Why (Not How) We Should Use iPads In Education Last November, Justin Reich, our co-founder at EdTechTeacher, wrote a piece on his Education Week blog, If You Meet an iPad on the Way, Smash It. The piece came out the morning of the first iPad Summit in Boston and put iPad use in schools into perspective. As Justin explained in the piece, “If the nitty-gritty details of iPad use distract us from our larger mission, then we need to smash them. The ‘How’ Question Once the why question has been addressed, and once the devices are in hand, the how question needs to be solved. The Important Thing To Consider The concept Amber presented resonated with me, because it not only neatly encapsulated where many classrooms go wrong but also how to right the ship. Answer This: But what can teachers and students actually do once iPads are in place, and it is time for students to create, demonstrate, collaborate and publish? I still thoroughly enjoy the discussions and debates about the why: they are healthy and necessary.
Why Teachers Are Trying Out Apple TV In The Classroom Apple TV is a little black box that can work miracles in a classroom. Built largely for entertaining purposes by Apple, Apple TV is used increasingly in the classroom by educators who primarily want to take advantage of the mirroring capabilities of the device. For those who are not familiar with the term “mirroring”, simply put, a key feature in Apple devices called “AirPlay” can literally mirror or project your device’s screen (iPod/iPad/iPhone), via an LCD projector that is connected to the Apple TV. iBooks & Reading Providing visual access to iBooks for all students with just one iPad in the classroom is, by itself, a reason for a teacher to buy an Apple TV. Cost-conscious teachers may kill two birds with one stone, so to speak. In addition, iBooks offers a great deal of options such as highlighting, adding post it notes, searching definitions of words, as well as inserting information to pictures and captions. Math and Science Apps What do you think?
23 Things Every Teacher Should Be Able To Do With An iPad Using an iPad is simple due to its intuitive interface, elegant touch interface, and user-friendly operating system. Below we’ve listed 23 different tasks a teacher should be able to perform with their iPad. We’ve tried to focus on the basics, along with some typical tasks a teacher may be required to complete. And let us know which important ones we’ve missed below on twitter or facebook. 1. Power button; long press and plug it in. 2. Apple has you covered: “To redeem an iTunes Gift Card or Gift Certificate, click the Redeem link in iTunes, enter the code on the card or certificate into the Redeem Code box on the page, and click the Redeem button. 3. For reference, check Apple’s help page, or Appducate’s page for some troubleshooting tips. 4. And this probably means social media messages, too. 5. This one is simple provided you’ve got an iTunes account. 6. 7. Just as you organize your books, magazines, clothes, and holiday decorations, organizing your apps isn’t a bad idea either. 8. 9.
Apple TV in the Classroom Instructional technology takes so many forms. In some buildings that may mean simply having a computer lab of desktop computers. In others, you may find SMART Boards and laptops in every room. And, in some of the more advanced classrooms, you may find an Apple TV serving as a media hub for a teacher (and possibly students) with an iPad. The question, “What can I do with an Apple TV in the classroom?” has been asked of me quite a bit – this post should help to identify how to set it up, what it can do, and some ways you can use it in the classroom. What is Apple TV? Before we talk about how to configure/set it up, it makes sense to get a working understanding of what the device actually does. The Apple TV: lets you stream the movies and TV shows available on iTunes to the HDTV or Projector connected to the Apple TVstream Netflix contentallows you to stream content from iOS devices using AirplayDisplay your iPad 2,3/iPhone 4S screen on your HDTV or projector via Airplay Mirroring 1. 2. 3. 4.
iPads In The Classroom: The Right Questions You Should Ask The pressure is on to make sure the education of U.S. students is on track with their global peers. Unfortunately, according to a 2015 report by Pew Research Center, that’s not the case, particularly in the areas of science and math. It’s no wonder, then, that in the quest for educational advancement, teachers want their students to have access to the newest, theories, processes and technologies to help the students excel. One of the most popular technologies has been the introduction of tablets, particularly, iPads, in the classroom. Maybe you’ve been thinking about augmenting your program with iPads or another type of tablet. Photo from Flickr via Brad Flickinger The Necessity of Asking the Right Questions Before You Invest Have you ever gone to the doctor, with a diagnosis already in your head, but when he reviewed your symptoms, he came up with a completely different conclusion? Why Do You Need an iPad? How will it benefit you? Would the iPad support your current or desired lesson plans?
Edmodo is THE iPad Workflow Solution The world of iPad workflow just got a whole lot easier. After months of ‘work arounds’ involving screenshots, Dropbox and pre-tablet technology, the latest Edmodo update has changed the game. Put simply, you can now use the iOS6 function ‘open in app’, to open a document in Edmodo. Lets look at an example to illustrate how easy this has made the sharing of assignments for a student and an educator. Once the student has completed their document they should tap on the share and print option in Pages and then tap on ‘open in app’. They should then select open in Edmodo and choose a file type to share – I can recommend the ‘Word’ option as this works well with the Edmodo annotation tool. This will upload the document to the student’s library (Backpack). The rest of the process is then the same as the educator can annotate and grade the assignment on any web based device including the iPad. This process really is a game changer for any institution using iPads as an educational tool. Like this:
iPads In The Classroom: The Right Questions You Should Ask Arguably, the iPad can be a great classroom tool. However, lately there have been concerns about Apple’s tablet and its current role in the classroom. For instance, many have suggested that some of our schools are making the iPad the center of classrooms instead of remembering that students must be at the center of the classroom. Does the iPad foster or hinder creativity? The iPad On A Pedestal? Some of the people who write about using iPads in the classroom, including some leading and influential people in the field of educational technology, are trying to inform educators, researchers, and stakeholders about the worrisome possibility of putting the iPad on a pedestal, so to speak, by focusing too much on logistics and creating an “iPad-centric” classroom environment. One might argue that these concerns are quite real. The truth is that that no device can match the value of human interaction with real life situations or with other human beings. What do you think?
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