iPads in Primary Education Should we use iPads in schools? We are good teachers precisely because we don’t have one tried-and-true method, says Guy Claxton... Many people seem to think education is like medicine, and ought to be ‘evidence-based’ in the same way. We should figure out plausible ideas about ‘what works’ in classrooms, and then submit them to large-scale randomised control trials to see if our method is better than some ‘control group’. But I don’t think this is either possible or desirable. First of all, this model assumes there are simple cause-and-effect relationships waiting to be discovered. But we can and do make experiments in our own classrooms all the time, and we are better teachers for it. But though all kids are different, every class quickly develops a mood or a culture which comes to narrow the bandwidth of the children’s diversity. So no, we shouldn’t try to be Researchers with a great big R.
Mark Anderson's Blog | education, learning & technology iPad Published on June 16th, 2013 | by Rebecca Stacey 2inShare iPads in Primary Lessons – A guest post by Rebecca Stacey Before we begin it’s worth bearing in mind that at no point have I ever recommended that a lesson be planned purely teaching how to use an iPad, or indeed teaching how to use an an app. So, my brief was a kind of ‘anatomy of an iPad lesson‘ – this is my take on that. I’ve already discussed the ‘writing process’ here – in a post aimed at teachers who had iPads and wanted to use them. The watchword for that was ‘engage’ and that is a key element of many primary lessons. First some key points: for group iPad use, say 6/8 in a classthese lessons are mixed media, some written element or use of written texts alongside the digital media-this helps if you are under pressure to produce evidence! Maths – Problem Solving / Using Written Methods to Solve Word Problems One way you can do this is through using Puppet Pals. Science – AT 1 – Scientific Enquiry About the Author
Using the iPad with the writing process The iPad can be a brilliant motivational tool for children in the classroom. The ease-of-use, coupled with the speed that you can get results means that it can be the perfect tool for integrating into your literacy planning. And, as many schools don’t have 1:1 tablet computers it can also mean that the collaborative and group aspect of the technology can be harnessed. I’ve been working with teachers who are developing the writing process in an attempt to motivate their boy writers. We have been looking at the writing process and working out where the enthusiasm lags, or where skills need developing. This part of the process is important, reflecting on why the children are stalling, or on what the challenges might be really helps the planning process. Finally we looked at what apps the schools have, what apps the teachers are confident with and, most importantly, what apps would support the different ‘stumbling blocks’ the children face. The writing process with the apps we identified.