iPAD Curriculum Integration Initiative Elmwood Park Public Schools January 30, 2012

International Society for Technology in Education Standards for Global Learning in the Digital Age Educational technology standards are the roadmap to teaching effectively and growing professionally in an increasingly digital world. Technology literacy is a crucial component of modern society. In fact, the globalizing economy and technological advances continue to place a premium on a highly skilled labor force.

Education Must Change As technology dramatically changes our society, educators need to demonstrate the skills and behaviors of digital-age professionals. Competence with technology is the foundation. Societies are changing Expectations are changing Teaching is changing Educators must lead International Society for Technology in Education

Transforming Learning Environments with Technology Today’s educators must provide a learning environment that takes students beyond the walls of their classrooms and into a world of endless opportunities. Technology standards promote this classroom transformation by ensuring that digital-age students are empowered to learn, live, and work successfully today and tomorrow.

Digital -Age Learning As foundational technology skills penetrate throughout our society, students must have the ability to: Demonstrate creativity and innovation Communicate and collaborate Conduct research and use information Think critically, solve problems, and make decisions Use technology effectively and productively

Mission Statement Our Mission We are a community dedicated to creating an educational environment where students are empowered to exceed their potential through a challenging, innovative, and interdisciplinary curriculum. By fostering character, dignity, and respect for self and other cultures, students will become creative thinkers and global citizens able to thrive in a diverse and evolving society.

Vision The new vision of the Elmwood Park School district is to enhance learning through differentiated instruction, student-centered activities, advanced technology, and cross-curricular studies.

Benefits With an iPad, the classroom is always at your fingertips. There are more than 20,000 educational apps for every kind of learners in every curricular area. Students can track their assignments, take notes, study for finals, and read entire books. Teachers can give lessons, monitor progress, and stay organized. This will give our students an edge in a global society with advancing technologies.

Benefits of having iPads 24/7 Students learn 21st Century Learning Skills and become college and workplace ready Academic work is extended beyond the school day. Students engage in more writing, reading, math, science, research, and communication. Technology tools provide an efficient and opportunistic platform to employ challenge-based learning involving critical thinking, problem-solving, creating, synthesizing, and evaluating When our students have a one-to-one device, the playing field is leveled. Using technology is something students are “good at.” Student engagement and success in more academic rigor becomes pratical. Parents become more involved in their child’s learning.

Rationale for iPads in Education Technology enables dynamic media like audio, video, and interactive software to be more readily exploited, allows students to collaborate in ways that were previously impossible, and provides tools to increase teacher productivity.

Why Use iPads? Engagement Students using iPads become active participants in the learning process instead of passive listeners. One-to-one iPads enable access, manipulation, and presentation of information and knowledge. Students take ownership of their work and are empowered to find their own answers, which makes the learning process more interesting. iPads allow opportunities for multimedia and interactivity that are impossible with more traditional instructional techniques. Empowerment Using iPads transforms the teacher from authority-expert to facilitator when the students are guided to use the iPad to find answers. Students are transformed from passive recipients of the teacher’s knowledge to active participants in knowledge-seeking and knowledge-construction.

Differentiation With its multimedia applications, the iPads are conducive to the learning styles of various students. Many apps have exercises that are targeted at differentiating to the various academic levels of students by developing tailor-made activities to improve areas of weakness. Problem Solving and Project Based Learning iPads help promote a positive shift toward more project-based, hands on learning, away from lecture-based learning Cooperative Group and Collaboration Having students work in partnerships or small groups using iPad applications as a guide allows students to work collaboratively to complete a problem-based activity. Why Use iPads? (cont.)

Preparation for College and Career With tablet devices moving more prominently into the mainstream of typical life and business, it is important to expose our students to different types of technology. Gaining experience in the latest technology is an essential educational need for students to become successful in the workplace. Using the iPad allows for a smooth transition from school to work and from school to college. Technology is used everywhere - in math, science, publishing, engineering, transportation, journalism, manufacturing, and every business application you can think of. From sales transactions and inventory control to e-commerce, the uses for technology are limitless. Why Use iPads? (cont.)

Reflection of Current Practice Using technology is familiar to today’s students. Technology use is part of the normal learning process for many of these students; it is in their “comfort zone” and highly integrated in their non- school life in forms of gaming, messaging, cell phones, etc. For those students who are not conversant with technology in their non- school life, the use of technology in school is critical. Providing the latest technology to the students, no matter what their background, levels the playing field and future opportunities in life. Why Use iPads? (cont.)

Curriculum Integration How can the iPad enhance the curriculum in key subject areas?

English Language Arts There are apps that help students master English at all levels — from learning how to read to practicing writing and grammar skills to studying classic literature.

Mathematics With interactive ways to learn numbers, master multiplication, solve algebraic equations, conquer statistics, and more, the mathematics apps for all ages make math more engaging, interactive, and fun.

Science The science apps help students discover more about how the world works. Students can learn biology, physics, chemistry, anatomy, astronomy, and more. The iPad can work as a microscope, field guide, and dissection tool.

History/Social Studies Field trips to the Forum and Coliseum in Rome are as close as the iPad. There are apps for learning the history of the world from ancient times to the present day. High-definition historical documents and maps, videos, interactive games, relevant quotations, and more are all found in apps for the iPad.

Art & Music Students can explore the world of digital art with apps that can help teach them how to draw, paint, and even play a musical instrument. They can also create their own artistic masterpiece.

Students and teachers can get things done and be more productive with study aids, apps for note taking, tools for collaborating and brainstorming, and dictionary apps. Reference, Organization & Collaboration

Special Needs Apps for our special needs students make learning more accessible. These apps help people with visual and hearing challenges and different learning styles connect with the world in new ways or possibly the first time in their lives.

With more than 140,000 iPad apps already in use, there are endless possibilities for our students and teachers.