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.
24 Ed-Tech Terms You Should Know | EdTech Magazine If you’re a teacher or administrator who has been to an educational conference or sat in on a product demo featuring the latest classroom innovation, you know that the intersection of schools and technology is littered with buzzwords. From mLearning to mobile apps to asynchronous instruction, the ed-tech landscape is equal parts high-gloss marketing and roll-up-your-sleeves instruction. In the face of increased pressure to improve student performance, how can K–12 educators cut through the promotional hyperbole and put the focus where it should be — on classroom improvements? It helps if you speak the language. Are there any other terms you’d like to see on this list?
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.
5 Ways Rapid Technology Change Impacts Education How Rapid Technology Change Impacts Your Teaching by Terry Heick In an increasingly digital world (or increasingly digital human experience anyway), rapid technology change is a fact of life. And these threats aren’t limited to business disruption, the safety of your data, or the digital footprint of your children. There is likely very little that can be actively done to reduce these threats on a macro scale other than impact them financially as consumers, as they are first economic issues. But we can begin to understand them better as teachers. 1. Rapid technology changes increases the need for persistent, informal ‘PD.’ Technology policies, teacher growth plans, and even department structures are impotent against this rate of change, and this degree of fragmentation. This makes the curiosity and professional diligence of the educators themselves supplant notions of top-down professional development. 2. But in other ways, these apparent Luddites might have a point. 3. 4. 5.
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.
44 Better Ways To Use Smartphones In The Classroom 44 Better Ways To Use Smartphones In The Classroom by John Hardison first appeared on gettingsmart.com This week an online article grabbed my attention. Its title read “94 Percent of High School Students Using Cellphones in Class.” I immediately scoped out the heading and thought to myself, “Finally, teachers are beginning to embrace the powerful little gadgets.” One quotation in particular caused serious professional introspection on my behalf. I understand the tougher task of using regular cell phones in class versus internet ready smartphones, however , I could not disagree more with the above quotation. A blessed trip to the ISTE 2011 conference in Philadelphia helped me devise a BYOD classroom management plan and opened my eyes to the infinite educational potential of smartphones in the classroom. However, one of my toughest baseball coaches once said, “Potential and a dollar will get you a Coke.” 44 Better Ways To Use Smartphones In The Classroom Use Smartphones to Collaborate
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.
The Importance Of Mobile Learning In (And Out Of) The Classroom There has always been at least some sort of disconnect between how things are taught in a classroom and how things work in the ‘real world’. In some cases, the disconnect is very distinct (how many people took four years of high school language classes only to be able to barely introduce yourself in the language?). Many newer pedagogical models aim to be more practical (like Project Based Learning or Challenge Based Learning). So it was interesting to take a look at some of the mobile trends (and specifically, the mobile workforce trends) highlighted in this handy infographic to see where education might best make use of mobile learning, since this is what our students will be working with when they enter the workforce. Smartphones and Tablet sales will soon take over laptop and desktop computer sales: Don’t stick just to books – why not let students use the technology they’ll need in the future?