Grr! The ‘Flipping’ iPad (Top 3 Workflow Solutions?) It’s not a problem as such. It’s not even a real concern. But every time I think I’ve got a consistent workflow solution for my students, a slightly better one comes along. Choice is always fantastic but . . . The ‘flipped’ class exam results were very good, in fact, among the best we’ve ever had. Consequently the impact the iPad and ‘flipping’ had in the classroom couldn’t be ignored (alongside the influence of twitter and screen-casting). Students in the class referred to the iPad when asked about the reasons for their success. So I began the summer break confident the workflow solutions we had would suit the next cohort. Holiday work then centred around the creation of ‘flipped’ class videos and a rejigging of schemes of work. I had been using Evernote personally as a filing system but hadn’t thought to use it as a workflow solution. So I tried it with the students’ holiday work that was due in mid-August and it worked fine. Until now. Like this: Like Loading...
Touch and go Since the introduction of the iPad and the subsequent parade of similar touch screen tablets, there has been much speculation about exactly what impact the devices might have on learning and teaching. A lot has been written about the potential of the devices, and much has been purely anecdotal. Clearly tablets are easy to use and have potential to revolutionise the way people access information. But what about formal education? I have contributed to the dialogue on this blog and there is much to discuss in relation to pedagogy, teacher roles, assessment and curriculum issues. Until very recently, little empirical evidence had emerged to demonstrate clear learning benefits from tablets. Image by Fotopedia Touch and go by Steve Wheeler is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License.
From Twitter to tablets: my best lessons using technology | Teacher Network Blog | Guardian Professional David Rogers explains how students' own devices and school tablets can enhance data collection alongside traditional paper based techniques on field trips. Photograph: www.alamy.com As curriculum leader of Priory Geography department, I am privileged to be able to see my colleagues deliver many high quality lessons that utilise technology every day. Of course, I could have included an example from our Bring Your Own Device policy, tablets, mobile learning and other 'wizz bang' stuff, but, from experience, many looking to expand their use of technology in the classroom can find such tales intimidating as well as inspirational. We often find ourselves wanting to make a visual impact when introducing a new topic. This approach has led into creative writing pieces and does engage pupils' senses. Next, in geography, it's always important to build up some background information about a place so we'd get students racing to find some.
Top 3 #Edtech Inspired Learning Tips – Plus 5 App Suggestions Social media users may have heard of a ‘chat’ but students don’t necessarily understand the learning implications a ‘chat’ can have. The effectiveness of a twitter-chat is down to the setup and the expectations placed upon students. A tried and tested technique is to ask students to post an article for a relevant module and discuss each others submission. This leads to interesting debate and actually students want to prove they were right. These chats can be moderated, but once the students understand the concept they seem to run very smoothly. (Modelling good practice is a useful way to start.) I would strongly advise that students have professional, protected accounts so they can be followed back by the educator. Even though the ability to make movies has been around for decades, the availability of mobile devices have made creating movies very simple. iMovie on the iPad is a very useful app as its intuitive nature means students can complete a project very quickly. Like this:
MuyBlog – The Empty Backpack It’s almost time for school to start again, and when the students walk in I know I’m going to see them lugging backpacks loaded with textbooks, notebooks, trappers, worksheets, pens, pencils, and numerous other things in their bags weighing 10, 20, 30 pounds or more. I, however, envision a much different school. A place with empty backpacks, where everything a student needs is on one device, their iPad. When the first iPad came out a few years ago I was part-time technology coordinator and part-time teacher at the school and we decided to get one to check out. About six months later, I convinced my superintendent that if we were thinking about going one-to-one with iPads, which we had discussed, we should do some type of pilot program to check them out and I would volunteer to do so in my chemistry class. So began my adventure with the iPad in the classroom. There are many things you can do on both, but quite often I prefer to do them on the iPad, such as read.
Teachers Guide on The Use of ePortfolios in Education Have you ever thought of teaching your students how to create an ePortfolio ? Well if you have not then it is about time to take the idea seriously. There are actually several reasons why you should encourage students to create their own ePortfolios but before we delve into them let me just briefly define what an ePortfolio is. ePortfolio is an electronic journal where one collects evidence of their learning. It is the equivalent of the traditional pen and paper journals where we used to track our learning journey before technology takes over. ePortfolios can either be discipline specific or genrally open to the entire lifelong learning experience. We in education are interested in the first type. The good thing about ePortfolios is that they help students reflect about their own learning.This reflection is a necessary mental process for developing critical thinking. " The e-portfolio is the central .and common point for the student experience.
