Do you use iPads or other tablets in your classroom? How do you use them, and what would you like to use them for in the future? If you don't use iPads or tablets, how would you use them if you had a class set?
In my Media Center, I have 15 iPads for students to check out. Students generally use them for web research using our databases and for word-processing (Pages). Our Honors Choir class uses Garageband to write their own songs. One of the more fun things we have used iPads for is QR code webquests. The draw function on InfuseLearning.com for formative assessment is wonderful with the iPad, but other question types also work very well. We also have the Socrative app on our iPads. All of our middle school classrooms have an AppleTV with an LCD screen to airplay the teacher's iPad (or MacBook). I believe that iBooks textbooks are the way of the not-too-distant future. The portability, always being up-to-date, along with the interactivity will make it a necessity. iBook textbooks would work best with a one-to-one program in the high school, though it could work with a classroom set, kept in the classroom for all of your classes. I would absolutely love to create books with iBook Author and hope to do that in this coming school year. What a great tool to create books that can be used for stand-alone units for students to choose from. I see iTunes U also being a great place to create units or projects for students. This would be an ideal place for teachers to house their Flipped Classroom lessons for students to work on at home so that they can apply what they have learned in iTunes U to relevant project based learning tasks in the classroom, guided by the teacher.
I received an IPAD towards the end of this school year and have already begun to incorporate the IPAD in Physical Education class. Primarily, I use the Ipad to take videos as an easy tool to provide specific feedback to students. In addition, the Ipad has various fitness apps. One app that I have already tried was a "Circuit Training" App. Using this app, I can plug in various exercises with a timer for each exercise (ex. 5 exercises 30 seconds each. In addition, I can directly connect Itunes to the exercises or the timer. Overall, it was another way for students to exercise. Finally, there is an app called splashtop where I can use my iphone or ipad to control the desktop on my computer. This is important because I can essentially use my Ipad as a controller for my music (Itunes on my desktop).
IPads are used primarily during center time to provide a richer variety of resources to students and more opportunities for feedback and redirection if needed. Apps often provide embedded visual resources that can be used for learning of social studies concepts. It can be used with the Internet. The second grade use 5 iPads per classroom daily for math centers and 5 iPads 3 days per week during reading centers as a reinforcement tool when students are working independently or in groups. Learning activities would include: Grammar and Vocabulary – nouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs, prefixes, suffixes, dictionary skills, vocabulary building and correct sentence building. Spelling – Spelling patterns, practice words, flashcards. Telling Time to the nearest 5 minutes, money practice with coins and bills such as making change, problem-solving math activities. Reading - fluency work, opportunities for reading books. -LaToya Nelson-
In my current school district, every teacher has a Macbook, and next year, every student will have one as well. Ipads do not exist in the classrooms; however, many of my students have kindles, and there have been days when I have allowed the students to bring them in for use. With the kindles, the students are able to download their independent reading books, and the best part about the kindle is that the students can actively engage with the text by highlighting and taking notes in the margins (something that cannot be done while reading an on-line text on a Macbook). If given the opportunity to use Ipads in the classroom, I would certainly utilize them for reading and writing workshops. I've also read some research on how the Ipad can be beneficial for students with Asperger's Syndrome, as it offers applications to help students develop their communication, sensory motor, and fine motor skills. I do have a student this year who suffers from Asperger's, and I think that having access to an Ipad would have been helpful.
I do not have any ipads in my classroom. I would like to have a few in my classes though. There are some cool geometry apps that I could base some group lessons around. They also have graphing calculator apps that I could use in an algebra or algebra 2 class.
I as well do not have any iPads in my class rooms. I would like to look into getting a couple. Their are some great apps out there for music note reading and fingerings for different instruments. We use a program called smart music at the middle and high school. It allows students to play and see what notes and rhythms they are getting wrong. This is great because they can visually see their mistakes and improve because of it.
I do not have ipads or tablets in my classroom but if I did they would be used to store sheet music on. It would eliminate the need for papers and folders, which kids could lose or rip, with Ipads all of the music would be right on the tablet and could be placed on the students stand. This would also help the environment, by not making copies of sheet music it would save hundreds of sheets of paper.
I do not have iPad's in my classroom. I think it would be great to have a class set or just maybe a cart that can we accessed by all teachers at different times. One feature of the iPad I would love to use would be to have the kids write stories, take pictures of the story pages and turn it into a slideshow. As the pictures pop up, they can add voiceovers explaining to the "listener" what is going on for each page. This would be a great way to have students take their writing a step further and also it will be fun and interesting for them as well!
