January 31, 2012

First Grade iPads - Setting Up for Learning

The First Grade Team and I met this week during their team meeting. We set up the use of the projectors with the Apple TV receivers. Each teacher has a password to be able to connect to the correct receiver as she moves around the room showing the iPad on the large screen. Everyone is using:

  • SightWords
  • MathWise
  • Handwriting with DoodleBuddy 
  • as well as connecting to TumbleBooks online.

Teachers are using the still and video camera capability of the iPads to record student learning and posting blog entries.

January 18, 2012

What Learning is Happening with iPads in YES classrooms?

It seems like every day there are conversations buzzing about how we can support learning with the single iPads that are in the pilot 3rd & 4th grade classrooms at YES. The teachers whose classrooms received the YEF grant iPads are using them connected to the projector for whole class instruction, for individual student use and as a center for a small groups of students. Additional teachers are using iPads that are their own.
  • One class recorded the field trip to the State House in Augusta by creating a Voicethread using the mobile app. The camera on the iPad made taking pictures easy and then students added narration with audio or video clips to describe what they had learned. The kids seemed to enjoy how easy it was to build the slideshow and the iPad made it possible to do everything on one device. 

  • Students are using the ShowMe app to write math procedures and record their descriptions of what they are doing or teachers are creating blog videos for explaining an algorithm.

  • Dragon Dictation is helping some students with writing as they can speak into the iPad microphone and the app turns their voice into text. This text can be emailed to the teacher who can help the student continue the document.


Some other thoughts for exploration are spelling apps, voice recording of reading fluency, math practice and TumbleBooks online. Also, we added an "eprint" color laser printer this week in the YES Lab for printing directly from the iPads.

There is excitement in the air as we explore ways to use this "touch" device in ways that supplement and expand the technology access we offer to students at YES.
(cross posted at http://ipadsyes.blogspot.com/)

January 13, 2012

iPads are Launched at Rowe & YES

Thanks to the generous support of the Yarmouth Education Foundation we now have 13 iPad in use in grades 1, 3 & 4.

The three teachers at YES are exploring using 1 iPad per classroom. Energy is percolating around using the Dragon app for more productivity by reluctant writers, ideas for sharing storybooks on the classroom projector, demonstrating math processes with the Show Me app and a Voicethread of a field trip to the State House all done on the iPad.

Today first grade teachers spent most of their prep period setting up a new cart with a projector and an Apple TV that can mirror the iPad screen through a wireless connection so that the teacher can be moving around the room and projecting the iPad to the whole class. We started by sharing some Tumblebooks from Portland Public Library that have been adapted to display on the iPad. Classroom excitement is high and we are all thrilled to have all this equipment up and running.

Automating vs. Transformative Uses of iPads - from Sylvia Tolisano

Slideshare.net is a great source for presentations. Sylvia Tolisano is a prolific contributor to the learning community around technology and global collaboration. Here is a link to her "Ipads in Education Part 1"which has great tips for getting started.

In Part 2 asks the essential question, "What is the difference between transformative use and automated use of iPads in the classroom?" Sylvia displays some of her app choices and provides several activities using iPads in transformative ways.

January 10, 2012

Searching for Apps

I found a new way to search for apps tonight that I thought I would share: Quixey. On a quick search for "teaching reading". I found these iPad apps we might want to explore for the first grade pilot:
This may be one more way to explore and search for useful apps.