April 2011 Blog Posts (17)

I am a Kindergarten teacher in an iPad pilot and I thought you might be interested in hearing straight from the source how 1:1 student devices, specifically  iPads, are not only increasing student achievement, but also changing the culture of teaching and learning in the 21^st century classroom. 

 

Many resources are needed to create a positive, successful learning environment, not the least of which is a teacher who seeks to make the environment rich in learning…

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I have taught7th grade history for five years. One of my "bread and butter" strategies is called the interactive note taking and reading strategy. On my blog I have posted a video clip of exactly how this works. I would love to know if anyone knows of an app that will help my classroom become paperless. I know this is a lofty goal, but I think that it is worth a shot.

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You hear it repeatedly. You can't throw technology into schools without training and support for teachers. If you purchased a truckload of iPads for your school then you better have a plan for developing teachers that are skilled in using them ... but what does it really mean to be "skilled"? If I know all about technical specifications, how to download and synchronize apps, how to configure my iPad - does that make me skilled? What constitutes effective professional development? How do we…

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With Mac OSX Lion in the works there are many features being thrown around. One that caught my attention right away was Apple finally wising up to the need for a 1st party solution for multiple remote users. This is the same function you can get from a Windows sever and network accounts, the ability for a single machine to host several users at once from remote terminals. All programs run on the server and users just view the screen.



The iPad has already been demonstrated as viable… Continue

I was wondering what everyone things about the SMART Board and the Ipad has anyone ever used this together?

In a world that revolves around technology, you would think that this would also be the case within our classrooms. However, my preschool students do not have access to technology in the classroom and they would benefit from using an iPad to facilitate the learning process especially when teaching students with special needs and English language learners.

My students are three to five years old and attend their neighborhood public school in a high poverty area of the city. The…

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There was a recent tongue-in-cheek article in the New York Times about the annoying habit many people have of texting when you talk to them. We're all familiar with the scene of family members or friends sitting next to each other at a table or sofa - each one interacting intensively on their own device while seemingly impervious to the fact that they are sitting right next to another person.



It has been shown that the development of social and interpersonal skills is one of the… Continue

 

1. All of McGraw Hill Everyday Math $2 Games Apps are available for FREE download during NCTM April 13-16 2011  I included the Ipad links.  If you want the Ipod links, search by the name. 

 

Addition Top-It… Continue

Hi Everyone,

Here is my list of applications that I am using in my special ed classroom.  I am fully aware these apps are more tailored for Junior Grades and special ed, and I am working on another list for older classrooms.  By no means is this a definitive list but from my endless hours of research, trialling and utilising these with my kids, these apps are the ones I find the most useful, interesting and motivating.

 

thanks

 

Karen…

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Hi,

This is an edited version of a post I did on my own blog last month, but I'd love to get some feedback on it. I got 200 views, and no comments. It has some strong opinions but all are views I can defend.

Soon I will post some questions to get feedback about designing and delivering Professional Development for teachers. Thanks.

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I have to admit right up front that I am not disinterested in seeing the very positive aspects of teaching…

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I though I would begin a blog here tracking my search for elementary school worthy Apps of both utility and quality. The App store is a sea of duplicate functionality. I have nearly 3 years experience working as a computer lab assistant in a 1:1 computer school and hopefully a grasp of the limitations of modern computerized education. I also have learned that I have a capacity to "eat" user interfaces and dissect them very quickly. After doing reading and light research on the history of tablet… Continue

hey

I am a 6th grade math teacher - trying to "do away" with notebooks and binders.  if I send the boys a math ws in google docs. drop box or some other way, is there a program in which they can use the stylus to actually solve problems and write on this sheet and then save it in a "virtual notebook"?

The following post is a copy of an article written for a UNESCO sponsored site on education in developing nations.

        Mobile digital devices rocketed to popularity around 10 years ago with the release of the iPod. Mobile computing went mainstream with the release of the iPhone in 2007. With the release of the iPad just one year ago,…

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It’s April and despite T.S. Eliot's declaration of this being the cruelest month, it has been shaping up to be anything but.  Here is where we stand.  370 days ago we didn't "know from iPads."  Now Xaverian is moving in to the 1st year of a 2 year roll out.  Here are a couple of the issues we are tackling.

We have been able to get iPads in the hands of about 1/2 our faculty with the rest getting them within the month.  The buzz is GREAT!

- This has…

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Our two iPad2s head out on their first field test this coming Friday.  We have been planning, plotting, purchasing, prepping, and now we are running them through the last of their paces before they head out on a pair of field trips that will span five days (1 one-day, 1 four-day).  We've outfitted them with rugged cases, screen protectors, mobile hotspots, car chargers, solar chargers, and what seems like a gazillion apps - including Google Earth, Topo maps, GigaPan, and Rocks.  We expect…

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I've written in the past about the fact that one of the most underrated educational benefits of the iPad lies in it's ability to connect people. Whether through Facebook, Twitter, Facetime or others, mobile devices allow us to develop "learning communities" beyond the boundaries of any physical location. In giving workshops to educators and parents, I often highlight the concept of learning community as one of the most important advances of a 21st century education.

 

There are…

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