Lego Education is on the rise to takeover classrooms. It's a great way to get students engaged in a lesson and interested in STEM Education. STEM stands for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math and has gotten lots of attention in school looking to build on the curriculum of the students.
According to The Center for Engineering Education Outreach or CEEO, at Tufts University, they stumbled upon the Control Lab Interface that connects to the computer through a serial port and controls LEGO motors and lights and reads from LEGO sensors. The program was created for all aged students. "Kindergartners have used LabVIEW and the LEGO bricks to build their own town and automated a bus stop at each house" (Erwin 2000). "College juniors learned about statistical analysis, sampling theory, and report writing whiling enjoying the versatility the LEGO bricks have to offer" (Erwin 2000). But how does one exactly create a program that can be easy for 5 year olds to use while still being able to entertain 20 year olds? "The ultimate goal was to develop software that has a low entry level and high ceiling without either extreme feeling overwhelmed" (Erwin 2000). The program is set up in levels so that you can grow with the program. "The computer becomes another tool rather than the central focus of the project. the software and the hardware have a very low entry level but very high ceiling" (Greene 2013). The next big software tool is LEGO MINDSTORMS. "The true power of LEGO MINDSTORMS and the LabVIEW programming environment is not simply to enhance the pre-existing curriculum, but actually to transform the learning environment into one of an inventor's workshop or engineering design firm" (Green 2013).
iPads are a great tool for the classroom and help engage students during lessons as well as free time in the classroom as well as at home. There are so many useful apps to download for free or for a small fee. And the great thing is that there are so many apps that benefit teachers as well as students.
The iPad app I chose is called Life of George. This app works with iPhones, iPads, and iPods as well as a the game Life of George and Legos. It's an interactive game combining Lego blocks with your electronic device. George shares pictures of his travels and challenges you to recreate the picture as you try and race the clock. You take a picture of your model with your iPhone, iPad, or iPod and George will let you know if it's correct.
I would use Life of George at a station with a small group that would be part of a whole group lesson. I would also have Life of George available in my math games bookcase so that students would be available to play with it whenever they had some free time. If I were going to use Life of George in a lesson, it would be included in an addition unit but during a Spring Time theme because George's pictures are mostly Spring and Summer themed.At the station, I would have a Life of George box for each student. The box comes with a mat as a set of Legos. Each student in the station would also need their own iPad with the Life of George app downloaded. Life of George would not only help the students counts how many Legos they needed but also help them with colors and shapes. Life of George is a great tool to help develop or strengthen fine motor skills. This game also builds teamwork when more than 1 student is using the game. Players are also rewarded points for speed and accuracy so it would develop a healthy competition for the students to beat their previous records as well as their classmates.
When most children think about going to school they think about tests, worksheets, and lectures from their teachers. But we are now in the 21st century and our classrooms need to reflect that. There is lots of technology that teachers can use in the classroom such as: SMART boards, vokis, pixton, ebooks, and webquests. However, there is one piece of technology that seems to benefit lots of students and that is the iPad.
The iPad is so useful in the classroom and can serve many purposes. Apple designed an easy product that can do advance tasks. Not only can the iPad take pictures, record notes, show directions, set appointments, and store a library of books, but it can also teach you how to count and how to tell time. There are so many great apps for teachers and even parents to download to help students further their education. The nice thing about having iPads in the classroom or even at home is that most apps are free! Now, there are some apps that cost between $0.99-$20.00, so of the apps are worth the cost and others are perfectly fine with just downloading the lite version of the app. And it is very easy to download apps on the iPad.
I think using iPads in the classroom is a great idea because it gets the students involved and engaged in learning and they're able to do it in a fun way. And because they're using an iPad, they will think they are playing a game instead of learning something new. There are so many great apps on the app store and many teachers will be glad to share useful apps that they use in the classroom.
Here are some of my favorite apps to download:
Stack the States: Children learn about the 50 states as they come to life on the iPad in a colorful game.
Hickory Dickory Dock: Children learn about reading a clock while being entertained by a playful mouse.
Meegenius: A fun and easy-to-use library of e-books for children to enjoy.
Smarty Pants School: This apps offers a carefully-structured series of games and activities designed to strengthen children's early reading skills.
Students need to be engaged in the classroom, if they're not engaged then they are not learning. Some people might question having iPads in the classroom but teachers need to think of it as another way for students to learn new information. It's not there for the students to play games with, it's there for the students to learn. Krista Stockman, a FWCS Spokesperson, says that iPads will be apart of a specific curriculum. "Just like we use computers everyday in our work, or use an iPad, or an iPhone, or any of those devices for work reasons that's what we expect students to be able to learn to" says Stockman.
Located in Short HIlls, New Jersey, Pingry School of Excellence and Honor understands the importance of having iPads in the classroom of grades Kindergarten- 12th grade. One teacher describes having iPads in the classroom as, "Hands on, immedicate, and connected to what you're doing." Teachers need to understand that students love "hands on" activities and it's a great way for them to learn. By using an iPad, students are able to hold the work in their hands and see results immediately. Another teacher says that, "Gratification is immediate." I think that is a great way to describe iPads. Students need instant feedback otherwise the work they do is forgotten. With immediate feedback and gratification, their work holds importance to them.
Technology is a great way to engage students about new information in a unit. It gets the students thinking outside the box and lets them become the teachers. And because it's the 21st century, a teacher does not have to use a computer power point as the only technology tool to teach the students, that is unless that's the only technology tool in the classroom. Other pieces of technology can incluse, iPads, Pixton, Blogger, Pinterest, Twitter, Glogster, SMART Notebook, and Webquests. Along with those listed there are so many more which is all the more reason to use it in a classroom because there are so many useful pieces of technology.
In an article written by Maya Prabhu, a study was taken these results, "Some reported that the focus of the lesson had changed, moving away from them as the teacher, towards the resources they were using. Some teachers felt the resources enabled a more collaborative environment to emerge, where they were working with students to constructn problems and devise methods to solve them." Using technology in the classroom creates a positive atmosphere for the students.
When using technology in the classroom, students see their work as a game rather than an assignment. "In Lisa Parisi and Christine Southard's fifth grade class, students use Vokis as part of the Time Zone Experiences Wiki as well as with the other blog and wiki-based projects to showcase their knowledge about the various topics they are studying." Another teacher was quoted to say, "For math, I would use a Voki to explain the problems to my class. For example, if I wanted them to guess a number I was thinking of, my Voki would give clues."
I think technology in the classroom is a great tool for students and teachers to enhance learning in the classrooms. The more chances the students have to learn in a fun and exciting way, then the more I believe the student will be willing to learn. Teachers need to incorporate technology to engage the students' minds. One of my professors, Dr. Linville, has always said, "If you don't have an engaged learner, you don't have a learner." I think this statement is so true. if a student is bored with the material then he or she is not going to try their best to complete the work, they will complete it with little effort. An engaged student, will use the resources they have been taught and really evaluate their work.
