Day 5 - Paperless Classroom?

 Having looked at the whole spectrum of learners from those just starting school to those leaving school. Those with special needs whether they need to be supported or stretched, trying to facilitate and accommodate individual needs within the school is the most important but difficult task. 

Mobile technology, I believe could really help to make this differentiation a reality. Access to the curriculum in terms of opportunity but also in terms of understanding the task and what is to be done can be made much simpler using mobile devices. I am trying to use the mobile device as a way of sharing my teaching resources to my learners and as far as is possible have a paperless classroom.

What apps have I used today to fulfil the needs of my students? 

Different learning styles shouldn't be overlooked. A little boy today told me that 'a boring lesson was one where he just had to listen'. In these times with the availability of mobile technology, it is unforgivable to provide chalk and talk lessons in schools. With CBL the use of iTunes U and such file sharing apps as Showbie we can as a body of professionals provide resources that match both learning style, interest level and extend horizons of all students in our class.  Showbie allows us to link resources directly, attach videos, sound files and written documentation. Having showed a TA these features her initial reaction was of wonderment followed by a comment of "why haven't I known about this before?" And then I can't wait to use these tools with learners. 10 minutes of training enabled this particular TA to understand the basics of Book Creator and Showbie and she saw how easy it is (once the students have signed up) for a class of Year 1 and Year 2 to accurately navigate and create a workflow. The children felt empowered, but the TA felt satisfied that she was able to provide a differentiated curriculum where progress was evident and accelerated. Padlet  provides the opportunity for group of students to share their ideas and post ideas, taking risks with their learning whilst learning the conventions of social media & appropriateness of their posts. 

Another converted TA.