Stephen Van Orden, a German teacher at Timpview High School in Provo, Utah, decided in 2005 that it was time to change his classroom into a “digital Deutschland”, as he called it. The chalkboard and whiteboard were simply not good enough tools to supplement his instruction with. He was aware that living abroad in German-speaking countries and immersing oneself in the culture was the best way to learn the language; however, not all students could afford such an endeavour. For this reason, he began asking himself, “How can currently available technology help bridge the location gap if living in the country is not an option?” Tablet PC was his answer. For a long time, Van Orden had been using the digital projector, and he enjoyed using it, but after he switched over to the much more advanced Tablet PC, he knew there was no going back. With the Tablet PC, Van Orden could “…project so much more and in such higher quality…”. With the Tablet PC, he also did not have to have his back turned to the class when he was teaching. After searching for software to use on his new Tablet PC, he was absolutely amazed when he found programs like PDF995, which allowed him to display new vocabulary words from the textbook to his students and write on them with notes or pronunciation helps, et cetera. With the help of his Tablet PC, he did not need to waste hundreds of dollars from his school budget on developing pictures of Germany, Australia and Switzerland; instead, he uploaded pictures to his Tablet PC with his digital camera free of cost. Van Orden also began using Pdictionary.com and other picture dictionaries online. As a German student myself, I also find picture dictionaries extremely helpful, because, as Van Orden points out, they “…are a great way to create context”. He also began to use his Tablet PC to show his students videos, vlogs, blogs, et cetera. In my person experience, even looking up a YouTube video with a German speaker is beneficial, and it is free of cost-wonderful!
Van Orden’s approach to using the new technology was definitely transparent. He went into the classroom knowing how to use the hardware and software properly and efficiently, and his approach also covered the many different learning styles of his students, which is not always the case when using a chalkboard. The students did not need to learn how to use any of the applications themselves; instead, they sat back and soaked the information in as he instructed. I would definitely like to implement something like this into my classroom. Using something like an online picture dictionary to help students create visual bridges to new German words would be an excellent way to broaden their vocabulary.
As Van Orden noted in his article, “The possibilities are endless.” His overall goal was to enliven the classroom and find better ways to convey new information to his students. After reading his article, I would have to agree with him that the addition of his Tablet PC to the classroom was a success in creating his digital Deutschland. In the words of Van Orden, “I believe that teachers will use technology if it makes their work easier or if it improves the quality of their work.” In his case, it did both.
Van Orden, Stephen. "Using a Tablet PC in the German Classroom to Enliven Teacher Input." JSTOR. Web. 5 Feb. 2010.
Link to article: http://www.jstor.org/stable/20479879
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I really love the idea of being able to teach the class without turning your back. I think that’s kind of a big deal especially if you have a misbehaved group of students. I guess I’m still a bit confused as to what the Tablet PC actually is. It sounds like a computer or maybe a SMART Board, but I wasn’t totally sure. Whatever the actual device is, it sounds very helpful. It seems like most teachers would consider themselves lucky to have something like this in their classroom. From what I read, the teacher was able to display just about anything he wanted for his class to view. That makes so many things possible in the classroom and I hope I’m lucky enough to use something like this to help me teach in my future classroom.
ReplyDeleteThis seems like a very helpful technology for a teacher to use in class. Like you and Kelly both said, it's critical to face your students in order to really connect as well as manage the classroom. I wonder if there would be any benefit to the students being able to use these devices themselves. I'm sure cost would be a huge factor in that, but if it were possible I would guess that would be a really great tool for students as well.
ReplyDeleteWhat exactly is the Tablet PC? It sounds to be somewhat similiar to my article of the SMART board, as Kelly said in an earlier comment. Van Orden brought up a good point that with the white and chalkboard you have to turn your back to the class and how you didn't have to do that with his new technology. What makes the Tablet PC much better then a regular computer and projector? You can still upload learning material and never have to turn your back to the classroom. Overall, it sounds great for the classroom especially if there is that form of transparency to the actual learning.
ReplyDeleteI was wondering the same thing as Haley, I'm not sure what a Tablet PC. However, I do like the idea of it for similar reasons such as not having to turn your back to class and how it's cost efficent. But does this serve as a faciliator or as the lesson? By this I mean does the technology serve as a means of teaching the class and helping a discussion or is it the main focus where no other ways of learning or demonstrating are involved? I know that I learn very well from seeing or direct modeling, however what about the students who need soemthing hands on? Does the Tablet PC only show an example and thats all? Or does it make a discussion out of what it shown or maybe help lead a class activity?
ReplyDeleteI thought this was an interesting point about turning your back to the classroom. I really like the idea of the SMART Board, and it sounds that the TabletPC is kinda like that. It is important that the information is being understood and analyzed. This way the teacher can see the students, and react to facial expressions to see if they are understanding it. This tool seems that is good for educational progress but does not take a lot for the teacher to understand, learn, and use in the classroom.
ReplyDeleteMy high school biology teacher used a tablet PC almost every day in class and I think they are a great asset to a classroom. My teacher always used his to write notes out so we could see it being written down as he was talking about it. I feel that they are more productive than using a whiteboard due to the fact that it seems the teacher interacts more when using the tablet and also they are able to communicate things effectively to their students.
ReplyDeleteI also agree with Rachel, I love the SMART Board. I have observed in a classroom where this tool was being used and I could tell the kids enjoyed this new type of teaching. They were also able to interact with the board which was very exciting. I have however heard that they are hard to understand at first, although I also think that depends on the persons level of understanding technology. I would love to learn how to use one because I also believe it is a great tool to use in the classroom and makes learning more enjoyable!
ReplyDeleteI absolutely love his use of the Tablet PC. I am also a foreign language major and want to teach the language in a high school setting. It is very difficult to teach a language effectively when the students don't have an opportunity to live/visit a foreign country. To be able to incorporate so many sources such as videos, pictures, and the pdictionary is an amazing tool. And to be able to interact more with the students by not having his back turned is also important. I agree that this is a technique that should be implemented in a classroom.
ReplyDeleteThis technology seems perfect/awesome for all different subjects. As a Social Studies teacher, I could display historical documents, pictures, and other things for the class to see and visualize. I think it's interesting that he used it for a German class. I don't often think about how teachers use technology to teach a foreign language. When I was in high school, we just used the projector to play fly swatter the whole time. I'm really interested in what else this technology could be used for because it sounds perfect!
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