By Jennifer Swift The old grammar adage scribbled across blackboards was i before e except after c.

In classrooms today English lessons are taught on smartboards, where the only i comes before touch, pad, and pod. Bill Handy, a visiting Professor at Oklahoma State University in the School of Media and Strategic Communications, is also an entrepreneur, authority on social media, and one of two professors at the university teaching a pilot program where the iPad is fully integrated into the course. Handy said the tool has created for more productive time spent in the classroom, as he was not just lecturing the whole time. What we did was reverse the class, Handy said. Students used to read the chapter before class, and then watch me lecture and then be on their own after the lecture. The professor pre-recorded his lectures on iTunes, and students would watch the videos on their iPads prior to class time, enabling him to teach the class and get through the material in more in-depth ways. What it allowed us to do is to address these topics at a much greater level, he said. Many programs using interactive technology devices do tend to fall into certain categories, Handy said, but the possibilities for all areas of education are endless. If you can imagine it in your mind, we can do it now, anythingshort of teleporting an individual, Handy said. Theres a lot of functionality in it for PR people, but theres apps on the iPad for the engineer, for educatorsgosh theres all kinds. Even in biology. Handy said if you put the iPad in the hands of any student, biology to journalism, they will be able to look at it and tell you all the great things they can do with it. He said he wants every parent to get their student an iPad just for the sake of enriching their education and allowing them to do more. Its a platform that in my opinion can be integrated into any school on campus, Handy said. It creates a very level playing field for all students. There was no question in his mind when he received his first iPad about the possibilities it held for education. The iPad was released in April 2010, and Handys pilot program started with the beginning of the semester in August 2010. Right away I knew. There were no ifs, ands or butts about it, he said.

Just a finger swish across the map on an iPad brings to another classroom where the iTouch is being used to bridge more than just language barriers in an English as a Second language (ESOL) classroom. In the ESOL program in the Mahopac School District in New York, students are utilizing iTouch to allow them to go at their own pace. Some of the kids are coming in from other countries they dont know anything, said Tracy Shaffer, the director of education technology for Mahopac Central School District. Its just making it a more exciting way to learn. The use of the iTouch in the classroom serves as a pilot to the rest of the school district about the different ways teachers can improve the classroom by engaging the students. Since theyre 24/7 clickers and texters outside of the classroom we need to find new ways of engaging them, Shaffer said. The intent of this was to make learning a little more exciting. Shaffer said the technology also allows students to self-teach a little bit, which makes for more useful class time as a teacher can address the different needs of their students who speak different languages individually while the other learn from the technology. Don Beverly who serves as the assistant superintendent for Mahopac said the increased use of technology is helping to keep students engaged. I think some of the biggest problems are engaging kids instead of distracting them, Beverly said. Everyones used to social media, used to media, its almost like theyre texting, theyre emailing, theyre having conversations, and then they walk into school and told they cantits like taking a fish out of water. The use of new technology in classrooms, however, brings up three main concerns for school districts: maintaining security in somewhat unexplored and evolving technology, educating teachers on how to use the technology in a way that adds to the classroom, and whether or not this technology replaces to the teacher. Were to the point now that kids have grown up with media, and you need to dust off your classroom, Beverly said. While things like powerpoint and smartboards can enrich a classroom, when they arent used properly they are just as distracting as some feel technology itself it. Whats distracting is the use of a bad powerpointthats a danger, Beverly said Shaffer stressed the need for a balance between the use of technology, a balance that all educators using technology are working out.

Its one thing to show them how to use a big smartboard, said John Malara, a trustee on Mahopacs Board of Education said. Say heres a big tool box that you can useand show movies on it, or you can erase the white board like this. Were giving them some new pieces of equipment, but were not giving them the content yet. In the ESOL classrooms the students tend to be the language experts when it comes to technology, and the teachers the pupil. We used to have a feeling of being an expert, and you have to overcome that, Shaffer said. You have to be comfortable with the kids taking the lead and being the expert. If we wait to be the experts, were never going to be the experts. Malara said there are three different types of technology-oriented people. There are those who are early adopters who pick up on the technology on their own, there are those who are in the middle, and then there are some who are afraid and dont want to learn how to use it. Malara said most teachers are in the middle, and theres a long way to go to teach everyone how to use the equipment in its fullest capacity. I dont think were there yet, Malara said. I think were seeing the possibilities but I dont think we are far enough along on training teachers about how exactly to use it. Its that lower third however, those who are afraid to use it that are also afraid of the technology replacing the teacher, according to Handy. The big argument is if you dont need me to lecture, than what do you need me for? Handy said. With the use of the iPad I didnt have to worry about my lecturesbut you cant do all that we learned through debate and discussion without faculty. For Handy, using the iPad allowed him to refocus the time he spent on the class on things like debate and discussion that students couldnt necessarily get from the tablet. Handy argues there needs to be a good balance between the use of the technology and the teacher. We need leaders who still help lead thought and discussion. We can still be a part of that moment when they [students] figure it outand thats just pure awesomeness, Handy said. There isnt a Great New Schism in education between the old and the new teachers, as this divide between the old and new is something that has always been going on in academics, according to Handy. This isnt anything new. Cult divisions whether geographic or demographic are always going to existand with this theres some fear of the product itself. He doesnt see the teacher as becoming obsolete, but perhaps the classroom.

I dont see faculty disappearing, I see buildings going away and the concept of what we consider to be a classroom changing, he said. The teacher and administrator are still in charge of ensuring the students safety, a subject they readily admit they are not the experts onand technology and social media policy may always be a living, breathing draft. Shaffer said its sometimes a matter of making the technology as safe as possible, and then letting the kids run with it. We can set up the tools and some of the safety features but the kids are the ones that are taking some of the new initiative and its very uncomfortable sometimes, she said. Were definitely on new ground its almost like the technology is going faster than we are able to keep up with it we know that this is an answer and its a direction but its in unfamiliar waters for all of us. There is a race against the technologya race to implement policies in school to keep students safe as they continue to explore more and more things, and a race to keep learning about everything thats going on. Students today are great at multitaskingthey can tweet and watch on youtube all at the same time, but the time keeps getting faster and districts and administrators are having a harder time keeping upwith the technology itself, and the problems it causes, Shaffer said. Mickey Mellen works for BrandED Technology, a consulting firm which helps clients involved in education create a social media presence, utilize social media in an effective way, as well as create policies about social media use. Mellen said its hard trying to find a balance in mastering technology and staying with the times. You can work hard to become as educated as you possibly can about a tool, only to find it vanish, Mellen said. It's a tough thing to balance -- investing your time in upcoming technologies, but not wasting too much time until the technology becomes stable. Part of the issue that stems from the use of these new technologies are the capabilities they possess on the internet. While public schools may ban the use of facebook and twitter from school computers, the students can still access it on their phones or their own personal computers and iTouches, making the ban ineffective. Its this rapidly moving technology in the classroom that has educators and administrators concerned, especially when it comes to the rising use of social media in the classroom. We havent talked about [a policy] yet, but I think now that a lot of these things are starting to become more prevalent, that everyones going to have to address it, Malara said. Thats the issue, if you wait until to something happens you can be potentially liable.

In the Manatee School District in Florida, a social media policy was drafted and prepared to be enacted, when the teachers union filed a lawsuit against the district. The policy would restrict the platforms teachers could use to communicate with their students as well as what the teachers could post on any publicly accessible websites. The policy specifically stated that communication between teachers and students in a strictly academic sense to extend teaching and learning opportunities was permitted, but said communication via platforms not approved by the district for academic communication (Facebook, Myspace, and others) required a written note with the parents approval 10 days before the communication occurred, or teachers would be reprimanded. The policy did not specifically cite specific punishments, but did note that they could lead to termination. According to Pat Garber, the president of the Manatee Teachers Union which filed the lawsuit against the district, these restrictions would only hurt the student in the long run as it would restrict the communication between teacher and student. There are many teachers who teach the upper levels of high school and advance placement classes who regularly communicate with their students about assignments via text, via e-mail, etcetera, so the policy makes more hoops more them to have to jump though before they can do that, Garber said. The policy would also restrict what teachers could post on public websites. Employees are to refrain from electronically posting in publicly accessible websites any statements, documents, or photographs that might cast the employee, the students, or the District in a negative, scandalous, or embarrassing lightAny inappropriate statements, documents, or photographs viewed by the public reflects poorly on the District as a whole and can negatively impact the school setting and subject the employee to discipline, read the draft. Barber acknowledged that there is reason for the school to make certain restrictions, but the policy was just too broad. We understand that teachers are held to a higher standard of ethical behavior and there are limitations that have already been upheld for teachers, but we believe that the policy was too broad, and that it needed to be narrowed in regard to what types of things they could be held accountable, Barber said. We dont think that the school has unbridled authority--teachers do still have a right to freedom of speech. The school board has agreed to review the policy with the teachers union, and the union has since dropped the lawsuit with the intent on working with the school district to create a different resolution.

The school board initially agreed to an interview and then refused to answer questions. Malara said that certain policies do need to be put in place, but agreed with Barber that there is a fine-line between safety restrictions and making the communication between teacher and student more difficult. Social media I think right now is primarily a communication vehicle that connects people. If you put guidelines with how you can connect people, whether its teachers or communicators or students in regards to unsupervised communication outside the school it could be trouble. I think there does need to be a policy of whats allowable, but 99% of the communication is productive, its just really that 1% you have to sanction, Malara said. Theres controversy on whether teachers should be able to communicate and friend a student on social networks, and if they have personal communication whether thats appropriate. Jackie Grasty, also of BrandED Communications, said its the fast evolution of technologies that is creating the hurdle for schools. Schools realize these technologies and medias can help education, but want to be safe about it. I consider this to be akin to the industrial revolution, as new technologies and end use seem to appear at a pace faster than manageable. I think were finding ourselves embracing new technologies before we fully understand the implications, loopholes, and complexities inherent in the application, she said. Safety of the children, and educating them on a strict budget are the two problems that face all school districts no matter what types of technologies they do or dont use. Shaffer spoke about the benefits of having students use an e-reader such as a Kindle to read textbooks, instead of the district spending more money on textbooks. Why do we continuously buy two textbooks, one for school and one for the kids to keep at homewe need to look at a multi-year plan, she said. Malara addressed however, that its hard to measure how effectively these tools are being used to spend the money on them. I dont think theres enough measurement on how teachers are using these technologies, Malara said. There needs to be a feedback process. Its not a policing thing, its more of being smart about how you spend your money. You want to be able to make sure that its being used right and I dont know if weve got that part down yet. We tend to try and throw technology at a problem, but it doesnt solve it all the time. The National Education Society is responding to the same issue of analyzing how well technology is being used in the classroom, by using just thattechnology. When combined with learning systems, technology-based assessments can be used formatively to diagnose and modify the conditions of learning and instructional practices

while at the same time determining what students have learned for grading and accountability purposes. Both uses are important, but the former can improve student learning in the moment (Black and Wiliam 1998), read the document published on National Learning Initiatives in 2010. Furthermore, systems can be designed to capture students inputs and collect evidence of their knowledge and problem-solving abilities as they work. Over time, the system learns more about students abilities and can provide increasingly appropriate support. The National Center for Education statistics released a report in 2009 which showed teachers reported having interactive whiteboards or smartboards in the classroom 28 percent of the time, but only 57 percent of those with smartboards reported actually using the board in class. Shaffer said when she visited classrooms for her own sons teachers night at the schools she works in, the smartboard was being used as a glorified projectorthe technology may be in the classroom, but the teachers arent necessarily using it. But, when the bell rings, its still the education that matters most. The iPad is a device, its no different than your computer or phoneand were seeing this convergence of technology surrounding the individuals, Handy said. These are just platforms that allow us to engage. Handy said the devices we use today are the same idea of a telegraph- the things like the iPad may transport the message, or in his case, the lectureand the lesson itself is up to him. Where the textbook may have once been the platform to read, all thats new is the physical platforms we utilize to obtain the informationthere is certainly nothing new about social media. Social media is not newbut media has not always been social, Handy said. What is new is the ubiquity of social mediaits at our fingers all day. The embracing of social media, that is new. If you take out the technology since the 14th, even 13th centuries there was social mediaflag systems between countriesthats all social media. A favorite quote of Handys about technology is by Josiah F. Bumstead. The inventor of the system deserves to be ranked among the best contributors to learning and science, if not the greatest benefactors of mankind, said Bumstead. He was talking about the chalkboard. Ironically, even with the use of the iPad and all the other new technologies and social medias, Handys back to where technology and education first synthesized. I use the blackboard more than I ever have, Handy said, because the refocus of his class using the iPad has allowed for more in-depth discussions in class time.

Before it was just lecturing, it was just powerpoints, I didnt have to worry about writing. Sometimes now it requires that little extra element of diagramming. Because of the new technology, Im using old technology more than I ever did before.