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It's All About The Learning

Chromebooks, tablets, smartphones, laptops, desktops. There is so much to choose from for a blended learning classroom. How does a teacher begin to figure out which one is best?
For starters, it definitely helps to have a knowledgeable and accessible director of technology. My director of technology, after listening to my blended learning ideas, decided that Chromebooks would probably be the best option for my sixth grade class. And after the first several weeks, I like the decision he made. The students, who are beginners with the Chromebooks, are starting to use them with ease now. The students are up and running in no time, and with no help from me. So, there is that "independence light" at the end of the tunnel that I was wondering if I would ever see after the second week. The students will get there, and probably much faster than one may think.

It is easy to become excited picking a device. It is easy to become wrapped up in the device that was chosen and read about all the things it is capable of. It is easy to start planning elaborate lessons with the new classroom tool. It is easy to see its drawbacks when starting out, too. It is also easy to become lost of what the true intent of that device is. Whatever the device, it must always be all about the learning. No matter how many bells and whistles it has, it must always come back to the learning. If one loses sight of that, no device will work.
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