If you are coming here from 2 Peas and a Dog, Welcome!
I am so excited to be participating in the Bright Ideas Blog Hop! You are going to find so many new tips and tricks that I know you will be able to implement in your classroom.
One thing that I am very passionate about is technology and making it accessible to my students. I am lucky enough to have three iPads and two iPod Nanos in my first grade classroom right now. I am even more excited though because I have another iPad Mini on its way thanks to a Donor's Choose Project!
One of the toughest things about having this technology in my classroom is how to store it and make sure it gets charged daily. I am so glad that I have finally found the perfect solution for my classroom and I am so happy to share it with you all!
To most this looks like a normal set of plastic drawers, but it is my technology hub! This has made my life so much easier and we do not have the problem of devices that are dead. In the top two drawers you will find our regular iPads.
They fit in the drawers perfectly and are accessible to my firstie friends. All of the power cords are run through the back of the drawers so they are not in the way. It is nice not having to find outlets all of the time to plug them into. The key though is to find a surge protector that can fit multiple chargers because sometimes they are to close to each other and you cannot use all of the plugs.
We had a quick training on how to plug the devices in when we are finished with them and the kids have done a great job of making sure they stay charged.
In the third drawer you find our iPad Mini as well as our two iPod Nanos and our Bluetooth iHome. We use the two Nanos for our Listen to Reading station and it has made life ten thousand times easier. Before we had a CD player that would not take headphones so I was constantly asking them to turn the player down while I was meeting with small groups. My first two students who choose Listen to Reading get to be in charge and they know to take the iPods to the Listening Tubs.
The only real hangup that we have had is finding the best headphones for our devices. I think that we have finally found a good fit for us. We store them in a tub at the front of our classroom and students know to go and grab a set when they are using an iPad or the iPods.
Thanks so much for visiting my blog and seeing how I store technology in my classroom! I hope that this gave you an idea or two that you can use in your own classroom and I know you will find many more throughout the Bright Ideas Blog Hop!
Be sure to head on over to Angela's blog to see how she breaks the Nagging Cycle! I know you will not regret reading it!
Do you want to hop by grade level? Just click below!
That is a fantastic idea! I will definitely do that if I ever get anything technological in my classroom, lol! Thanks so much for sharing!
ReplyDeleteGreat strategy, Katie! I love how it keeps everything looking neat and organized--and it keeps the devices safe too! Brilliant bright idea!
ReplyDeleteKim
Finding JOY in 6th Grade
Thank you for sharing this! I really need that curved surge protector. I like the idea of keeping them all in the drawers so it's all put away nice and neat!
ReplyDeleteLori
Conversations in Literacy
Thanks for this "bright idea" I can't wait to try it in my classroom.
ReplyDeleteKristy @ 2 Peas and a Dog Teaching Blog
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ReplyDeleteThis is so smart Katie!!! I love how they can charge and the wires are out of the way. Thank you so much! :) :)
ReplyDeleteWhat kind of headphones did you find to use? Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteGreat idea! I keep my tech in a small safe, but only because my iPad was stolen last year (and thankfully recovered!). But, I really like how yours can charge as they are being stored. My students usually have to charge while they are using them.
ReplyDeleteThis is awesome, Thank you. I am currently teaching 6th and am transferring to 2nd next year, I am so excited. I have one question (well I have many, but let's start with this one.) ;p I noticed you use iPod nano for your reading center. Where do you purchase the stories to put on the iPod? I have tons of books on tape and several cd's on tape. Thank you so much
ReplyDeleteI was thinking about the same idea for my 5 ipad minis (thanks for DC) but I really would like something that locks so I don't worry about them when someone is using the building during the evening or something like that. Any ideas? I was thinking of having my hubby drill a hole in the drawers and fixing some kid of lock or bungee with a lock or something. Not sure yet. For now, I take them home every night to charge and keep them safe.
ReplyDeleteI have. 7 iPods in my '2nd grade class. At the beginning of the year, I put earbuds on the supply list for parents to buy. Every child put one had them the first day. They use their own earbuds for the devices. Just a thought for next year!
ReplyDeleteMay I ask what the dimensions are of the drawer organizer?
ReplyDelete