Wearables: Does this Apple Watch Make Me Look Fat?

     If Marty McFly and Doc Brown had indeed traveled to this week, they would have been astounded, as I am, at the recent digital trend of wearables.  Wearables including Apple Watches and Fitbits have burst in to the technological scene with all the glory of a DeLorean DMC-12.  Are wearables just a fad that will be replaced with another, or will this trend shape how we view technology for years to come?    
     As a teacher, one area this current trends makes a large impact, is wearables made for and marketed to kids.  For instance, the Gizmopal watch from LG is a device with multiple features for parents to ensure the well-being of their children and maintain contact without worrying about the safety hazards and responsibilities that come with a phone.  The Gizmopal allows parents to track their kids through the GPS feature using the app on their phone.  A parent can pre-program four number that can call the watch and the watch can call two numbers with the push of its one and only button.  There is no screen to break, and it can securely fasten to a child’s wrist. Tinitell and FiLip2 have also created wearable devices for kids that have limited voice communication and GPS tracking capabilities.  There are a host of other wearable devices for children provide GPS only.     
     Wearable devices are a popular accessory in the fitness world. The Fitbit is a popular activity tracker. I know several educators who like to keep track of the number of steps they take every day. The Fitbit can measure steps taken, calories burned, and even the quality of sleep.  It works with an app on your smartphone which allows you to log your meals, heart rate and blood pressure.
Wearables aren’t just for your wrist anymore either. The Misfit Flash can be worn as a necklace with a sterling silver design or in special shirts that have pockets made just for this fitness tracker.  If biking, it can be attached to your shoe for better accuracy.
     Last, but certainly not least, the Apple watch is the queen of wearable technology.  The watch works closely with your iPhone and can make phone calls, send messages, store pictures, access Siri,  and pay your tab. You have access to apps like your calendar, music, photos, and maps. Text messages and other text must be input with voice to text.     
     The implications that wearables in technology will have on technology are yet to be determined.  As the smart watches become more affordable, we will see a growing number of students wearing them. Monitoring students’ use of their own devices will take on new meaning.  Questions for educational technology will be questions we have never thought to ask. How will we effectively use these devices in our classrooms? Will grammar and the English language be affected by a wide use of voice to text features and devices without keyboards? I am quite sure there issues will continue to arise as digital trends continue to change and form how we communicate and function.

A Girl Has Got to Have Standards

Educational technology that is fun, engaging, inexpensive, and exciting abounds. It’s everywhere. You can find a way to do almost anything online, on your mobile device, or with fun hardware.  As teachers have had to do in the past with new curriculum and trendy pedagogical ideas, we must now look at the available technology with critical eyes. What technological tools can contribute to authentic lessons? What tools are just fun, but not truly adding to the lesson?

The International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) offers six standards through which we can evaluate the choices we make for our classrooms. These standards examine 1) creativity and innovation, 2) communication and collaboration, 3) research and information fluency, 4) critical thinking, problem solving and decision making, 5) digital citizenship, and 6) operations and concepts. In addition, we should be asking ourselves if the technology in use demonstrates the principles of authentic lessons including the use of higher order thinking, student centeredness, and real world application.

One technological application I love for a science classroom is Elements 4D and Anatomy 4D.  It’s an app that turns paper or plastic blocks or printed paper targets into 3D models that are viewable through the device’s camera. Students can use the blocks or targets to manipulate what they’re seeing and create a variety of learning experiences. Both of these apps are very student centered. They allow for a maximum amount of discovery learning.  They both have application to the real world and encourage critical thinking. They would also rank high in research and information fluency which according to ISTE is “applying digital tools to gather, evaluate, and use information.”

Another app that provides opportunities for authentic learning is Write About This.  Write About This is an app that generates writing prompts across grade levels and interests.  You can increase the difficulty of the prompt according to the student’s ability and the app allows you to create profiles for each student. The teacher or student has the ability to add their own picture and create their own prompt. The prompts encourage higher level thinking skills, communication skills, and creativity, and any English teacher will tell you that good writing skills always have application in the real world.

News -O-Matic is an app that is subscription based. Each day, New-O-Matic by Press for Kids publishes five current news articles. The articles can be read out loud and are available in different reading levels to accommodate children with learning differences. The questions that are included for use with the stories cover critical thinking as well as other higher level skills. It is interactive and engaging. It could be used to create student centered lessons.

When it comes down to it, teachers are responsible for what happens in their classrooms. The technology that we choose to use is never a substitute for good teaching. We must apply the same critical eye to technology that we use to evaluate textbooks and other classroom materials.  Is it busy work disguised by amazing graphics and sound effects, or are we using technology to create a meaningful learning experience?

You Get an App and You Get an App...

This week, I happened to have my iPad in my classroom.  I was truly amazed at the reaction from the seventh graders in my classroom.  “Mrs. Buck, can I play on the iPad if I finish my work?” “Mrs. Buck, what apps do you have?” “Mrs. Buck, can I show you something on the iPad?” I thought iPads were old news, but the lone tablet in my room that day created more excitement than I’ve seen in a while.  With all of the amazing apps available at a very low cost, or even free, the iPad can be used like never before in a classroom.

The MOMA (Museum of Modern Art) Art Lab app is amazing! I want to just sit and play for hours. It is perfect for instruction in art. Students can create and save their own art and explore with shapes and lines. It even comes with audio for non-readers.  Budding artists can create mobiles, collaborate on group drawings, and make collages while learning about artists such as Henri Matisse and Sol LeWitt.

Music has proven over and over to be an invaluable learning tool.   How about using the Drum Beat Plus app for vocabulary memorization or learning math facts?  Our resident expert teachers, Angela McKenna and Laura Bartlett used it to have students write raps to memorize vocabulary! It could be used for choral readings, repetition activities, and movement breaks in the classroom.

Make Beliefs Comix is another app with endless possibilities.  It is a comic strip generator that can be used on a mobile device or a computer.  Students can choose setting, characters, and other objects for comic strips that they create. I could use this to teach elements of plot or to review virtually any concept in science or social studies. Mirror your device on your apple TV and use it with group instruction.

Popplet is also available on the web and as an app for your iPad.  This resource allows students to create graphic organizers with colorful bubbles called popplets.  Mind maps, word webs, and flow charts can all be created with this user friendly app.

For science teachers, Anatomy 4D and Elements 4D are two of the most exciting educational apps!  Using paper blocks that are free to print, Elements 4D allows students to explore elements. Students look through their devices and see the blocks transform from simple paper blocks to atoms that can bond together to become molecules. Anatomy 4D helps students explore the systems of the human body by viewing printable “targets” through the device’s camera. Students can zoom in to different organs to get a closer look.  It is truly one of the most unique active learning experiences I have seen.

Another resource for science instruction is brought to us by the Smithsonian. Qrius is a website that is full of videos and activities for students, teachers, and families. Students have access to create their own field book and keep track of the discoveries they make online.

It’s a great time to be a teacher. We know that students learn best through active, discovery based learning. With all of these tools at our fingertips, it has never been easier to provide meaningful instruction in every area of education.