iPads are Consumption Devices. Really?

[Sam Gliksman]

iPads have been hailed as unparalleled mobile devices for the consumption of media. The ability to browse the news, read an electronic book, display your photos, watch a video - these activities are all integral to the popularity of the iPad. On the other hand, iPads have equally been criticized within educational circles as ONLY being consumption devices. Many educators feel that iPads don't give students sufficient capacity to express themselves creatively. 

 

Is the depiction of the iPad as a consumption device a myth? How are you using them in your classes? Are you utilizing iPads for creative expression ... and if so, how? What iPad apps and activities are proving most effective in your class?

 

Add your voice to the discussion...

[Reshan Richards]

As part of my doctoral research I have been focusing on how to use the iPad to let students' create representations of their understanding rather than a tool that allows them to efficiently receive content.

 

I don't want to violate any Ning etiquette by plugging a commercial app that I helped develop, but I think that a combination of GarageBand, iMovie, and a screen/note-recording app make the iPad the perfect multimodal design environment for students.

 

 

 

[Dave Wingler]

Actually, I don't see any conflict in tactfully marketing apps that can be beneficial in the classroom as educators here are all seeking the same thing... how to use existing technologies to educate motivate and inspire students.  - Do you really have your hands in the creation of GarageBand and iMovie- or did I misread that? 

Reshan Richards said:

As part of my doctoral research I have been focusing on how to use the iPad to let students' create representations of their understanding rather than a tool that allows them to efficiently receive content.

 

I don't want to violate any Ning etiquette by plugging a commercial app that I helped develop, but I think that a combination of GarageBand, iMovie, and a screen/note-recording app make the iPad the perfect multimodal design environment for students.

 

 

 

[Reshan Richards]

Hi Dave

 

Ha no - I had my hands in the creation of an app called "Explain Everything" which is a screen-recording/casting type app for the ipad (it's a paid app).  I mentioned it in the class of iMovie and Garageband only because I think it fosters a similar type of creativity and design.

 

You can check it out here: www.explaineverything.com

 

-reshan

[Juan Luis Herrera Cortijo]

Schools and universities in Spain can't afford the expenses of distributing iPads among the students and are mainly used by teachers as a personal tool. In this context, I do a heavy use of it in class, to the point that is the only thing that I bring to my lessons. I teach technical subjects related to physical oceanography in the University of Vigo. Apart from using the iPad for presenting slides, bibliographic consults when a student makes a hard question and other uses you'll will be familiar with, I use it as a document camera during electronic circuits design and assembly hands-on lessons. 

[Loreen Leedy]

I don't know if the Book Creator app has been mentioned already (it didn't come up by searching.) It's easy to use and allows you to combine images and text into EPUB files that can be opened in iBooks. The EPUB can be shared via email. The word is that a future release will allow audio files to be added.

[Anthony DiLaura]

A colleague of mine and I just presented at MACUL 12- for Michigan users of computer learners about our 1:1 iPad initiative in our high school.  We have quite a few creations and creative uses for our iPads.  you can check some of them out here  sites.zps.org/twit/create