Discovery Learning: Games Designed to Make you Fail Games can sometimes provide us with opportunities to fail. It is this failing that allows us to learn. This is necessary in order to improve our next attempt and our next, until we get it right. Some of the most interesting games come without any instructions at all and mean that the very nature of the game itself needs to be discovered. This fits in perfectly with how kids use and embrace new technology - no one read the instructions - they just press the buttons until they work out what they all do. Feed the Head: $1.99 AU This has to be my all time favourite game. Where's My Water: $0.99 AU Swampy the Alligator lives in the sewers under the city. Room Break: $1.99 AU Room Break is an adventure game about escaping. Touch Physics: FREE
iPad Apps for School Administrators The iPad can be an incredible tool for the busy School Administrator. Below you will find a list of time tested applications for the iPad. I am in no way compensated by the app developers for the recommendations below, just sharing the good word. Enjoy, share, add your own recommendations in the comments. * Denotes that the app also has an online/software counterpart that can be accessed using the same username and password. General (Update) Sending an email with an attachment - This is concept is often overlooked and can cause some frustration for the new iPad user. *Appshopper.com - You may be able to count on Apple releasing an updated iPad each spring, but you can’t count on the price of its apps to stay the same. Google sync for iPad Calendars - By default the iPad will only sync your default Google Calendar to your iPad. Add bookmark to the homescreen - You may find that you use the same website a lot (ex. an observation walkthrough you use daily in Google Forms). File Storage
ipadkirjanen 3 Reasons an Administrator Needs an iPad For over a month now, I have been testing the capabilities of my iPad, and I have to admit, it has now become a seamless part of both my professional life and personal life. I would encourage all administrators to consider investing in an iPad for three reasons. 1. 2. 3. Getting an iPad should be a "no-brainer" for the administrator. Short List of Must Have iPad App List for Administrators Skype for iPad Dropbox for iPad Docs-to-Go for iPad GoTasks for the iPad Google App for the iPad
Apps for Professional Development Twitter App (free) Twitter is one of the most active and beneficial social networks on the web. All educators would be wise to join the conversation. If you haven’t used Twitter yet, I would recommend that you read these excellent blog posts: Google Voice (free) Text and call for free! Skype (free) A beautiful app that allows you to make and receive VOIP calls on your iOS device. HeyTell (free) A fun “walkie-talkie” app for quick voice communication. Consumption Apps FlipBoard (free) A beautiful app that turns your RSS reader (such as Google Reader) into a magazine. Zite (free) Similar to FlipBoard, however instead of just providing a beautiful interface to view content you select, Zite tries to introduce you to new content sources based off of sources you currently read. QR Code Readers Quick-Response codes are the strange black and white boxes that have begun appearing everywhere. Diigo (free) Research Apps: Genius Scan (free)
High School iPad Apps Create and publish your own wikis and blogs. Use these web services to communicate and collaborate with your friends and coworkers. It's easy to edit this page and create new wikis. Content previously available at this address is temporarily available at If you're looking for our iPad wiki content, it's still online at: Calendar | Change Password | Profile Manager 6 Easy Ways to Make Your Website Tablet-Friendly At the time of this writing, there are nearly 70 million tablet users in the U.S. alone, a figure that has doubled from the year before. This means that nearly 30% of the country’s Internet users are browsing on a tablet device. Tablet traffic to e-commerce sites grew by 348% from 2011 to 2012, overtaking smartphone traffic for the first time. With the tablet market as young as it is, its footprint is only going to expand. This trend sends a strong message: if you haven’t already, now is the time to prioritize your website’s design considerations for tablet functionality. What is Tappiness? When a website exhibits "tappiness," it’s easy—or even delightful—to use on a mobile or tablet device. The large font sizes and wide touch targets in this design offer a positive experience, even when reduced in scale on a tablet. The opposite experience exists when text is too small to read and navigation links are so close together that unintended navigation occurs. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. Conclusion
No clutter {Readability™} 32 iPad Tips and Tricks You know that your new iPad will let you easily watch movies, browse the Internet, or play games on the go, but there are many advanced features hidden beneath the surface of iOS that can improve your tablet computing experience even further. To help you become an iPad master, we've compiled a handy list of tips and tricks for new iPad users. Read on if you want to learn how to multitask, take screenshots, encrypt your backups and more. Set the iPad to self-destruct in 10 seconds: Okay, not really--but you can set the iPad to erase all data after ten failed passcode entry attempts by checking the Erase Data option under Settings, General, Passcode Lock. Don't let AutoCorrect mess you up: If you don't like the option AutoCorrect gives you, reject it by finishing the word as you prefer, and then tapping the suggestion. Download the free iPad User's Guide: You may have noticed that your iPad didn't come with a big printed manual--that's not Apple's style. Looking for more tips?
3 Ways to Manage Student iPads in the Classroom As the tidal wave of iDevices hit the shores this fall, I felt it was a good time to highlight a few ways to manage these devices with students. Add a Custom Email Signature: If you have email set up (we have a generic student email on each device that allows outgoing emails and restricts incoming) on the device to submit student work, consider adding a custom signature to your iDevice to discourage/manage rogue emails and inappropriate student use. Giving each device a different traceable signature will make it easier to locate the device that sent an inappropriate email. It is advised that each student uses the same iPad each class (e.g. 10 Tips for Using Evernote Effectively Evernote is a tool for keeping track of, well, everything. At least everything as far as digital information goes, or information that can be digitized. Evernote comprises a Web-based service and clients for Windows, Mac OS X, mobile devices, and extensions for Web browsers. It's a service I've been using for years, and over that time I've picked up a few tips and tricks for getting the most out of the tool. Learn the Shortcuts If you're using Evernote on the desktop, you'll want to start by learning the keyboard shortcuts. If you have something in the clipboard you want to create a note from, you can use Cmd-Ctrl-V to start a new note with whatever's in the system clipboard. Want to search for something that's in Evernote? The Evernote Web site has a full list of Windows shortcuts and Mac shortcuts. Use Evernote as an Address Book and Contact Manager I've yet to find a contact manager/address book that I actually like, whether it's Web-based or native desktop software. Local Folders