The Future of Education

My name is Elisabeth Wilson, I teach 4th grade at a low income school in Chattanooga, Tennessee; USA.  Each student at my school was given an iPad.  The objective is to use the iPad for instruction to help close the achievement gap in our district.  When we received the iPads we were given some technical supports, but we were mostly left to learn as we go.  

Three problems I have begun to solve for my 1:1 classroom are: how to hold students accountable for the work they are assigned, classroom management, and organizational strategies.  My learning process is ongoing; however, I would like to share some of the skills and strategies that I find beneficial.

For holding students accountable, most student work is kept in Google Drive.  For portfolios and quick exchange of print I use an app called SeeSaw.  I have the students keep record of their work by using a menu of assignments.  I use programs and apps that send reports to me.  Other apps and programs that I use are EdPuzzle and ThingLink.

Some of the classroom management strategies I use are similar to what I would use in a regular classroom these include: jobs for every student and a daily morning meeting where students share how they are feeling and we preview the day ahead.  I motivate the students with "positive" points and track their work progress by using a game board.

Organizational strategies help keep everyone from getting overwhelmed with the amount and various types of response we share.  I use QR codes to help the students quickly get to websites and other locations.  SeeSaw is a child friendly portfolio app that I use. I use a shoe holder for students to hand in papers; this makes it very easy to notice missing work. I use a whiteboard for sign ups and take a picture to keep track of who has signed up for what. I use Google forms for assignments, tests, and surveys.