iPad+class

iPad Class EDT 676 ** ﻿Summary **  Both articles talk about the ways in which classrooms and education will be affected by the introduction of iPads. Students today are hardwired for technology, and we as educators need to embrace it, and find ways to get it into their hands as often as possible. If we truly want to be student centered teachers we need to embrace the idea that learning is about doing and iPads allow students to "do" more easily. Also, their mobility make them idea for taking on field trips or even to different places within a building. The internet, partnered with the iPad, is essential for student learning. A quote from the second article really stuck with me: "the more kids have access to the internet, the easier it is to teach them." (Renolds, 2010) I feel like this could not be more true. I struggle right now to get my students access to computers on a semi-regular basis. I dream of the day that they will all have internet access at their fingers all of the time. How much more will they learn and understand when they can ask and find answers to their own questions. According to these two articles, the iPad just might solve some of the nagging problems that eduators today face. I, like the author of the first article think that interactive, online textbooks are the future and I can't wait for the day when I can use them in my classroom.

McCrea, B. (2010, January 27). //Measuring the ipads potential for education//. Retrieved from [] Renolds, B. (2010). //How will the ipad change education?//. Retrieved from []


 * 5 Articles About iPad Implementation **

Chicago Public School Launches iPad Trials This article explains the reasoning behind a grant in Chicago Public Schools that will give 23 schools 32 ipads, a macbook for synching and a storage center for the materials. The grant will target students in first and second grade, and students will be expected to take audio notes as well as complete multimedia projects on the iPads. They will mainly be used in special centers, during guided reading time. The article does addres the safety and acceptable use of iPads in the classroom, saying it is another thing that needs to be taught to students. Teachers will also be undergoing 8 different professional development sessions on how to use the iPad successfully in the classroom. Chicago Public Schools are hoping tha other schools will follow the lead of this grant and not only begin implementing iPads, but also providing the professional development training so teachers are well prepared and comfortable using the technology.

Mulholland, J. (2010, August 17). //Chicago public schools launches ipad trials//. Retrieved from []

Collaborating with iPads in the Classroom This article talked about using iPads for collaboration within the classroom. Teachers at the unnamed school were give 5 iPads for use their classrooms. One teacher set webpages as apps and then had questions on Physics for students to answer using the apps had preprogramed. The article goes to talk about how teachers in the district have seen an increase in the amount of collaboration that is taking place between students. Before the introduction of the iPads, students at desktop computers rarely worked together or shared ideas, but now the teachers report that it is not uncommon to have several students working over one iPad sharing ideas and learning together.

//Collaborating with ipads in the classroom//. (2010, October 27). Retrieved from []

Pros and cons of the iPad in Education I loved this article because it was written by a student as an assessment of his usage of the ipad. While he is a college student, his lists apply to the K-12 classrooms as well. He discusses the extensive battery life of the iPad which is great for education. When I have the lap tops all plugged in in my classroom, I am in constant worry mode that someone will trip over a cord and send the machine crashing to its demise. IPads won't need to be plugged in while students are working on them. Also, they are much more portable than laptops. It is much easier for students to move around the room while carying an ipad than it is to try to drag a lap top around. Also, while I am all for the one-to-one lap top initiative, it is difficult to monitor what sites students are on during class if all I see is the back of a screen. IPads will sit flat on the table and allow students and teachers better lines of communication. The cons the author listed were good things to think about before implementing iPads in the classroom. Currently, itextbooks do not exist or are very rare. While they may be coming in the future, it is a big change that apple and the publishers will have to work out and that could take longer than people anticipate. Also, there is no video or photo capability with the ipad so teachers who want to create multimedia projects will have to use two types of technology to make it happen. Finally, if teachers are going to require students to complete all work on the ipad, typing without a full size keyboard could prove to be difficult for some. Crump, M. (2010, March 29). //Pros and cons of ipads in education//. Retrieved from [] Six Ways the iPad will Transform Education This blog was interesting because it discussed all of the possibilites that the ipad has for education. The thing that bothered me about the blog was that the author talked as if many of his "possibilites" already exist. For example, he discussed schools going completely paperless, including textbooks. While this is great in theory, it is not yet a reality because publishers do not currently offer etextbooks. However, he did make a good point in favor of the purchase of ipads once the ebooks become more prevolent. If students need 5-6 textbooks for school and each cost ~$100, an iPad costs about the same. He also talks highly of the potential for notetaking on the ipad. I might be a little behind the times, but I don't know of any apps currently that you can write on the screen with your finger and it turns it automatically into text. The part of the blog that did resonate with me however is the fact that the iPad does offer great ways to differentiate, for different levels of learners. This will be incredibly helpful as class sizes continue to increase over the years. Students will be able to work at various tasks geared to challenge them at a level they can achieve.

