TWT2013-+No+More+Pencils

=TWT2013- No More Pencils, No More Books????= Presenter: Kathryn Gazso, English Department Chair at School of the Holy Child and Online School for Girls Faculty

English teachers always seem to be the last to embrace technology. We are skeptical. I know I have certainly been skeptical about the latest developments in e-readers, and the thought of e-books replacing print texts, well, it was unthinkable. Until I tried it.

What am I doing/What Apps am I Using/What I Love about it

1. E-reading I'm reading and annotating on my Ipad. I've used it for my "fun reading" and my "school reading" at this point. I can annotate and bookmark on my Ipad. I am able to download both the Kindle and Nookbook Apps on both my Iphone and my iPad (my reading is now synced across all my devices). I love the portability of my reading and annotations. I also love that my book cannot fall apart after a few uses; I don't have to re-write my annotations as I get a new print text. Instead, I can concentrate on the improvement of my annotations as I notice ideas, language that went unnoticed on a previous reading. I can simply add to my collection. Moreover, once the Apps are installed, any books bought via Barnes and Noble or Kindle are saved in the cloud until I download them to my device (or archive them back to the cloud). And even though my husband and I rarely read the same books, sometimes I do like something a little different -- anything he buys, I can access and vice versa (we share an amazon account).

I love that my students can download audiobooks, read and annotate anywhere they go (again, most of them sync it across their devices).

2. Subtext/Social Annotating Students don't have Ipads yet, but I've had an opportunity to play with Subtext with a colleague. Girls, in particular, like technology if it is social and if they can understand why or how it is useful. Subtext allows for interaction while reading and annotating a text. Students and teachers read alongside one another; you can respond to one anothers' annotations. Teachers can also set up scavenger hunts for particular literary devices, etc. while students are reading. If only the kids had Ipads and I could really engage fully with this app!

3. E-Grading I haven't collected a print paper all year. Students submit to Dropbox (again, I can download to my phone, IPAD, laptop and home desktop) and files are synced. Each student shares a folder with me where she submits her work. Using Iannotate PDF (another app), I use my stylus and grade their papers. I write, circle, type lengthy notes -- and as soon as I finish grading a paper, I re-upload the file to the dropbox (which then syncs up again on both my devices and the student's devices) and they can see their comments and grade immediately (no need to wait until I finish the whole pile). Students love that all of their graded work is in one place (and that they aren't leaving it all over the building anymore).

Next year, I would have the opportunity to "share" my students English folder with their next teacher (and she, the next teacher after her). In essence, my students would have an online portfolio of their writing when they graduate. (Of course, for this to really be great, they have to learn the art of naming their files).

4. Focus You can only have one application (window) open at a time. I think that says enough!

Conclusion I don't see Ipads as altering the way I teach. It's not pedagogical for me. But when I consider what the Ipad can do administratively -- life is more streamlined, and my bag a few pounds lighter.

If you want to chat further, or have any questions, please feel free to contact me at k.gazso@holychildrye.org.