What if......

Sometimes at night I can't sleep. There is always something to think about. My little one in class that doesn't seem to be making the progress that he should by this time in the year. The parent letter that I need to write. The sub that I need to call in so I can attend that meeting. Maybe everyone's brain works overtime even when it's supposed to be resting, but it seems like a teacher never has a moment when their thoughts are not invaded with school related content. But sometimes when sleep does not come instead of worrying about this or that, I like to play the "what if..." game. Like, "what if I won the lottery, would I continue teaching?" Or "what if I had a whole class where EVERY parent really cared about their child's education?" Or sometimes even "what if I woke up to the "it's a snow day" call?"

The other night my "what if...." game had the following theme: "What if I had an iPad for every one of my 21 students?" It was an interesting mental conversation. It went something like this:

"WOW...this is exactly what I have dreamed of, how incredibly cool is this! Every child could have an individualized menu of learning activities they could access at a moment's notice....but wait, let's think about the logistics....how do I keep them all charged? Where do I keep them all? How much is it going to cost to buy the apps that I might want to use for an ENTIRE class? What else will I use them for besides just finding educational applications? Will I trust and allow the students to take them home? What will they use them for at home? Will I be constantly feeling guilty that I am not using them to their utmost value? Will their use REALLY have an educational impact? How will I know if it does?".

Maybe my two iPads that I have in my classroom right now will do. Go slow to go fast. I have some things to think about. My educational instinct is telling me that the iPad could transform some aspects of instruction and learning, but I am glad to be going slow.....for now. When I get some answers to those late night musings, I will then begin to play the "How do I get more iPads for my class?" game.