What can you do with an iPad in the classroom? It’s a tool, it’s a tool, it’s a tool. The iPad is not going to replace teachers or ‘fix’ education. There is a cost implication that must be taken into account and only an educator will know if it is right for their students. Indeed the cost-benefit analysis for an establishment must take into account a host of factors when considering iPad use in the classroom. Assessment for Learning The most valuable weapon in an educators arsenal is feedback. Applications such as eclicker, Socrative and Nearpod have the ability to provide instant feedback for every child in the classroom. Collaboration Setting a collaborative task is a tried and tested technique to allow students to question each other in the pursuit of an answer. Every educator has been left with completed work and no easy means to ensure the student has a copy to refer to in the future. The point is an educator can now set tasks to enhance learning, safe in the knowledge the students have the tools to complete what is required.
7 habits of highly effective teachers Always Prepped Blog We’ve all heard about Stephen Covey’s 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. Some teachers out there may have heard of the 7 Habits of Highly Effective Teachers. Below are our 7 habits of highly effective teachers who use technology: 1) They always start with the why. 2) They are malleable and can easily adapt. 3) They embrace change. 4) They share, share, and then share some more. 5) They think win-win-win-win. 6) They are extremely thorough and think two steps ahead. 7) They actively care. What are your thoughts? Always Prepped. Teachers, we would love for you to signup for our site today. Beautiful classroom reports, designed to save teachers time.
18 iPad uses: How classrooms are benefiting from Apple's tablets Apple's iPads are quickly becoming a popular and powerful educational tool for classrooms. Beyond the immediate benefit of engaging students, iPads can improve education efficiency and standards. However, many teachers are unsure of how to use them effectively. Coupled with concerns over the costs involved, iPad implementation in schools is seen as an unnecessary and expensive risk. As the case studies below demonstrate, iPads are being used in education environments around the world with great success. Teachers can have paperless classrooms, take attendance, share interactive presentations and test their students—all on their iPad. So just what are they doing? 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. 17. Similarly, First Words Animals aids with letter and word identification. 18.
Literacy in PE Literacy is a key theme this year and one which is being raised and commented a lot in various forums. Ideas and discussion have flowed on Twitter. Numerous blog ideas have looked at how to develop better reading or writing techniques with students. I have had books recommended to me and courses have passed through my inbox. Now I am no expert at all. Not in the slightest. Literacy in PE ideas: Here is a collection of ideas that have been shared so far via e-mail/Twitter in an effort to develop literacy ideas in PE. Fact in Fiction writing tasks - An excellent task for PE theory. SOLO Taxonomy - SOLO to help students structure long answer questions (picking out a fact, giving the definition, linking it to an example and bringing in other topics/aspects - going from pre-structural to EA). Student speak - We also teach our Year 7's & 8's how to give effective feedback through Sport Education so they can verbally structure it. School sports newspaper - Happened a few years back.
Visualising Ideas - Sailing Away in 3 Different Directions with EDMODO Photo by Omri Epstein I first learned about Edmodo from Sandy Millin’s detailed post back in June, 2011. Yes, that was quite a while ago but till recently I hadn’t had any real incentive to experiment with it on my own. Tools I had already mastered were enough for me. All that changed after I had taught my first course to 38 adult students in a private language school and had agreed to teach another such course. “Let there be light!” 1) No student claimed that he didn’t know which assignment he was supposed to have done (or that I never said it needed to be done). 2) No student claimed that he HAD handed in assignments and its just me that was claiming that he didn’t. 3) I didn’t receive multiple copies of the exact same answers to a homework assignment, sometimes even photocopied copies of the same task! 4) I didn’t come home with piles of papers every lesson and carry them back the next lesson. 5) Students can upload a profile picture.
5 Essential Tips To Help Integrate iPads Into Your School Using Socrative app for iPad – AfL the fun way! « Smarter Learning I have recently started to experiment with the Socrative app that is available online and via apps for iPad, iPhone and also Android mobile devices. Any device that access the internet can utilise Socrative in the classroom. Socrative brings smart clickers, student response and ease of use to a whole new level. Socractive has a wide variety of activities to use when assessing students learning. All feedback can be seen instantly by the teacher and can also be shared at the end of a quiz via a report. I recently used a ‘Space Race’ quiz that I had made as a starter activity to assess prior knowledge of a topic and the students loved it. The students can watch their rocket fly across the screen and compete with all members of the class to complete the exercise. The work that @asober, @tesscience and I have carried to make this app a must have in any classroom can be seen here where we produced and shared a collection of Socrative quizzes ready for the exam season this year. Like this: