Tech Play 3

Once you have explored some creativity tools, go to your blog and post the following reflection:

• Discuss the variety of tools you explored, what you liked or disliked about each one and which one you selected one to continue to reflect on.
• Describe how this creativity tool that you selected might fit into the TPACK model. Specifically, describe the content, pedagogical and technological aspects of some student work that uses the creativity tool you selected.
• Identify other ways that students could use the creativity tool you selected.
• Why is it important to know about and use creativity tools? What do they offer that other tools (i.e., drill and practice, tutorials, instructional games, etc.) do not offer?

I believe creativity tools allow for a simple way to integrate technology in the classroom and many of the tools reach the transformation levels of the TPACK/SAMR model.  I chose to explore Puppet Pals, Comic Book!, Science 360, and Goodreads. 

 I least liked Science 360 as a creativity tool because it does not allow the student to create.  Using this app, the student can view a wide variety of science videos exploring the integration of science and technology in the classroom but the student is not required to share an opinion, create a video, or become interactive in any way.  There is also no table of contents to help in the selection of videos.  The user simply scrolls through the app and selects a video at random simply basing the choice on the image provided for the video.     

Puppet Pals, Comic Book!, and Goodreads were all interactive and allowed for student creation.  Goodreads guides the user in selecting and rating books within a variety of genres.  Upon opening the app, the user is instructed to rate 20 books to establish criteria for his book preferences making the app more personalized for each user.  This app also has a social aspect in that one can join groups, see how friends have rated books, and write reviews for others to see.  The social communication of this app can be beneficial but also problematic.  The reviews for the books are not posted by professionals but by the general public using the app.  A filter may need to be used to block inappropriate language and content in the reviews.  

Puppet Pals and Comic Book! are similar in that the apps allow the user to create a story through pictures along with either text or sound.  Both apps have the ability to save the creations but Comic Book! has the ability to share the creations on social media such as Facebook and Twitter.  Both apps use pictures from the camera roll that are taken by the student or from the internet.  I prefer Puppet Pals for younger students because the plays are created using audio recordings and Comic Book! for older students because the comics require written text.  Both apps allow for creative play that can be transferred to the academic arena.   

For the TPACK model, I will focus on Puppet Pals due to its potential to reach a wide variety of subject areas and age ranges.  Collaboration among teachers and the librarian is imperative and I believe Puppet Pals can be utilized both within the library and within the classroom for a particular subject.  Puppet Pals can be used in the following ways:

·         Create a visual book review

·         Create a play to summarize content to prove understanding

·         Re-enact or create an original debate

·         Create an original play to supplement a writing project

·         Create a math tutorial for fellow classmates

·         Re-enact a science experiment

The use of audio recording allows this app to be utilized by numerous students at one time.  In a science classroom, Puppet Pals can be used to re-enact a science experiment to be posted on the class blog.  The students will perform the experiment within the group and take pictures with the iPad during each stage of the experiment.  The students can collect and record the data on the iPad so the information can be utilized within Puppet Pals.  After the experiment is complete, the students will collaborate and create a play depicting the experiment and results.  Each student will take part in the layout design, creation, and audio recording of the re-enactment.  After completion, the play can be uploaded to the class blog for students and parents to view and comment.  

I believe this particular activity works nicely in the TPACK model and incorporates content, pedagogy, and technology.  The science experiment incorporates content while the app not only incorporates technology but also allows for customized results, interaction among students, and collaboration among people outside the classroom.  The utilization of Puppet Pals is a redefinition of instruction that was previously inconceivable. 

            The use of creativity tools within the classroom is extremely important.  We can all use technology for tutorials and instructional games but creativity tools take technology to the next level.  My goal is to utilize technology in such a way that it transforms the curriculum and allows students to create original ideas and produce original works through collaboration.  This goal can be achieved through creativity tools.