We are actually going 1to1 iPads for each student and teacher starting in the fall... the teachers got them a month ago and I've been looking for apps to use in math class. There are some great resources out there, but there are some pitfalls. I found an app that will analyze your handwriting for an algebra equation and then graph it. So that could be great, especially since you can mark up and change parts of the equation and see it react in real time. But it also could turn into students bypassing learning any methods for doing it themselves since their iPad will just do it for them. I did download iBookAuthor, maybe find a way to publish my notes or reviews that they can download and use.
We do not have iPads In our classrooms. However next year we will be involved in the 1 to 1 laptop program. The laptops have arrived and will be distributed to each student at the start of the next school year. This is a very exciting journey our school is about to embark on. I look forward to learning about and using cool math programs/activities.
I do not have iPads in my classroom. I know one of the other teachers I work with uses it during power point presentations, she is able to advance the slides, and annotate on them. Some of PE teachers uses it to for attendance purposes and grading when on the fields.
I'm in a computer lab of 24 computers (25 if you count mine), so I don't really need them.
Also a physical education teacher, i have been using my ipad through out the year, for a variety of activities. Ubersense is a great app for showing student's their skill form versus correct form. I also use apps for interval running some which include personal music. I also use the apps PE PLus and Workouts to find new exercises and routines. My goal this year was to create Human Video game using popular games used by students. The students used Angry Birds as their moving target while practicing their throwing skills.
Our school system recently purchased a set of Ipads for each school in the district. Each building has a large rolling docking station that keeps the Ipads locked up as well as charges them. All teachers have access to them but have to sign them out. They get used quite a bit throughout school, however I have not taken advantage of them yet. I do not own a personal Ipad so I am not familiar with them. I am planning on borrowing one for the summer so that I can become acquainted with the Ipad's functionality and programs. Hopefully I will be able to incorporate them into my reaching next year.
Our district has given each teacher an iPad to use within the classroom. It has been very useful in creating interactive assignments to use the following year when each student will have one.
I've found numerous apps that have been very useful. One app I like in particular is called nearpod. The app allows students to log in to the class presentation and follow along with quizzes, websites, polls, notes, ect. Another app I have found useful is notability. This is like a notebook for the students to use. In addition they have the ability to import documents and highlight/take notes on the document.
Unfortunately, we do not have access to iPads at our level in the district. Although I do not have tablets in the classroom, I allow students who need an extra set of books to use their tablets at home for their required reading time. I have had discussions with my class, and we have found there to be pros and cons for tablets/iPads. Some pros are: they can take notes in the margin, it is very easy to use the thesaurus to look up unknown words, the tablets are typically thin, and the books are relatively cheap to download. Some of the cons we came up with are: you look that sense/smell of reading a book, some tablets still have a glare if you are trying to read outside, and it is not as easy to look back if you are trying to recall something that happened in the book. If we were given iPads, I would love to use them during reading workshop. Every student could download a book, and we would be able to have discussions about one book, with all eyes on the same text, which is something we do not have readily available to us now. I would also use them during writing workshop. Once I had time to go through he apps, I'm sure I would be able to find some that would help make the writing process easier for those kids that have trouble getting their ideas down (ie Inspiration), and it would help those students who are not great spellers. In math, I am certain that are tons of math games that I could use as centers, which would allow me to have more individual time with those learners who need extra assistance, while also giving enrichment work to those students who need to be pushed. As a teacher, I have discussed with my principal and another colleague, with the state pushing data collection, we feel having iPads for teachers would be a quick and easy way for us to have our data all in one place. We feel, right now, collecting data is important, but it is also very time-consuming. Therefore, if we had iPads with particular apps created for teachers to gather data, it would be extremely beneficial. In conclusion, although iPads may seem expensive, the reality is we are becoming more technologically advanced. As a district, we are expected to incorporate more technology, but the inability to have it readily available makes things very difficult. I feel many students and teachers would benefit from having iPads in the classroom.
I am in the fortunate position at our district were we are an eLearning district. Throughout the district (Pascack Valley and Pascack Hills High School) all faculty and student body is issued a macbook laptop. This is a great tool for the district because it allows us to fully incorporate technology into our curriculum. We do not use tablets because of the laptop and I personally believe that laptops are better suited with laptops due to the durability and the typing aspect. I think it is the way of the future and you are seeing more and more districts equip students with these devices. Apple does a great job with incorporating the educational software for students.
