http://tancm.wordpress.com/2012/05/18/the-rise-of-the-machines-all-hail-the-ipod-touch-or-not/

While my immediate response was to remove the courtesy of (as the lawyer suggested) I will be going beyond that later this evening and following the guidance of the librarian and will be contacting the author of the photos to let them know that I have posted their photo on my blog and attributing their photo with the proper title, name, license and the place of origin. I have no problem “going above and beyond.” I believe in giving credit where credit is due.

I appreciate that you have caused me to do this research. Thanks! PS

Your used several photographs on your posts, and attributed each one of them to their respective authors. (Since this was fair use in my opinion, such attribution was legally unnecessary, but we’ll ignore that for now). You attributed them by writing:

[name of image] image courtesy of [author].

Certainly, you go above and beyond what many people would by actually attributing and linking to the author of the image. But “courtesy of” bugs me a little.

“Courtesy of” seems to imply that the author actually supplied the image, and perhaps approved your use of it. If that is the case, then you are actually in violation of the Creative Commons license, which states:

“Attribution — You must attribute the work in the manner specified by the author or licensor (but not in any way that suggests that they endorse you or your use of the work).”

Certainly its harmless error, if an error at all.

This is a wonderful blog! I think you make some wonderful suggestions to ensure that we’re integrating technology in the best way possible for both ourselves and our students. I especially identify with numbers three and four. During my student teaching, I used the iPad quite frequently, and it was extremely important to make sure that a) students know how to use the tool and b) students know what they’re supposed to be doing with the tool. Modeling helped a lot when we initially started using the tools. What eventually happened (much to my delight) was that students began helping each other. Higher order thinking skills and constructivist learning! Explicit directions were also key. I often presented directions in multiple forms: telling students what the expectations were, giving students lists of steps to follow, describing the task during modeling, etc. If there was a question about what to do, students could probably find the answer within one of the direction formats. The fact is, if we set up the environment properly, we won’t have (as many) management issues. Management alone would not keep me from integrating these devices into my classroom.

Again, awesome blog!!

But, back to whether or not iPod touches are a distraction in the classroom. I agree with you. There is no difference in students getting distracted with iPods or from computers or any other technology. This is not to say that every time a technology is used in the classroom, that students will get distracted or off track, however it is a best practice for students to understand the rules of the device and practice those rules properly with use.

In addition to your suggestions, I also have a few suggestions for keeping students on track during their lesson. First, applications are fairly easy to download and delete. It may be slightly more work than anticipated, but having only the applications that are used for the project on the iPod will be a sure way to keep students on track. I know there are some applications that are not able to be deleted, like the internet browser Safari, however, teachers can have their students turn off the wireless internet connection before use. As always, like you pointed out, teachers simply to need have clear expectations for iPod use and relay those expectations to the students. They need to plan engaging and time filling lessons that further decrease student distraction. Too many times students get blamed for getting distracted when teachers do not fulfill their duties to prepare a well thought out and time filling lessons. Maybe we should start looking to teachers for reasons why students get off track or distracted? Finally, the teachers simply need to be present in their classrooms. Teachers can walk around and monitor student progress and use of technology, answer questions and make sure students are not taking advantage of the technology. There are many options to help students stay on track, and I don’t think there is one best option, but it will take a combination of many options to use the iPod to its maximum potential.

I really like how you’ve delineated the techniques that can maximize the effectiveness of using such technology in the classroom. Looking at those six items collectively, I clearly see that preparation is clearly the most important component of making iPod Touch-based instruction work. I completely agree with your statement about the opportunities for distractions arising from “ALL technology and discovery learning devices.” I’ve personally experienced the challenges of subbing in a classroom where students have been allowed to freely use iPod Touches and other “smart” technology to look up definitions, spellings, etc. The only problem was that not all the students had a device and not all the devices were the same. In addition, there were many instances in which I had to intervene due to misuse (i.e. playing games, texting, etc.). I think that had some of the above suggestions been applied to the plans, and students had only limited, purposeful use (they had them available to use during an open work period) then perhaps there would have been less issues with distractions.

Just thinking here. Louie