Conchita Espinosa Academy  

Lee posted a futuristic look at the power of glass in our personal and school lives that is probably closer than we think. A Day Made of Glass 2 - Corning Ware's vision of the future using glass for tablets, white boards, collaboration tables and so much more got me excited to think about how far we have already come. Just the thought of students learning with devices was foreign just a few years ago and now whole districts and small schools are experimenting with the power of learning through a variety of devices. I have seen many initiatives and am always searching for ways to encourage, equip and empower students and teachers to design an engaging learning environment. Today I had the privilege of observing and interacting with a well-designed iPad initiative that can be replicated on any scale. This "tuesdays" is an open-ended probe into the possibility of using any tablet for learning in the classroom.

f you are considering doing a 1:1 initiative, BYOD, or other amount of devices in the classroom, I high recommend getting in touch with Lynda Hastings at Conchita because she heads the team of researchers and planners and have learned MANY lessons. Lynda will be presenting at FETC this January and will be making everything they have learned available to all who come. She is doing a great job creating a video journal of their adventure. In fact, if you are really interested in seeing how the students and teachers are learning, ask Lynda if she could arrange a visitation. I promise that you will be reassured that learning with digital devices is not the wave of the future, but the present gift to students fortunate enough to have the experience. Kudos to the Conchita leadership and 6^th grade team!

How do you implement a successful device initiative? It's tricky. In my opinion, the most important piece is to immerse your teachers in multiple sessions of teaching that embraces digital devices. Let them observe others who are successful, give them time to research and collect strategies that help students learn and allow them to fail. There are going to be times when technology just doesn't do what it's cracked up to do, but teachers who are supported will be teachers who take a risk. Students who are in the classrooms of well-prepared teachers will use digital devices as creation machines rather than just viewing machines. I was blown away by the seamless use of Notability, Edmodo and Google Drive. It is as if the students have been using these tools their whole school career. If you have the gift of purchasing devices for the students, please, please, please make sure your teachers are coached, mentored and have a place to share successes and failures. The future truly is here!

PS. Another great initiative is being shared through the musings of a great 5^th grade teacher. She is logging her experience so others can learn also.  

The Musings of an Edtech Wannabe 

"We are a community of learners." 

Chris Cabrera,

6th grade teacher at Conchita Espinosa Academy 

The 6th grade bulletin board at Conchita Espinosa Academy 

ipadio   

LiveBinders 

Doceri 

NASA's Image Gallery 

Popplet 

Zoey's Room
Finance in the Classroom
Fotopedia 

The Common Good Forecaster  

Google Earth 

UJAM 

Symbaloo.edu 

Google Science Fair 

Stossel in the Classroom
Word Sift 

Lee Kolbert