Ipads in the Classroom
Third-grade students in Mineola, New York spend about three-quarters of their time in the classroom on their Ipads -- researching, outlining, and collaborating. While few classrooms nationally have made this deep of a dive into new technology integration, the country has seen a definite move towards labtop, smart phone, and tablet usage in the classroom. One study finds that 92% of AP teachers argue that the Internet has a "major impact" in their teaching program.
Mineola's classrooms are a standard-bearer for teachers embracing this technology-centric teaching model. Classroom activities include a blend of traditional and futuristic t
eaching methods as students frequently put down their tablet and pick up their pencils. The ultimate goal remains a balance between digital, paper, and face-to-face peer discussion that ensures students stay engaged and interested.
Currently, few if any Holocaust education efforts have attempted to integrate into the curriculum. To inspire students to continue learning and researching the Holocaust after the bell rings, modern teaching techniques must be incorporated into the Holocaust curriculum. After consulting with teachers, trained Holocaust educators, Jewish Studies professors, and administrators, we have found a number of ways to incorporate technology -- via this mobile application -- into existing Holocaust lesson plans. We are excited to further explore how the Center for Holocaust, Genocide and Human Rights Education of North Carolina (Holocaust Speaker's Bureau) can utilize this new technology platform in its education and outreach efforts.
To date, the Holocaust Speaker's Bureau has sent survivors and liberators to present to thousands of students in North Carolina. This mobile application can enhance every stage of these presentations from the initial classroom preparation, to the speech itself, and onward into the final reflection process.
Preparing for the Survivor Presentation
One challenge faced by teachers who have asked for a speaker from the HSB revolves around the dense preparation work that comes with prepping the class prior to the speaker. This prep is two-fold. First, teachers introduce general historical knowledge about the Holocaust, often using primary sources, and then they also must introduce the speaker. In this way, students have time to prepare informed and insightful questions to provoke discussion once the speaker has arrived. The application can act as a one-stop-shop for this speaker preparation, and provide a glimpse into the survivor's history before he arrives.
Interacting with the Survivor Presentation
Teachers have expressed interest in using the application during the presentations for a number of reasons. Foremost, they admit that cell phones are omnipresent in the classroom, and that any opportunity to incorporate this technology makes students more involved in the classroom activity. The speakers themselves can use the application's features as a guide for their speach and to provide interactive and visual cues to their audience. As the speaker's story unfolds, the audience can follow it visually and geo-spatially on the application's pictures, maps and timelines.
Reflecting on the Survivor Presentation
In the days following a survivor presentation, most teachers choose to engage the class in a culminating reflection activity. When this occurs, the application could prove as a valuable resource to these students by providing an accurate, informative, and still engrossing research reference.
