EdTech Workshop: 5 Ways I'm Using Apps in the Classroom As I'm wrapping up week #2 teaching language arts in a 4/5 1:1 iPad environment, I thought I would try a "5 ways..." type of post. One of my many goals this year is to be a better sharer, so I am pushing myself to blog each week and to try different styles of writing. Let me know what you think, please! 1. We have experimented, thus far, with three apps for student blogging: Wordpress, Chrome and Safari. I'm amazed at how quickly the students are beginning to fluently use multiple apps to achieve a task. Note: Our student bloggers would love to connect with other student bloggers, and we would welcome readers and comments. 2. After carefully reviewing the features of Class Dojo, I decided against using it for behavior management. 3. The camera is a no-brainer. 4. I put Words With Friends on our app list, thinking that we would use it as part of Daily 5 word work. 5. What are students actually learning?
Create your own iPad keyboard for less than $10! One of the more common complaints among iPad users is that the keyboard is awkward to use. Apple offers a wireless keyboard solution at the prohibitive price of about $70 plus shipping but you can actually create your own simple iPad keyboard for less than $10. You need two simple components: A USB camera connection kit (see left). This is normally used for connecting digital cameras to your iPad. You can find them on eBay for around $3.A USB keyboard. The process is very easy. Ironically, PC keyboards worked well and the only problem we encountered was in trying to connect some Apple keyboards. Sam Gliksman samgliksman@gmail.com
How To Connect An iPad To A Smartboard It’s really simple–so simple that you’re going to feel silly for not having already known this–and if you tweet this out to a colleague without checking out the stunning simplicity of it all, you’re going to feel crunchy (remember that term?) later when you realize it wasn’t quite the revelation you’d thought it might be. Context If you’ve only got one iPad, or are trying to guide the entire class through an activity, the classroom projector can act as a modeling tool for students to follow along. By displaying the iPad on the projector, you’ve got an easy way to broadcast your screen–or a student’s screen during a presentation–to the entire class. What You Need Process To use the Smartboard as a projection display, you only need an Apple VGA adapter, the same style you’d use for other gadgets including monitors. Sorry it wasn’t more intricate or secretive than that.
Tip 114 - Audio QR Codes Imagine students’ artwork hanging in your school’s hallway and beside each masterpiece is a QR code. When parents, students, and other teachers scan the code using a mobile device, they hear the student telling about themselves and the relevance of their art... Or what about a QR code in the back of a library book that allows you to hear a student’s review of the book? Or a QR code sent home to parents that allows them to listen to their 1st grader reading or telling a story? Sounds difficult, doesn’t it? Not familiar with QR codes? 2 Options for Recording the audio file and generating a URL: Option 1: 1. Note - The first time you use this site, you will need to click a couple of buttons to set it up. 2. 3. 4. Option 2: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Creating the QR Code: Use an online QR Creator 1. - QR Hacker - Kaywa - QuickQR 2. 3. 4. Batch-Generating Codes in a Google Spreadsheet 1. (For instructions, see Tip 111 ) Suggested fields: - First Name
Bloom's Taxonomy for The iPad Langwitches has recently updated his phenomenal post on the The iPad Apps for Bloom Taxonomy. This post has an awesome aggregation of iPad apps organized according to Blooms HOTS ( Higher Order Thinking Skills). If you are a teacher or educator and have not yet read about Bloom's Taxonomy then let me tell you that you are missing out on a great resource of educational insight. One of the most popular posts here in Educational Technology and Mobile Learning is Bloom's Taxonomy: The 21st Century Version. I recommend that you read it to have an idea of the importance of this taxonomy in education. As for the the apps Langwitches has suggested for each skill, you will find almost half of them are not free but they are not expensive anyway.
transferring-worksheets-to-your-ipad Transferring worksheets to your iPad Recently I shared a photo with all of you with my daughter using printables I created on the iPad. Several people emailed me and asked how I did that. So, today I am giving a tutorial on how to do that. By putting worksheets on your iPad, you not only save tons of ink and paper.. But you also make worksheets a bit more fun. Step 1: Have a PDF file of the worksheets you want to put on your iPad. Today I have a simple Fall Worksheet printable to share with you to get you started. To download, please read and agree to my terms of use: To download, click here: Step 2: Once you have a file, make sure you have Dropbox installed on your computer. Step 3: Locate the file you want to put on to your iPad. Then right click on it to copy the file. Step 4: Open up the Dropbox folder. Then right click in the folder and click “paste” Step 4: The file will then appear in the dropbox folder. or Step 6: Open the Good Notes APP on your iPad. Then click on dropbox. Thanks!
How To Setup Parental Controls (Restrictions) on the iPad The iPad is a wonderfully easy and intuitive device to use. This is generally nothing but a major advantage – but at times it can cause issues if you have children who share your iPad or are allowed to use it from time to time. Problems you might encounter range from a child inadvertently deleting a frequently-used app to discovering that your child’s favorite new iPad game has allowed them to rack up hundreds of dollars worth of charges to your credit card via In-App purchases. Fortunately, the iPad (and iOS) comes with a strong set of parental controls that you can choose to apply to reduce the chances of seeing any problems when you allow your kids to use an iPad, it’s a shared one or one of their own. You’ll find these controls in the iPad’s Settings app – under Settings > General > Restrictions. To get started you tap the ‘Enable Restrictions’ button at the top of the page – when you do you’ll be asked to set a passcode and confirm it. Allow Allow Changes Allowed Content Game Center
iPad Multimedia Tools Keynote can do much more than simple slides with text and images! In this hands on session, we’ll explore new tools that let you draw, annotate, animate, audio record, and make videos. We’ll look at how students are using these tools to create animations, digital storytelling, clipart, and more. Finally, you’ll create your own cartoon self portrait. (For this session, you’ll need an iPad running the latest version of the free Keynote app. Lafayette Regional eLearning Conference - Lafayette, Indiana, Thursday, June 7 12:15 and 3:15 - Show What You Know: Illustrate and Annotate It! In this hands-on session, we will explore iPad strategies that help learners of any age visualize their learning. Book Snaps - post and tutorials using Pic Collage Edu to annotate text 1:15 - The Shape of Things to Come: Learning in 3D Room 148 Curious about getting started with 3D printing? MACUL Conference 2018 - Grand Rapids, MI The Shape of Things to Come/No More Flat Stanley: Learning in 3D Atrium (Amway)
The Teacher's Guide To The One iPad Classroom Today, I’m going to tell you a fairy tale: Once upon a time, my mother in law (a third grade teacher) was in her classroom at school when her principal walked in and gave her an iPad for her class to use. Well, technically it was supposed to be for the entire third grade to share, but that’s almost beside the point. After some initial excitement, she discussed how the entire third grade was supposed to share a single iPad with her fellow third grade teachers, and the iPad was promptly banished into a drawer, never to see the light of day again. The end. Wait, should I have warned you that the fairy tale didn’t have a happy ending? Unfortunately, it isn’t an isolated incident. Use apps for….. ….And more!