in a digital environment. They don't need more gaming practice.The iPads will be a new novelty for many students and they will want to find the "fun" and entertaining things to do but in a classroom it is important that powerful instrucitonal time is not widdled away as kids "play" on the classroom devices.
2. Why should we hold students accountable for the stations/centers? Students must be held accountable for how they use the devices in the classroom. They are very much a priveledge, not a right and as a teacher I must be very attentive to what they are doing with these devices.
3. Visit 2 of the applicable links to interactive websites for your content/grade level. Which sites did you like. How could you use them as stations? How can you hold the students accountable for their time in these stations? One site that will be nice with the iPads is Colby.edu. They have so many lessons and activities for students learning Spanish. The same is true of Quia.com. Many of the listed applications were not for foreign language but there are so many resources out there to dig into.
4. List two to three apps you found for the iPod Touch/iPad that you can use in your classroom. What do you see that station looking like? How can you hold the students accountable for their time in these stations? I am still researching apps. I haven't found a lot of free apps for the iPad that relate to spanish learning. But, I can hold them accountable by frequently wandering the room and being engaged as students use the devices.
5. What about other ways to use the iPod Touch/iPad? Share another way you can see your students using the device as a station. Using the devices with a program like Splashpad would allow them to turn their iPad into the driving device running the Activ Board. It is a way students can be empowered. They can use the devices during presentations. I have a cord that connects the iPad to the digital projector as well and it will be great to connect them togehter.