Edutechnophopia. (2010, February 3). Six ways the ipad will transform education [Web log message]. Retrieved from []

An All iPad Classroom The article describes an initiative that Notre Dame University is experimenting with; having iPads for all students to use. Student textbooks will be available on the iPad and they will be encouraged to use it for their personal and daily needs as well. The University is trying to embrace the digital world by allowing students flexibility as well. They recognize that not all students want to use or are comfortable using such a device for all assignments or activites. By giving students the option to use the device as much or as little as they choose, they are hoping that the students will gravitate toward the technology anyway. Brooks, Michael. (2010, September 1). //An all ipad classroom//. Retrieved from [] 10 Apps for the Classroom This app does an excellent job explaining all parts of energy conservation. I will definitely use this app with my students in small groups. They will each be assigned a different section and will have to report out their findings.
 * //[[image:http://t3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSyP6FsOXX84Zlf67Hkhx7P4kON4z8coIowbfupL032gzKkLolwCA width="57" height="56"]] Green Planet for Kids//**

I will use this app with my news article project. Students take turns finding science articles that are in the news each week and presenting them to the class on Friday. This app would give them a place to look for articles but also a way to share the article with the class.
 * [[image:http://t0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQPM_2i5yVwZJw3-lon038DbupVpj10SoH4ZMFzJH0QZGSsTS8v width="72" height="72"]] Popular Science (PopSci) - iphone app**

I can use this app to share short video clips with my science class. It will be especially beneficial when we study the environment.
 * [[image:http://t3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQNmkedmRJRKvzuF4hv3ccN2irtzjKAlMEl04-uUiLstwdXyczR width="85" height="81"]] PBS**

This app shows amazing illustrations of the human body. The students are so interested in what it really looks like inside of us, and google images has been coming up short. This app will amaze them!
 * [[image:http://img.i-apps.fr/apps/3d4medical+s+images+ipad+edition-23206-100.jpg width="63" height="62"]] 3D4 Medical Images**

This site will be a great source for students when they research space exploration and the realtionships between the sun, moon and earth. It has an interactive solar system as well as videos and space images.
 * [[image:http://t1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQlUypIeycU5llB2kda__9QhOqCaluWoi0P1FjPcU6qR9_V61Pf width="86" height="61" link="@http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/nasa-app-hd/id387310098?mt=8"]]NASA-AdHoc**

This app will be very usefull when we learn about all of the other objects that are in our universe besides our solar system. The pictures are directly from NASA and can be searched or just browsed.
 * [[image:http://t3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQ26SpPD2dH_K0OgWN2A4MLxDvx_XYnWfAXr04GUOEDZ6JoRdwd width="72" height="65"]]APOD - Astronomy picture of the day**

This is another great app that I can have students use to find a current news article, especially those pertaining to the environment.
 * [[image:http://www.peoplepowerco.com/assets/images/newsEarthTechling.png width="68" height="49"]] Earth Techling**