I have never worked with iPads in the classroom (and currently don't have a classroom), but the children I nanny for use them all the time! Through them, I have learned about many interactive games and activities that would definitely come in handy in the classroom. The two-year-old even knows how to open it up, start up her game, and play it relatively well. She plays Monkey Preschool Lunchtime (or something to that effect). This game requires children to differentiate between colors, sizes, and shapes, identify letter sounds, recall where certain objects are on the screen, and complete puzzles. Obviously, it is designed for Pre-School students, and does help them work on a variety of different tasks. The five-year-old plays the Kindergarten app, which helps with letters, numbers, math, etc. After completing a variety of tasks, coins are earned, which serves as motivation to continue. I would love to be able to incorporate games like this into a Kindergarten classroom, as they allow students to take their time and work at their own pace and level.
While i think i pads are a great resource in the classroom, I feel students and teachers are becoming to reliant on electronic devices and the internet to recall information. This is a trade-off because we can now gather more information easily which allows students to learn more and synthesize more, however we do not feel like we need to permanently store this information. If i had iPads in my classroom I would use them for the electronics applications in my electronics class. This could help students future build circuits however it would not give them the hands on skills then need to actually construct their projects.
I do have ipads in my classroom. At first I started off with a set of 10, which was very difficult to manage. I had to have alternate activities for those who were not able to use them at that time, and then switch after a precise amount of time, or they worked in partners, which worked sometimes, but at others was not successful. Now I have a set of 20 and I find it much more effective. I can still do partner activities and differentiated activities, but I am not limited to that. One of my favorite apps is Socrative. It is an assessment tool in which you great assessments to be completed on the ipad itself and it corrects it and collects the data and generate reports about the results. While reading a novel together in Subtext, the students make comments on the text itself and allows fellow students to comment. The can post comments, observations, insights, etc... and have discussions in real time as well and leave notes for others to read later.
We do not have iPads in our classroom, but if we did I would love to use them to do quick assessments. One way that I could use them is by having students complete questionnaires or short quizzes to get a quick idea as to what the students understand and areas that need improvement. Additionally, the iPads would be a great asset to "flipping the classroom" where students can practice the information that they learned at home through science apps on the the iPad. One other way that students could use iPads is by supplementing classroom discussion, where students have immediate access to answers and can share. Nicole Terhune
In my Media Center, I have 15 iPads for students to check out. Students generally use them for web research using our databases and for word-processing (Pages). Our Honors Choir class uses Garageband to write their own songs. One of the more fun things we have used iPads for is QR code webquests. The draw function on InfuseLearning.com for formative assessment is wonderful with the iPad, but other question types also work very well. We also have the Socrative app on our iPads. All of our middle school classrooms have an AppleTV with an LCD screen to airplay the teacher's iPad (or MacBook). I believe that iBooks textbooks are the way of the not-too-distant future. The portability, always being up-to-date, along with the interactivity will make it a necessity. iBook textbooks would work best with a one-to-one program in the high school, though it could work with a classroom set, kept in the classroom for all of your classes. I would absolutely love to create books with iBook Author and hope to do that in this coming school year. What a great tool to create books that can be used for stand-alone units for students to choose from. I see iTunes U also being a great place to create units or projects for students. This would be an ideal place for teachers to house their Flipped Classroom lessons for students to work on at home so that they can apply what they have learned in iTunes U to relevant project based learning tasks in the classroom, guided by the teacher.
ReplyDeleteI received an IPAD towards the end of this school year and have already begun to incorporate the IPAD in Physical Education class. Primarily, I use the Ipad to take videos as an easy tool to provide specific feedback to students. In addition, the Ipad has various fitness apps. One app that I have already tried was a "Circuit Training" App. Using this app, I can plug in various exercises with a timer for each exercise (ex. 5 exercises 30 seconds each. In addition, I can directly connect Itunes to the exercises or the timer. Overall, it was another way for students to exercise. Finally, there is an app called splashtop where I can use my iphone or ipad to control the desktop on my computer. This is important because I can essentially use my Ipad as a controller for my music (Itunes on my desktop).
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteIPads are used primarily during center time to provide a richer variety of resources to students and more opportunities for feedback and redirection if needed. Apps often provide embedded visual resources that can be used for learning of social studies concepts. It can be used with the Internet. The second grade use 5 iPads per classroom daily for math centers and 5 iPads 3 days per week during reading centers as a reinforcement tool when students are working independently or in groups.
DeleteLearning activities would include: Grammar and Vocabulary – nouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs, prefixes, suffixes, dictionary skills, vocabulary building and correct sentence building. Spelling – Spelling patterns, practice words, flashcards. Telling Time to the nearest 5 minutes, money practice with coins and bills such as making change, problem-solving math activities. Reading - fluency work, opportunities for reading books.
