Neoteny, one of my favorite words, means the retention of childlike attributes in adulthood: idealism, experimentation and wonder. In this new world, not only must we behave more like children, we also must teach the next generation to retain those attributes that will allow them to be world-changing, innovative adults who will help us reinvent the future.

"All change please - the Internet is coming!"

I attended my first ISC ICT conference this week, which was hosted at Berkhamsted on Wednesday 7th December.

It was a fantastic day and I felt very privileged to speak about the work I am doing in my department on colaborative learning using iPads.

Click here to view the Prezi that Sacha van Straten, Rosie McColl and I presented.

Click here for an audio recording of my presentation. Quality is so-so but the message is there!

I also got to listen to some fantastic speakers, including Kevin Fear, Head of Nottingham High School who's enlightened take on communication strategies was really engaging, and Prof. Steve Molyneux who inspired us with his talk "Gutenberg 2.0". Their presentations are available here.  Mark Steed's opening words are on his blog here. Lord Knight of Weymouth, formerly Minister for Schools, was very much on the same page as us about how the future needs to be flexible, probably device-agnostic and centered around the technology the students bring to school anyway. Interesting times!

The (in my view obsolete) theory of digital natives and immigrants has no place for me at all anymore: in my classroom with a set of students, learning to do and an iPad each, we are all immigrants of sorts. For now, no one is more than a few minutes' expertise ahead of anyone else. For students and teachers that can be liberating, exciting and unsettling in equal measure!

Navigating through the paradigm shift

My first task was to group desks together in my classroom, and when we have iPads in use I have in place a simple set of routines.

• I model everything needed to get students started, but not the finished product I am hoping for.
• I remind everyone about the learning behaviours we expect.
• Students have a learning buddy who is their wingman. Any problems, technical issues, 'how do you...?' questions have to go to the learning buddy first. If they can't work it out together, they can ask me.
• Creative problem solving and independence get lots of praise from me.
• I leave plenty of time at the end of the lesson to do checking and cleanup. Week 1 left me and my colleagues frazzled with shouty ends of lessons that damaged all the good feeling generated earlier in the lesson.

I have been continually surprised over the past fortnight by the range of levels of confidence and knowledge that my students of all ages (11-18) have with the iPads. What is certainly true is that iOS certainly isn't hardwired into all their brains. Many are born and bred PC / Blackberry so are utterly bemused by Apple architecture.

The Students

Unsurprisingly, the students love them. Some even jump and squeak and clap their hands when they find out it's an iPad lesson (and that's just my Year 10 boys...!). I was fairly sure we'd get a positive reception from the students but did have nagging doubts about them viewing the iPads as toys rather than learning tools. On the whole there have been very few niggles and I'm really pleased. I did also wonder if with the speed of technological change iPads would already be old hat and the kids would give them a lukewarm reception. Quite the opposite in fact: the iPad2 still has more than enough cachet to warrant awe from teenagers. Phew!

The Learning

Students have done some gorgeous digital work with the iPads and I am really pleased with the initial quality of output, especially from some KS3 classes. I am currently looking at the best means of organising a digital showcase of work from the department and will keep you posted. Apps that have been quick wins include Screenchomp, Soundcloud and Google Docs. Staff have noticed with slight frustration that activities on the iPads can take longer than they would in exercise books, but I am sure that this is to do with students having to learn how to use a new tool as much as anything else. Interestingly very few of our students have done more than play around with someone else's iPad and do not own their own. I can now assuredly say that being Angry Birds pros does not mean they can intuitively do everything they need to in lessons!

The Teachers

My team in MFL have varying levels of confidence with ICT and I have been really pleased with how they have got stuck in. I left things very open and did not set any expectations about how often they should use the iPads. I just put up a shared Google Doc for booking the iPads and let them get on with it.

Result: over two weeks 57 classes were taught across the two sites using iPads. 

Being able to teach a lesson in their classrooms with all their usual expectations and resources and adding a layer of technology on top has certainly been rewarding and we are finding the benefits of a hybrid approach to technology: books and paper resources share desk real estate with the iPad very well.

Planning for learning with iPads takes some doing and it has been an important lesson to us all to learn to test out our lesson ideas beforehand. It's amazing how many websites contain Flash elements, for example. We've also had to work out protocols for behaviour, use of the cameras and app signups as we go. There is a lot to think about!

The CPD

One of my main tools for supporting my team is a private Google site which we use for sharing ideas, resources and feedback. We pass on links to good work which can be used as models for students attempting tasks for the first time. I am posting beginners how-to guides for different apps and we are collaborating on issues and glitches so people can avoid repeatedly falling into the same traps. The site has also become a hub for debate and discussion on the value of ICT and the direction of change for learning with technology.

It's been a successful start to the project and we are certainly enjoying ourselves whilst being very aware of the steep learning curve. On a personal note is it so easy for edtech enthusiasts like me to sit with an iPad in isolation and enthuse about all the great stuff you could do in classrooms with it. It is another thing altogether to look at your packed scheme of work, your busy schedule, your ICT-cautious team members and actually make the kit part of your teaching landscape every day. In the best possible way, the difference is not to be underestimated!

