The courses I enjoy focusing the most on are my Mass Communication courses. I am able to walk through the beginning of the Radio Age through the modern social media construct with all of the communication models and extra stuff in between. I focus very heavily on students creating professional projects that are creative and use modern technology. I unfortunately don't have enough technology for all of the students to use all at the same time. For this reason I have researched the most complete and user friendly device that I would recommend for my students.
Apple iPhone or iPad - I don't recognize a difference other than size. And who really wants to be judged by that.
The decision to use the ipad product is simple in the fact that they can do it all. It is the most complete and portable device that can film, edit and upload to our server. The challenge with this is that they are expensive to provide one for every student. That is why it would be best to permit each student to bring in their own personal device. This is useful so that the student may continue to work on their projects outside of class and become a 24/7 enabled student.
The support that the kids will receive will be online as well as in the classroom. The videos created online to serve as tutorials will allow each student to advance at their own pace. The faculty would not need to have any additional support because they will be able to use the same videos to learn how the software/apps work. The only challenge is that we need to ensure that there is a proper pathway to upload the finished projects onto the media server in the school. iPads will not upload onto a server so there must be a computer link to connect to.
The students will be able to have an all in one studio in their ipad devices. I think that with the ease of use and the attachments available the kids will be able to produce high quality videos without the need of high priced editors. Avid systems or Adobe Premier systems range from $4,000 - $5000 with all the hardware and software. Also they need to have cameras that could range from $500 to $1,500. The students can get high definition video and state of the art editing support with the ipad or iphone. And since it is their own device it will not cost the district much at all. There are other devices that can do the same thing but most are not supported by our schools network. I have had students bring in their own chrome books. They are not powerful enough to do the editing and the software is ineffective. Other cell phones and tablets are able to compare to the ipad but for the purpose of this proposal I am confirming my support for the ipad. I would recommend that there is a collection of additional school owned devices to support those students without their own personal device.
Resources:
Evans, D. (August 2013) What is BYOD and Why is it Important?. Retrieved July 16.
http://www.techradar.com/news/computing/what-is-byod-and-why-is-it-important--1175088
Ludlow, D. (July 2014) How to Shoot Better Video on your iPad or iPhone. Retrieved July 16.
http://www.expertreviews.co.uk/ipads/8055/how-to-shoot-better-video-on-your-ipad-and-iphone
Shanklin, W. (May 2014) Microsoft Surface Versus iPad Air. Retrieved July 16.
http://www.gizmag.com/ipad-air-vs-surface-pro-3/32203/
Creating a 24/7 classroom can be a pro and a con. I, for one, like to have my own privacy, and at times when students know they can email you and ask questions all hours of the day can become a violation of contract, and create more work for yourself. If students understand that contacting a teacher is limited to a certain time frame, and that their responses will be dealt with during contractual time, then I see the benefits of kids using the additional access to work on projects from home. This also creates issues with younger grades, because it is important to be able to see the students working process, and to ensure that parents are not doing all the work for the kids. At the elementary school, that can often be a problem. I see the iPad as a good solution to what you are looking for because it can do it all. It sounds like you can teach your class how to shoot better photos on an iPad/iphone and that its flexibility is advantageous to what you want to do with tech in your classes.
ReplyDeleteThe IPad with supplemental BYOD sounds like the best option to meet your goals. I agree with Allen though that becoming a 24/7 teacher with the expectation that students or parents can be in constant contact can be somewhat overwhelming. Have you experienced any issues with this?
ReplyDeleteI can respond to the 24/7 question for both of you here. I think that just as a matter of change I have become that kids of teacher. I have my phone with access to email and I do check it. I have had students email me with questions and issues later at night and I would choose to respond depending on the type of question or the situation. To my knowledge there is no language in our contract about communication time frame and frequency of communication. I think that the school has given the teachers professional leeway to facilitate that communication with students or parents as we see fit. I live in my school district so the kids know where I am and see me around town. My wife is also a teacher in the same school with the same kids. Our teaching life is who we are and we were never afraid to do the work even after we left school.
DeleteHello! I think your proposal is perfect for your needs. I was torn between the iPad and laptops but ultimately decided on the laptop due to software needs. It seems like your software needs are covered here so it is the perfect solution. In response the comments above I believe that it would be obvious to set parameters about contacts and expectations. Practicing working from school and home, as well as contacting teachers and peers with clear expectations will be great practice for college and the workforce. Nice work.
ReplyDeleteI agree. The courses are designed to replicate with happens in the field and sometimes questions need to be answered right way and may be later after school. I really enjoy it so it doesn't bother me much.
DeleteAre there any conversations about results? Given there is still a significant outlay of cash I wonder if anyone is asking, if and how these devices make a difference for students?
ReplyDeleteI found your proposal interesting in that you chose to move to a BYOD model. Also, would the iPad mini work for your purposes? They are more affordable. I am also intrigued by your view that no additional training is needed besides the tutorial programs. I agree that this would work for many educators, like the ones taking this course, but I question if this would be effective for everyone. I know a number of colleagues that need to be walked through things step by step when it comes to technology. I'd prefer your plan for myself, but there are many that either wouldn't get as much from the video tutorials or would refuse to watch them since they wouldn't use them.
ReplyDeleteCodie