Why do I need this? - Apples and iPads, a Crash Course

I've always been a proponent of gadgets. Even as a kid, I would fawn over the likes of the "Talkboy" and other toys that I could never, ever get. That was until 2003 when I got my hands on a third generation iPod. With the ability to carry all my music around and not ever have to purchase another CD again (lies, all lies - I just bought a CD last year), it was a revolution in my hand. 

Fast forward ten years, which in terms of gadgets and technology, is light years  and we have come to a common crossroads. Not only can we have gadgets that can hold all of our music, but we can have ones that can carry our lives. Our memories. Our future. iPads, tablets, and touch screen micro-conversion PC's (heck, even Windows 8, I guess), have changed the way we live our lives. We are no longer beholden to where things are in the world because these devices bring the world to us. This is especially true in education. 

We have been test-piloting Apple iPads and iPod touches in our classrooms for the last year and a half. While my inner geek wants to purchase the latest and greatest, I always want to make sure that everyone else feels the same way! The pilots have been going wonderfully - integrating them into different content areas and being use by over 150 students! Even better, we have iPads in our Media Centers that can be taken out for loan by any student - our Media Specialist scans them into the library system and away that student goes!

In any classroom, you need to try things out and play with them before you move forward. My hope is that we can move to becoming a paperless classroom and school. Notes, worksheets, tests, reports should all be delivered electronically and eventually, I hope to move to an electronic book. I understand that there will be a learning curve for the teachers and students who have not yet used an ipad or the specific apps that can be employed. It's important, however, that this process be as painless as possible, therefore, the plan is to introduce the most used apps one at a time. One or two days of practice with the app and then the "app questions" need to be held for the end of class or individual work time. You have to get in there and play around with it - think of this like anything else in your classroom. 

Unfortunately, with over 40,000 educational apps and many more for productivity use, it can be hard to narrow down exactly what apps to choose or which ones to use. Thankfully, Apple and many other sources have made it easy for us to figure this out!

Apple Education Apps - http://www.apple.com/education/apps/

(Good site that breaks down content level apps) (Not only that, but there are collections of free apps as well, which in a school setting, always makes life easier).

Ipads in the Classroom - http://www.schrockguide.net/ipads-in-the-classroom.html

(This is a mecca site - loads of information, plus help understanding how to integrate

 i-Products into your classroom).

(Also, this is the site that I pulled the video from at the start and this great poster to hang in your rooms!)

50 Tricks to use with the iPads - http://www.pearltrees.com/#/N-u=1_328373&N-fa=3071669&N-s=1_3147560&N-f=1_3147560&N-p=24674436&N-play=1

More iPad Collections - http://ipadschools.wikispaces.com/home

Even more! - http://teacherrebootcamp.com/2012/12/04/45-teacher-recommended-educational-apps/#.UVh94ljCVtQ.twitter

So, what can we take from this? Some people still might ask - how do I use them in my class? Personally, I believe that to be the wrong question to be asking. How can you not? These devices and technology (especially the internet), have flattened the landscape of technology and allow students to learn on a one-to-one basis and can give the teacher more resources to use in front of and away from the classroom. Learning can become personalized with different apps and students engagement (a big, buzz word right now) will spike. As Kathy Schrock labeled it, iPads have revised teaching and learning and even Bloom's! No longer is there a hierarchy  but the cogs are all working together as our students create and learn.

Apple and iOs products can be used daily - they shouldn't be relegated to the side or a one day a week item. There has to be an investment made and a change of heart when it comes to delivery of material. With helpful websites and colleagues (and of course, your local Tech Department), cutting down the App-Jungle will be much easier and more fruitful. 

Be on the look out for the App-O-Da-Week and the App Educator of the Month!

For more questions or comments, leave them below or contact me via email at tcharleston@gbtps.org

iPad 2 Wi-Fi 16GB - White (Google Affiliate Ad)

iPad with Retina display Wi-Fi 32GB Black (Google Affiliate Ad)

Apple iPod Touch 64GB 5th Generation - Blue (Google Affiliate Ad)