Chris,

After your CPD session on engagement and involvement I started thinking about how important an authentic audience for student work in MFL can be. Year 7 in particular work in a very sterile bubble, without the language necessary to communicate in an authentic way with the outside world... or so I thought.

After recently implementing the use of iPads in my MFL department, we have been working on generating some lovely digital content. I shared some of the little descriptions of clothes my class had made using Screenchomp on our iPads this week with my followers on Twitter. I was thrilled when the app developer for Screenchomp replied from the US, congratulating my boys on their great work. I showed the boys the tweet today and they were so chuffed - it was lovely. I'll definitely look for further opportunities to share great work with the world beyond the school walls as the confidence and sense of pride it brings to the kids is a real pleasure to see.

Thanks again for being the impetus to try it out!

Laura

Interested in finding out about scope for the Apple TV with wireless setup and iPad I sent a cheeky email to our Director of IT and our Director of e-learning.

The results had me crying with laughter. This is the best email I've had in a long time!

_________________________________________________________________

From: Laura M Knight
Sent: 16 November 2011 10:04
To: Sacha van Straten; David Pacey
Subject: FW: The Ultimate iPad kit for Teachers

Dear Father Christmas,

I have been VERY GOOD this year so please can I have the nice things in the picture?

L

_________________________________________________________________

From: David Pacey
Sent: 16 November 2011 10:38
To: Father Christmas
Subject: FW: The Ultimate iPad kit for Teachers

FYI

_________________________________________________________________

From: Father Christmas
Sent: 16 November 2011 11:51
To: Laura M Knight
Subject: FW: The Ultimate iPad kit for Teachers

Dear Laura,

I am sure you have been a very good, but you must remain so till Christmas to ensure some level of delivery. However if you want to supply me with a budget code to use for any such purchase then you can be bad and not affect any such presents

With the very best of Regards
Father Christmas

_________________________________________________________________

The animation and excitement in their entire demeanour when talking about the iPads was an absolute pleasure to see: they literally can't wait to see how we are going to use them in class.

I showed the class the set up on the 'master' iPad; the one which we have used to test the applications and model the settings. They thoroughly approved of how I have put together the packs of applications by skills and then the authentic materials are in language-specific folders. They were even understanding about the limitations of sharing the devices and that no, installing Fruit Ninja was not an option.

No, Alex, really; Fruit Ninja isn't helpful for language learning, even if we call it 'Ninja de Fruit'.

*Stern look*

Charmingly they were really excited about drafting and redrafting writing and audio work, especially in preparing for controlled assessment. Several boys talked about how creating, editing and sharing a podcast-style recording would help them with memorising their speaking work. Others were really keen about the more collaborative (and competitive) aspects of learning using Google docs simultaneously when we are working on summaries, annotation tasks and brainstorming.

What really made me smile was the request from several of the boys to come in at lunchtime to make their own learning activities for the iPad. They loved the idea of creating little vocabulary games online for younger students and one boy said he wanted to learn about coding and how to create apps for the iTunes store himself.

Such enthusiasm for taking ownership of this tool is hugely exciting and I am really thrilled that my students are so engaged in the project. Long may it last!

What I really like is that the BYOD paradigm is very real world. No really, it is. Schools are not all new shiny academies with perfectly designed spaces and systems for ICT. One size doesn't fit all in complex sites with old buildings, small classrooms and one double plug socket in the corner of the room. BYOD allows teachers to teach 'proper' lessons, not just facilitate ICT rooms. Students can sit at ordinary desks in ordinary chairs facing the front of the room, not the wall.

Yuck.

BYOD allows schools to consider finance options according to context, be flexible about the approach according to the needs of students and find the best way to work with the teaching spaces they have. At this point some teachers will leap to their feet with tales of how kids in their school don't have the cash for this.  I don't believe that schools in challenging areas should dismiss BYOD out of hand either: there are affordable solutions that could be subsidised. It's a case of priorities after all. Students in the highly deprived area I used to work in would happily spend a small fortune on their mobile phones and games consoles. It's only a nudge to re-categorise that type of spending to include school use too. And yes, for those who really can't afford it, schools can provide support through subsidies. Link the subsidies to a motivational rewards system and you might be able to raise aspirations too.

So what if students rock up to lessons with different devices with different operating systems, capabilities and software? Run a virtual desktop through a web browser and it won't matter if the children have a top-of-the-range MacBook Pro or an entry level notebook.

Teachers don't dictate what brand of shoe a child wears to school. Whether they are in Primark or Prada makes no odds. Shoes are shoes. Why should the hardware be any different?

 

All this claptrap about bullying and accentuating the haves and have nots is irrelevant. Children are slapped in the face with all those comparisons on a daily basis with everything from their PE bag to their pencilcase. They have been carting around mobile phones, games consoles and mp3 players for years with all the complexity and competition that those items bring with them. Why would their computer hardware be any different?

