EdTechTeacher iPad Summit Boston 2014

This session is for building-based secondary-level educators, administrators, and district administrators who are exploring or are involved in the implementation of a mobile learning initiative. Through the voice of administrators, teachers and students, participants will experience first hand how Blake Middle School engaged students and educators in the transformation from a computer lab/wireless cart model to the 1:1 environment. Over a two year period, Blake Middle School implemented mobile learning classroom pilots (iPad and Nexus) to help the district assess which model would best meet the needs of students with the vision of a 1:1 structure for grades 6-12. After these successful pilots, Blake Middle School launched a 1:1 Bring Your Own iPad Initiative for grades 6-8.

By following four core principles, students and educators from Blake Middle School brought an engaging student-centered model to fruition:
- Program Development (evolution from 1:1 pilot to full-scale 6th-8th grade initiative)
- Classroom Implementation (Student/Teacher demonstrations across curricula demonstrating the applications of the program)
- Professional Development Structure (ETT, common planning, internal structures, appropriate staffing)
- Reflection/Evaluation Systems (determinants of success, systems for continual feedback, student/teacher reflections)

Participants will walk away with increased knowledge of an infrastructure for communication, exemplars of teaching and lessons, links to surveys for students and parents, and a template for an implementation plan. We will exhibit our methods of transparency and communication with the parents and greater community, philosophy of mistakes, and professional development model. Aspects to be shared include our approach to thematic professional development, a culture of collaboration, policies and procedures, purposeful learning, and digital citizenry.

We will offer the participants a timeline with steps we took in Medfield at the middle school, from a ‘process perspective’ to the actual implementation in the classes with the students. Attendees will also be given an opportunity to self-reflect on their own school’s readiness for a mobile learning initiative. The lessons we learned, and approach we took as a team to enhance the learning for our students, will hopefully help with sharing our approach, successes, mistakes, and process of growth.