Last spring I wrote a grant and got the funding for a class set of iPads. I shot for the stars and got it, which then gave me the "Oh dear God, now what do I do?!?!" moment. In a later post, I will share some thinking about how we are using this tool, but for now I just want to share a field trip my kiddoes got to experience.
Apple provides an opportuntity for educational field trips. I didn't know these existed, but thankfully our district coordinator of tech integration hooked me up. The goal was for the class to present and learn. Right from the beginning, the presentation part was more than I could have expected. The Apple Store representatives created a "tunnel of pride" with the help of some customers and my class entered like rock stars.
When we made it through the high fives and cheers, we learned that the Apple Store had set up multiple viewing stations, where smaller groups of students could connect their iPads to monitors. One group even got to use a microphone to broadcast their voice over the store speaker system. The next 45 minutes or so, we got to share what we have already done. Each student got to share a few Keynote presentations and his or her savvyness with some other apps that help us through the day. It was absolutely amazing to see 25 fourth graders 'strut their stuff' in front of Apple employees, parents, customers, district administrators and some other random hangers-on.
The only disappointment in this day was the learning part. To be frank, the Apple Store employees were so overwhelmed with what this group of 10-year-olds already knew, they didn't have much to offer. In fact, there were many times my class was giving them suggestions on how to use an iPad more effectively. A sample moment went a little like this:
Student: How do you ......?
Apple Rep: Mmmmm, well does anyone in the group have any suggestions?
Different Student: Well, you just tap on this part ...
Apple Rep: Great, I like that idea, did everyone heat that?
However, the fact we did more teaching than learning that day is ok with me. My class walked away with so much more than they had when they walked in the store. I also don't want to send the message the Apple Employees aren't knowledgable, I just don't think professional development for 4th graders is in their training program.
Off-site authentic learning and authentic sharing in the same day is pretty good stuff. I don't think we are going to forget about this field trip anytime soon.
Later,
Tony
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