It is up to us to make sure that there is a framework whereby everyone has kit that does the job of helping the students learn. The instinctive response to initiatives like this is over-cautious and controlling when in fact, now more than ever, flexibility and openness to multiple solutions has to be the way to go. A virtual desktop, a robust set of security systems, a really positive ethos about learning and enough confidence to roll with the punches will make BYOD a reality in a lot of schools this year, including ours. Bring it on!

Big thanks have to go to the #mfltwitterati who have already shared lots of information about applications for iPads. Joe Dale in particular has set up a superb posterous blog to collect and sort new apps that may be helpful for Language study.

Accepting then that there will be a fair trial-and-error flavour to this, I decided to use a learning-led approach in finding my suite of applications to launch with my iPads, and have categorised them below. Apps have to come out of my Departmental budget so I am only paying for apps I know will deliver. If I can find a high-performing free alternative, all the better!

Skills: Reading, Writing, Speaking and Listening

Easy to find were applications to practice reading and listening. Add to that a variety of tools for hand writing and word processing, presentations, audio recording and video work and it becomes instantly easy to take quick activities out of the textbook and work on the iPad instead of in an exercise book. I need easy solutions for my team that can make 'normal' lessons with a listening and a speaking activity digital as well as all the whizz-bang stuff.

The apps:

•  Apple Pages and Keynote £
• Voice reader text to speech - £
• Writepad German edition £
• Writepad Spanish edition £
• Writepad French edition £
• Audioboo - free

Creativity and engagement

To move students and teachers beyond simply digitalising the work they might have done previously, I wanted to add another layer to our application offering.

Apps which encourage drafting, honing, screencasting, editing and collaboration all featured in my wishlist and I found a few which I hope will help move these very 21st century skills on.

The apps:

• Garageband £
• Comicstrip - £
• Storykit -  free
• Storybird  - free
• Our Story - free
• Toontastic  -free
• Comic life £
• Fotopedia Heritgage - free
• Zapd - free
• iVocaudio £

Reference

This is a growing category and one which deserves a blog post of its own. There is an explosion of fairly mediocre reference apps for Language-learning on iTunes and trawling through it to find the gems is a long job. Whilst I keep looking I have chosen to put a wordreference.com link front and centre. I haven't yet found a more accessible free language reference tool which works as well.

The apps:

• Wordreference.com - free
• Lonely Planet guides

Authentic materials

I am really looking forward to using some authentic news materials from the large number of resources providing 'real' content I have chosen. Enabling students to browse, follow their own interest and curiosity and engage with authentic material without the teacher acting as middle-man will be very interesting. I am especially keen to make space for this lower down the school where the learning experience can be short of real-world material.

The apps:

• 20minutes.fr - free
• 20minutos.es - free
• 20minuten online.ch - free
• 20 minuten kino - free
• Tele 7 Programme TV - free
• Turbo.fr - free
• RTVE Noticias Deportes - free
• RNE Radio Nacional de Espana - free
• RTVE Clan -free
• El pais - free
• Mundo deportivo - free
• Libros clasicos - free
• Elmundo.es for ipad - free
• ARD Tagesschau - free
• ZDF Mediathek - free
• ZEIT online for ipad plus - free
• Die Welt for ipad
• Der Spiegel - free
• Lemonde.fr - free
• Libération - free
• Radio France
• France Inter- free
• FIP - free
• France Info - free
• France culture - free
• TF1 vision - free
• ARTE radio - free

Youth interest

This is a category I hope to expand. Increasingly, magazine titles are creating applications for their youth content and it is a great way to engage young people linguistically via topics they enjoy.

The apps:

• Zite - free
• Brigitte.de -free
• M6 par M6 web - free
• Petra - free
• Energy.de radio - free

Productivity

I have included apps like Evernote, Dropbox and Goodreader because I can no longer imagine my iPad life without them. It will be interesting to see whether we can manage their use effectively on a shared basis!

The apps:

Evernote - free

• Dropbox - free
• Goodreader £
• Dragon dictation-free

Learning to learn

This category is another area where I expect iPad use to make a big difference. Memorisation skills, seeing and applying patterns, revision note-taking and mind mapping are all so important. Getting apps like this in front of students will, I hope, build confidence and ownership.

The apps:

• Songify -  free
• Bamboo - free
• Vocab Battle - free
• Free flashcards study helper
• Soundnote  - free

Utilities

The Safari browser will be hugely important as I fully expect a lot of our work to be web-based, including through our Google learning platform. However, I also wanted something that can view Flash elements like Cloudbrowser or Puffin to add to the mix. We'll look at the Diigo Chrome offering as a possibility too.

The next batch...

I expect to review and update the list after a month or so, and will be keeping an eye out for new developments.  In your view, are there other must-have applications I have missed? What are the best reference materials out there? Already in my plans are a QR-code reader and Skype.

Photos can be found here thanks to @svanstraten.

My presentation is here.

I really enjoyed talking to the group about the decision making process leading to choosing iPads for the department, and the plans we have in place to move learning forward using these devices.

One of my key messages, which I must attribute to Fraser Spiers, is that iPads do not represent our technological future in education. They are the device of the present. Our planning has to be flexible enough to deal with that, however uncomfortable it may be!