See the SAMR progression at work in the first grade classroom of Kristi Zoerhof of Bentheim Elementary.
See how Country Montessori School in San Diego implemented Sony tablets in their classroom
Over the summer of 2012, Sony Electronics and Country Montessori School in Poway, CA entered into a pilot program for deploying the Sony Tablet S into multiple classrooms. The goal of the program was to gain a holistic understanding of the requirements and challenges of integrating tablets into a school’s existing curriculum, as well as to document the benefit of adding a digital learning device into the educator tool belt.
Sony and Country Montessori School worked together to develop a roadmap for the devices prior to installation. With a total enrollment of 150 students, CMS did not have the budget for a dedicated IT department—as a result, SEL met onsite with teachers and volunteer parents to determine best practices regarding content management, device deployment, and learning objectives. Senior product manager Jamie Marsh noted how important it was to work directly with CMS. “The needs of schools looking to implement technology are constantly evolving. By meeting regularly with CMS, we were able to better understand the challenges facing schools, and tailor our solution to address these concerns. The dialogue that we established with Country Montessori was critical to our success.”
The first challenge was to install a custom image on 19 different tablets. Using Google Drive, CMS created a spreadsheet listing all 19 devices, as well as different apps available through the Google Play store. This documentation allowed the school to track which apps had been installed on which computers, and gave educators visibility into the content available for educators and learners alike. Fourth grade educator Vicki Rehkopf appreciated the immediate effects of the tablets in the classroom. “They increased the effectiveness of instruction by adding greater variety to my lessons. They also provide an additional way to monitor children’s progress.”
Once the content was in place, the next challenge was to determine how to integrate the tablets within the Montessori teaching philosophy. The flexibility of the tablets became extremely useful in this setting: “Being small and portable allows for mobility, which makes them conducive to learning throughout the entire classroom. No more having to wait for the computer lab; we have quick, easy access to information at our fingertips” said Rehkopf, who added “they have definitely been a welcomed supplement to our Montessori program.”
5th grade educator Rita Acciacca found that in particular, history and science lessons became more dynamic when incorporating tablets. “A picture is worth a thousand words. Tablets provide countless opportunities to see real images in a quick and easy way.”
There were hurdles for CMS, though—most notably limited bandwidth. With insufficient connectivity, not all devices could access streaming content simultaneously. Thus, CMS developed a workaround, seeking content that was downloadable onto the tablet, rather than streaming. “Children have especially loved the 3D Anatronica app, which enables them to peel back the layers of the human body and reveal what is beneath. The tablets have helped spark the imagination of the students, enticing further investigation into the subject matters at hand.”
Looking back on the past school year, Rehkopf noted that the tablets increased students’ engagement and motivation levels, and also provided the staff with new and innovative ways of educating their classes. “Providing the children with tablets has helped me be more effective as a teacher. And they certainly take up less space than the encyclopedias!”