THINK BIG.

Change is coming fast in the world of education. 

Day one of the two day Apple Summer Learning Institute was all about rethinking teaching and learning. Students are changing and education has to catch up. As a teacher, it was really wonderful to set aside time to think about where education is going and how I wanted to be a part of the change. 

The institute kicked off day one with a discussion about how to transform the learning environment through enthusiasm, technology, and high standards. Apple fully supports the ISTE NETS standards and there was time set aside to talk about technology operations and concepts, creativity and innovation, communication and collaboration, research and info, critical thinking and problem solving, and digital citizenship. My thoughts at the end of the first session were simply that we need to provide children with as many tools, strategies, and inspiration as we can so that they engage in learning far beyond the classroom. 

Students today have joy and passion about their own lives and one way we can tap into that is by utilizing those ‘toys’ in their pockets. Whether or not they know it, many kids today are carrying around mobile learning devices where ever they go. Cell phones, gaming systems, iPods, and iPads are blurring the lines of learning and living for our students. Session two tapped into the idea of extending the learning day by using the iPod Touch. Apple certainly doesn’t have to sell me on using iPods to learn... I’ve been a believer since I bought my first iPod years ago. Yet I am still amazed at the growing educational possibilities of the App Store, iTunes U, iCal subscriptions, and the iPod Touch’s Internet capabilities.

The people at Apple know how to put on a great conference for educators. It was exciting to see experienced classroom teachers discussing their educational philosophies and strategies for success in the classroom; it was more than just products and software. It was about enhancing classroom collaboration and communication, and doing so with great tools like wikis and blogs, iWork, and iChat. I wasn’t aware that Apple offered wikis and blogs as part of their MacOSX server, but they do and they are awesome. The templates are clean-looking, organized, and easy to use. I highly recommend this option if you have the updated server.

If you have ever seen someone use Photo Booth for the first time, you know that the Mac software that comes standard can foster creativity and innovation in almost anyone; this was the idea of the fourth session. The iLife suite (iPhoto, iMovie, iWeb, Garage Band) comes standard in all Macs and is ideal for giving students a lot of creative freedom and the chance to be an innovator. I walked away from this session with lots of great content ideas that I will need to post about later!

Day one ended with a session on enhancing the learning experience with the iPad. Apple selected some great apps for the demonstration iPads. As soon as I was handed the iPad, I furiously flipped through the screens looking for educational gems. If you are curious, here are a few that I found:

iBooks

Pages

Keynote

Numbers

ResponseWare

Wolfram

NineGaps

iLab:Timer HD

Penultimate

Sentence Builder

Sign4Me

Dragon Dictation

Proloquo2Go

ProPrompter

Sketchbook Pro

Papers

OmniGraffle

SumsStacker

After a full day of collaboration and learning, I headed up to my hotel room thinking that I am lucky to be a teacher right now. Students and teachers today have access to tools that will change our educational experiences in ways we never could have imagined. Education is trying to keep up with the culture of today’s students. Students in our classrooms are demanding challenge-based learning where they can be individuals and learn real life skills in their own style. Day one has left me inspired to enter my classroom this fall with more of the tools and strategies I need to keep up with my students’ educational expectations. High praise and no complaints for day one of the Apple Summer Learning Institute.