I have mixed feelings about bringing technology into the classroom. I absolutely think it is a wonderful thing to have to ADD to the lessons. For example, various media outlets, games, apps, etc. However, technology should never be used as "babysitters" while the teacher does his/her own thing. Unfortunately, my own children have had that happen to them too many times. I also feel that technology needs to be monitored very closely. As a parent, that has been a major concern for me since Ipads came on the scene in their schools. As we all know, children are genius' where technology is concerned. They know how to meander around firewalls, etc. Recently, I was reading an article in our local paper that said that New York had to remove Ipads from the classroom because the students had figured out, in a very small time frame, how to maneuver around the firewalls. The local governments were debating on when and if the Ipads would be brought back into the classroom and how to up the firewalls so that the students could not get around them. All I can say is, "Good luck." I've learned this by dealing with one of my own techno-genuis son! Everything that I know about technology I owe to him! Not because I wanted to learn it, but because I HAD to learn it to keep him protected and outsmart him! Therefore, I feel technology (Ipads, cellphones, etc.) are wonderful if they're being closely monitored.
I added two apps to my Ipad. They are Toontastc and PuppetPalsHD. In these apps, the students can write and act out their stories with puppets and animated characters. There were several from the suggested list that I was interested in, but they were not free. I'm a teacher, so I have to get freebies. :)
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