Classrooms are as different as teachers. Some are good, some are better, and some are the best. We have the same curriculum, but different students. The same goals, but different methods of reaching the finish line. The same vision, but different support and tools for getting the job done.
If you go to school with a smile on your face, and a clear sense of purpose, you are a good teacher. If you can help students be better today than they were yesterday, you are a good teacher. And if you know at the end of the day that you have done your best, you are a good teacher.
But what if you want to be a better teacher? If you have made the decision to “hitch your wagon to a star”, if you have found a mentor who will push you just a little bit, if you have added one new teaching strategy to your classroom, or if you have set a personal goal for yourself as a teacher, I applaude you. You are better.
But when you are able to draw others alongside, and creatively collaborate, you are different. If you can critically think about what students need, and provide it for them, you are not ordinary. When you not only teach, but inspire, you are more than a good teacher. You are the best.
Teachers need to embrace the truth that we need to move education from good to better, and from better to best. We need to choose the best for our students, not just the good.
In the beginning of iPad implementation, it is not unusual to see students working on apps that resemble gaming for practice and skill review. Apps for practice and skill building are good. But what if you could only have 5 apps on your iPads? What would you choose? You most likely would not just choose games. You would choose the best apps available. Implementing iPads is not just about loading lots of apps, it’s about curating those that are the best, and doing the best with what you have.
iPads are more than tools for practicing skills and review. There is a bigger picture. It is the better picture. iPads enable children, young children, to share their stories.
iPads are changing the way a child can communicate with the world. Digital stories, work samples or videos can now be sent to anyone anywhere. Think about that. With a click, one child may share something that has the potential to inspire the whole world. You don’t believe me? Think about how often you have watched a YouTube video, and then have talked about it’s content with family, friends, coworkers, and even people you didn’t know because they had already seen it. In fact, in talking to others, it seemed like the whole world had seen the video. By using iPads, students can share their ideas, their thinking and their learning with the world, the whole world.
When choosing apps, choose those that reflect your unique teaching style, your methods, your vision. You can always find the lastest list of “the best apps for education”, but that list is not your list.
So, make your list, your best list.
You know what’s best.
(Check out the way this child has communicated with the whole world, it’s worth watching.)
Check out Kid President (SoulPancake)
iteach.ipad.iplay 