-LaToya Nelson-
In my current school district, every teacher has a Macbook, and next year, every student will have one as well. Ipads do not exist in the classrooms; however, many of my students have kindles, and there have been days when I have allowed the students to bring them in for use. With the kindles, the students are able to download their independent reading books, and the best part about the kindle is that the students can actively engage with the text by highlighting and taking notes in the margins (something that cannot be done while reading an on-line text on a Macbook). If given the opportunity to use Ipads in the classroom, I would certainly utilize them for reading and writing workshops. I've also read some research on how the Ipad can be beneficial for students with Asperger's Syndrome, as it offers applications to help students develop their communication, sensory motor, and fine motor skills. I do have a student this year who suffers from Asperger's, and I think that having access to an Ipad would have been helpful.
ReplyDelete-Amanda Lentino
I do not have any ipads in my classroom. I would like to have a few in my classes though. There are some cool geometry apps that I could base some group lessons around. They also have graphing calculator apps that I could use in an algebra or algebra 2 class.
ReplyDeleteI as well do not have any iPads in my class rooms. I would like to look into getting a couple. Their are some great apps out there for music note reading and fingerings for different instruments. We use a program called smart music at the middle and high school. It allows students to play and see what notes and rhythms they are getting wrong. This is great because they can visually see their mistakes and improve because of it.
ReplyDeleteI do not have ipads or tablets in my classroom but if I did they would be used to store sheet music on. It would eliminate the need for papers and folders, which kids could lose or rip, with Ipads all of the music would be right on the tablet and could be placed on the students stand. This would also help the environment, by not making copies of sheet music it would save hundreds of sheets of paper.
ReplyDeleteI do not have iPad's in my classroom. I think it would be great to have a class set or just maybe a cart that can we accessed by all teachers at different times. One feature of the iPad I would love to use would be to have the kids write stories, take pictures of the story pages and turn it into a slideshow. As the pictures pop up, they can add voiceovers explaining to the "listener" what is going on for each page. This would be a great way to have students take their writing a step further and also it will be fun and interesting for them as well!
ReplyDeleteKyle Brooten
We are actually going 1to1 iPads for each student and teacher starting in the fall... the teachers got them a month ago and I've been looking for apps to use in math class. There are some great resources out there, but there are some pitfalls. I found an app that will analyze your handwriting for an algebra equation and then graph it. So that could be great, especially since you can mark up and change parts of the equation and see it react in real time. But it also could turn into students bypassing learning any methods for doing it themselves since their iPad will just do it for them. I did download iBookAuthor, maybe find a way to publish my notes or reviews that they can download and use.
ReplyDeleteWe do not have iPads In our classrooms. However next year we will be involved in the 1 to 1 laptop program. The laptops have arrived and will be distributed to each student at the start of the next school year. This is a very exciting journey our school is about to embark on. I look forward to learning about and using cool math programs/activities.
ReplyDeleteLeyla Yildirim
I do not have iPads in my classroom. I know one of the other teachers I work with uses it during power point presentations, she is able to advance the slides, and annotate on them. Some of PE teachers uses it to for attendance purposes and grading when on the fields.
ReplyDeleteI'm in a computer lab of 24 computers (25 if you count mine), so I don't really need them.
Also a physical education teacher, i have been using my ipad through out the year, for a variety of activities. Ubersense is a great app for showing student's their skill form versus correct form. I also use apps for interval running some which include personal music. I also use the apps PE PLus and Workouts to find new exercises and routines. My goal this year was to create Human Video game using popular games used by students. The students used Angry Birds as their moving target while practicing their throwing skills.
ReplyDeleteOur school system recently purchased a set of Ipads for each school in the district. Each building has a large rolling docking station that keeps the Ipads locked up as well as charges them. All teachers have access to them but have to sign them out. They get used quite a bit throughout school, however I have not taken advantage of them yet. I do not own a personal Ipad so I am not familiar with them. I am planning on borrowing one for the summer so that I can become acquainted with the Ipad's functionality and programs. Hopefully I will be able to incorporate them into my reaching next year.
ReplyDeleteOur district has given each teacher an iPad to use within the classroom. It has been very useful in creating interactive assignments to use the following year when each student will have one.
ReplyDeleteI've found numerous apps that have been very useful. One app I like in particular is called nearpod. The app allows students to log in to the class presentation and follow along with quizzes, websites, polls, notes, ect. Another app I have found useful is notability. This is like a notebook for the students to use. In addition they have the ability to import documents and highlight/take notes on the document.
