Wow! I was so impressed by the attendance at our iPad meet up and your willingness to learn over the summer! For those of you who weren’t able to attend, we had an informal time of sharing. Some brought their own personal iPads and were able to share with those who don’t have their own...yet. Everyone has different levels of understanding and experiences to share, so take the time to learn from each other. I was there to answer questions, but I think that informal learning through a conversation with a friend is just as valuable and maybe more memorable as you discovered something new or learned from someone else. I hope you agree.
This week, we prepare to get our hands on our iPads. Here are a few practical tips to get you going:
1.) If you aren’t really familiar with the iPad, take the time to use it for your email, and download a few free Apps from the iTunes store and navigate through them to get a handle on different kinds of features that can be included in an app. Be sure to remember your experience as the new user to the app, because this will help you teach your students how to use the app later. If you are saying to yourself, ”I’m not sure what to do now.” or “How do I get back to the home or menu screen?” Your students will have the same questions and feelings as you do in these moments. If it’s not user friendly, then it might not be a good candidate for our girls. Be the learner in the moment.
2) Spend some time with your iPad everyday. It’s a personal device and I’ll bet you’ll love using it! Download a Free App that you may enjoy yourself (Flipboard, Pinterest, Etsy, Weather) to keep you using it... Work and play at the same time. Better yet, have a neighbor, cousin, or school aged child near you? Try out an Educational App on them, I’ve learned a lot from watching my son navigate the iPad and which Apps he enjoys, and which Apps challenge him, and which Apps seem to bring out his creativity.. Of course, you are supervising and having an observant eye as they use your iPad.
3) Once you’re familiar with the iPad, start to use the fabulous gift card we were given. Be sure to research and evaluate the App before purchasing it, to be sure you are spending your money wisely. The iTunes store uses a 5 star rating system, and you can read others' reviews as well as look at screen shots of the App. Remember that many Apps have a Lite version. This means you can access the App, but not all the features. Other Apps are “free” but have In-App purchases that “upgrade” the App. Both of these kinds of Apps allow you to interact with the App first and decide if it would be a great one for students to use. Check out Apple’s Education page, and Apple Educators App picks. Another great resource is Kathy Shrock’s iPads in the Classroom page.
4) I recommend that you download the free App called AppStart. There are great tutorials included in the App about how to use your iPad. I would read the Welcome section as well as the iPad 101 to start. In addition the App makes recommendations about different Apps based on how you would like to use your iPad (Best Apps for Cooks, Apps for Musicians, Apps for Artists, etc.) It's not an education based App, but offers lots of information and is visually appealing!
5) You may want to keep in contact with your grade level partners about how you are spending your iTunes gift card. I may not want to buy the same exact Apps as my grade level partner, because I could get together with them and see Marble Math on my grade level team members iPad, and she could see Rocket Math on mine. Or maybe you want to split up the disciplines, I’ll research Math Apps, while my partner researches Social Studies for example. Then of course spend some time together talking about what you found. Can you tell I like to learn / discuss with others!
6) Have fun and Share! If you find something really great or exciting, post it on Edmodo, send an email or Tweet, we only make our knowledge base broader and wiser by having each one of you fully participate and share with others. This is new territory for us all!
Next week we will take a look at other ways to examine Apps for the classroom which I think will make more sense once you have a few Apps on your iPad. Until then go pick up your iPad, use it and enjoy!
Lanette
This week, we prepare to get our hands on our iPads. Here are a few practical tips to get you going:
1.) If you aren’t really familiar with the iPad, take the time to use it for your email, and download a few free Apps from the iTunes store and navigate through them to get a handle on different kinds of features that can be included in an app. Be sure to remember your experience as the new user to the app, because this will help you teach your students how to use the app later. If you are saying to yourself, ”I’m not sure what to do now.” or “How do I get back to the home or menu screen?” Your students will have the same questions and feelings as you do in these moments. If it’s not user friendly, then it might not be a good candidate for our girls. Be the learner in the moment.
2) Spend some time with your iPad everyday. It’s a personal device and I’ll bet you’ll love using it! Download a Free App that you may enjoy yourself (Flipboard, Pinterest, Etsy, Weather) to keep you using it... Work and play at the same time. Better yet, have a neighbor, cousin, or school aged child near you? Try out an Educational App on them, I’ve learned a lot from watching my son navigate the iPad and which Apps he enjoys, and which Apps challenge him, and which Apps seem to bring out his creativity.. Of course, you are supervising and having an observant eye as they use your iPad.
3) Once you’re familiar with the iPad, start to use the fabulous gift card we were given. Be sure to research and evaluate the App before purchasing it, to be sure you are spending your money wisely. The iTunes store uses a 5 star rating system, and you can read others' reviews as well as look at screen shots of the App. Remember that many Apps have a Lite version. This means you can access the App, but not all the features. Other Apps are “free” but have In-App purchases that “upgrade” the App. Both of these kinds of Apps allow you to interact with the App first and decide if it would be a great one for students to use. Check out Apple’s Education page, and Apple Educators App picks. Another great resource is Kathy Shrock’s iPads in the Classroom page.
4) I recommend that you download the free App called AppStart. There are great tutorials included in the App about how to use your iPad. I would read the Welcome section as well as the iPad 101 to start. In addition the App makes recommendations about different Apps based on how you would like to use your iPad (Best Apps for Cooks, Apps for Musicians, Apps for Artists, etc.) It's not an education based App, but offers lots of information and is visually appealing!
5) You may want to keep in contact with your grade level partners about how you are spending your iTunes gift card. I may not want to buy the same exact Apps as my grade level partner, because I could get together with them and see Marble Math on my grade level team members iPad, and she could see Rocket Math on mine. Or maybe you want to split up the disciplines, I’ll research Math Apps, while my partner researches Social Studies for example. Then of course spend some time together talking about what you found. Can you tell I like to learn / discuss with others!
6) Have fun and Share! If you find something really great or exciting, post it on Edmodo, send an email or Tweet, we only make our knowledge base broader and wiser by having each one of you fully participate and share with others. This is new territory for us all!
Next week we will take a look at other ways to examine Apps for the classroom which I think will make more sense once you have a few Apps on your iPad. Until then go pick up your iPad, use it and enjoy!
Lanette
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