School Leaders on iPads & Tablets

The following is a list of Google Apps for iOS (from Google, Inc. and third parties). This list is exhaustive and includes several apps that are not on the infographic Guide to Google Apps for the iPad. Some of these have natural classroom integration, and some are more for personal or business use. Some are optimized for both iPad and iPhone, some are only optimized for iPhone. Each app title is linked directly to the App Store so you can click directly from your device to download each app.

A much needed balance between function and affordability, tablets of all shapes and sizes are being embraced by teachers in millions of different ways.

A recent study has found that kindergartners who use iPads in school are likely to score higher on literacy tests than those who do not.

The study, which was carried out in Auburn, Maine early last year, looked at 266 kindergartners who had been given free iPads to use in class as part of an experiment. Out of the 266 students, 129 were given lessons using iPads, while the remaining 137 were taught through traditional methods.

The results, which were published on Apple’s unofficial tech blog, TUAW, showed that in addition to better scores in every literacy test, children who were taught through the use of an iPad also showed an increased interest in learning and were more enthusiastic about going to school."

The fatal mistake schools make when deploying mobile technology is thinking that by purchasing the hardware, that’s the hard part done. In fact, the easiest step in a school’s iPad journey is buying the technology; the successful use of the technology is determined by what schools do after this.

dA few weeks ago, I shared here a list of some powerful iPad apps for sketchnoting (visual note taking) and I argued that sketchnoting has several cognitive pluses (e.g easy memory recall, quick processing of data, enhanced concentration, to mention but a few). I have recently bought a stylus and started experimenting with this new form of taking notes. My sketches are not the best but the more I practice the better they become. One of the things I learned from the different video tutorials I watched in this regard is that as a beginner sketchnoter you need to build a rich visual vocabulary that will facilitate your visual representations and to do this you need to have access to works of expert sketchnoters. Observing how they use shapes, colours, graphic organizers, text...etc will definitely help you learn how to create your own sketchnotes. One of the people I would recommend for anyone starting to learn sketchnoting is Langwitches.

We want to address concerns about tablet use in the classroom & offer tips that may serve useful if iPads do come to play a larger role in your classroom.

Apple has released another video in their ongoing creative series — "Make a film with iPad". It features student directors from the Los Angeles County High School, including Juliet Chin, Miu Jun, and Chester Milton, as well as excerpts from Martin Scorsese's commencement speech to the NYU Tisch School of the Arts Class of 2014.

The district saves on the cost of a temporary worker, and students theoretically stay on track with the week’s lessons. This is particularly interesting in light of recent studies that have found chronic teacher absenteeism can hurt student achievement.

"For the first time ever, Khan Academy has released all of its classes specifically for the iPad. This is great for anyone interested in getting some free education, but it’s much more than that. In fact, Khan Academy’s decision is big news for human civilization."