I will use this app to show students where it is day and night and how it changes as the earth rotates. It also has a moon phase tracker which will be great to use during my planetary science unit.
 * [[image:http://img.wareseeker.com/software/iphone/Education/index_skyorb_021237633.jpg width="62" height="62"]] 3D Sky Orb**

This app allows the students to view a cell in 3D, which will help them get perspective in regards to how their cells look and function.
 * [[image:http://www.ifreeware.net/img/3d-cell-simulation-and-stain-tool.jpg width="67" height="67"]] 3D Cell Stain**

This app contains short videos on how to conduct some science experiments. I would use this app as an enrichment activity for my students. Some of the experiments are above the level of my students.
 * [[image:http://a1.phobos.apple.com/us/r1000/012/Purple/7d/b2/9c/mzi.gkvdefmj.175x175-75.jpg width="67" height="67"]] Video Science**

5 Personal Apps

I like this app because I don't have to use the texts on my plan to send a text message. This will be very helpful to my husband who usually always goes over on his texts.
 * [[image:http://t0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:PYEcmQbZcV9XnM:http://i873.photobucket.com/albums/ab292/tbailey103/Illumine%20Icon%20Artwork/TextNowFree.jpg&t=1 width="64" height="64"]] Text Now Free**

I am learning how to cook. I never had to do this because my mom liked to, but now if I don't cook, we don't eat, or we eat junk. This app lets me choose my course, desired food to cook and way to prepare it, then gives me recipe options to choose from.
 * [[image:http://t1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:g5DB1FIqDKYdyM:http://images.fixya.com/B/BigOven.com/177x150/170000_recipes_bigoven_lite_1615110.jpg&t=1 width="83" height="65"]]Big Oven Lite**

I like this recipe app too because it allows me to save favorites, and try soon into two different areas, so I don't have to weed through recipes that I know I like and ones that I haven't tried yet.
 * [[image:http://c1345842.cdn.cloudfiles.rackspacecloud.com/assets/screenshots/images/001/956/247/medium.jpg?1288977115 width="78" height="55"]] All Recipes**

I love Christmas, and I usually pour over magazines looking for unique gift ideas and ways to decorate my house. This app has over 100 different tips on how to decorate your house for the holidays.
 * [[image:http://www.downloadcheapapp.com/iappimg/24851/christmas-decoration-tips.jpg width="75" height="75"]][|Decorating Tips - Christmas]**

I love facebook to keep up on the lives of my friends. I am truly part of the digital generation. I would much rather text or facebook than call someone. Friendly allows me to have access to facebook anywhere I go.
 * [[image:http://smartappdevelopers.com/wp-content/plugins/wp-o-matic/cache/9af7b_169658.png width="65" height="65"]]Friendly Lite**

eBooks Assignment


 * eBooks for the classroom**

Kingsley, C. (1889). //Heroes//. Macmillian and Co. Retrieved November 15, 2010 from ibooks.

This book contains myths with heroes. We teacher character traits in reading using myths, so this ibook filled with myths is great. Best of all, it was a free download in ibooks.


 * eBook for Personal Use**

Dickens, C. (1905). //A Christmas Carol//. The Platt and Peck Co. Retreived November 15, 2010 from ibooks.

As the holiday season approaches I was surprised to find that one of my favorites was available as an ibook. Now I can enjoy my classic without lugging the book with me.

Vodcast Terra: TheNature of our World

The Terra vodcast is one that I will be able to use in my environmental studies unit this spring. It is a collection of short videos on several topics including global warming and climate change. This vodcast will help my students to gain a better understanding of the larger world and help them to become more aware of how their actions impact everyone.

Assignment 6 Videos

6A - The iPad and Education (Rock and Learn) media type="youtube" key="W09ldqLxTpw?fs=1" height="385" width="640"

6B Our Honeymoon 2010 media type="file" key="honeymoon mexico final.mp4" width="300" height="300"

Reflection