Unfortunately, we do not have access to iPads at our level in the district. Although I do not have tablets in the classroom, I allow students who need an extra set of books to use their tablets at home for their required reading time. I have had discussions with my class, and we have found there to be pros and cons for tablets/iPads. Some pros are: they can take notes in the margin, it is very easy to use the thesaurus to look up unknown words, the tablets are typically thin, and the books are relatively cheap to download. Some of the cons we came up with are: you look that sense/smell of reading a book, some tablets still have a glare if you are trying to read outside, and it is not as easy to look back if you are trying to recall something that happened in the book.
ReplyDeleteIf we were given iPads, I would love to use them during reading workshop. Every student could download a book, and we would be able to have discussions about one book, with all eyes on the same text, which is something we do not have readily available to us now.
I would also use them during writing workshop. Once I had time to go through he apps, I'm sure I would be able to find some that would help make the writing process easier for those kids that have trouble getting their ideas down (ie Inspiration), and it would help those students who are not great spellers.
In math, I am certain that are tons of math games that I could use as centers, which would allow me to have more individual time with those learners who need extra assistance, while also giving enrichment work to those students who need to be pushed.
As a teacher, I have discussed with my principal and another colleague, with the state pushing data collection, we feel having iPads for teachers would be a quick and easy way for us to have our data all in one place. We feel, right now, collecting data is important, but it is also very time-consuming. Therefore, if we had iPads with particular apps created for teachers to gather data, it would be extremely beneficial.
In conclusion, although iPads may seem expensive, the reality is we are becoming more technologically advanced. As a district, we are expected to incorporate more technology, but the inability to have it readily available makes things very difficult. I feel many students and teachers would benefit from having iPads in the classroom.
I am in the fortunate position at our district were we are an eLearning district. Throughout the district (Pascack Valley and Pascack Hills High School) all faculty and student body is issued a macbook laptop. This is a great tool for the district because it allows us to fully incorporate technology into our curriculum. We do not use tablets because of the laptop and I personally believe that laptops are better suited with laptops due to the durability and the typing aspect. I think it is the way of the future and you are seeing more and more districts equip students with these devices. Apple does a great job with incorporating the educational software for students.
ReplyDeleteI have never worked with iPads in the classroom (and currently don't have a classroom), but the children I nanny for use them all the time! Through them, I have learned about many interactive games and activities that would definitely come in handy in the classroom. The two-year-old even knows how to open it up, start up her game, and play it relatively well. She plays Monkey Preschool Lunchtime (or something to that effect). This game requires children to differentiate between colors, sizes, and shapes, identify letter sounds, recall where certain objects are on the screen, and complete puzzles. Obviously, it is designed for Pre-School students, and does help them work on a variety of different tasks. The five-year-old plays the Kindergarten app, which helps with letters, numbers, math, etc. After completing a variety of tasks, coins are earned, which serves as motivation to continue. I would love to be able to incorporate games like this into a Kindergarten classroom, as they allow students to take their time and work at their own pace and level.
ReplyDeleteWhile i think i pads are a great resource in the classroom, I feel students and teachers are becoming to reliant on electronic devices and the internet to recall information. This is a trade-off because we can now gather more information easily which allows students to learn more and synthesize more, however we do not feel like we need to permanently store this information. If i had iPads in my classroom I would use them for the electronics applications in my electronics class. This could help students future build circuits however it would not give them the hands on skills then need to actually construct their projects.
ReplyDeleteI do have ipads in my classroom. At first I started off with a set of 10, which was very difficult to manage. I had to have alternate activities for those who were not able to use them at that time, and then switch after a precise amount of time, or they worked in partners, which worked sometimes, but at others was not successful. Now I have a set of 20 and I find it much more effective. I can still do partner activities and differentiated activities, but I am not limited to that. One of my favorite apps is Socrative. It is an assessment tool in which you great assessments to be completed on the ipad itself and it corrects it and collects the data and generate reports about the results. While reading a novel together in Subtext, the students make comments on the text itself and allows fellow students to comment. The can post comments, observations, insights, etc... and have discussions in real time as well and leave notes for others to read later.
ReplyDeleteTracy Freitag
We do not have iPads in our classroom, but if we did I would love to use them to do quick assessments. One way that I could use them is by having students complete questionnaires or short quizzes to get a quick idea as to what the students understand and areas that need improvement. Additionally, the iPads would be a great asset to "flipping the classroom" where students can practice the information that they learned at home through science apps on the the iPad. One other way that students could use iPads is by supplementing classroom discussion, where students have immediate access to answers and can share.
ReplyDeleteNicole Terhune