(picture from: http://blogs.ajc.com/get-schooled-blog/files/2011/02/ipads2.jpeg)
Teachers and apples go way back. I am sure you have heard the old cliche about the teacher's pet giving the teacher an apple. But what does this adage mean for today's classrooms. Clearly the apple has fallen off the tree and into your local mall or electronics store. The technology company Apple has seen success in a way like no other. For the past twenty years (or so), they have been light-years ahead of their competition with their innovative products that have essentially changed the way we live. Currently, the iPad (see above) is being adapted for use into classrooms for instruction and other purposes. As Dr. Falkenstein mentioned in the screen cast (http://screencast-o-matic.com/watch/cX6tqoOMk), iPads provide many benefits within the education world.
He mentions benefits for both teachers and administrators. I have first hand seen some of the great instructional benefits that iPads and Apple Applications can provide in the classroom. Unfortunately, I do not currently have an iPad but I do have an iPod Touch and an iPhone. I have used these devices to supplement my lessons that I am currently teaching at a private learning center. The kids absolutely adore the innovation and creativity that the applications from these tools have brought to the classroom. I can specifically recall that I did one lesson with the students about the Magic School bus and the human body. I was able to use my iPod to show the students video clips from the television show and we were able to calculate specific events in our lives according to the human body calculator app. I loved using these technologies with my lessons and I hope to use more like them in the future! Some other useful apps that I have found on the Apple network are the Math Puppy Bingo Game, (where the students can play bingo to solve math problems), I feel ...Electric! (This application teaches the students about different feelings and various vocabulary words, the students can listen to music and create their own mood pets in this app as well. I also want to discuss the Talking Tom app. This app repeats whatever the students say. My friend who is a speech pathologist uses this app in order to help her students hear and understand their speech and language. Below, I have included some screenshots of these apps from my iPhone:
(In their respective order: the first picture is a screenshot from Math Puppy Bingo, the second is from an application that allows the students to practice writing, the third is the feelings and emotions app entitled I feel Electric, and the last one is Talking Tom).
With these applications and more the possibilities for iPad use in the classroom are endless. Also, I would like to include this video that further demonstrates the uses of iPads in the classroom. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bw6oZh_spAs.
As Dr. Falkenstein has mentioned, the iPads provide tremendous benefits for classroom instruction as well as administrative duties. Since the iPads are small and portable, they are very easily used by students in small groups or centered activities and the teacher can also the iPad to monitor the student's progress. The administrator can also use the iPad for walkthroughs of the classroom, since they are small and portable and allow for mobility.
I can not wait to see how this technology is going to change the world of education!
Great post! I WISH I had an iPad. Everyone on our marketing team one, but I don't because I'm a graduate intern. :( I didn't know there were so many cool, educational games like the ones you mentioned. I love that mentioned the Magic School Bus! Sometimes the classics teach us the most about life. I know that's how I originally learned about the human body too. You've GOTTA love Ms. Frizzle.
ReplyDeleteThat was one of my finest lesson planning moments.. completely off the top of my head and the kids loved it. I wish I had an iPad too, a girl can dream right? I would love to implement these in my classroom...maybe with the right resources and school I will be able to :)
ReplyDeleteIt is interesting that we talk about apple as being the best products and I like your reference that teachers and apples have a long standing history. I posted a video in my last discussion post about how apple's marketing plan is opposite than most other computers and it is why they sell so well (even though they have very similar products). I wonder if android tablets have similar apps than those available on the apple products, those tablets are about a quarter of the cost and perform similarly.
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing the screen shots of the different apps. This is very helpful and I can imagine how your students have benefited from your Web 2.0 digitaltoolsaviness! I'm thinking...what if I had had a math app that could have helped me with the GRE...:-) Seriously, I know we are on the cusp of a educational revolution given the number of interactive possibilities that the iPad provides. It's just a matter of time now...
ReplyDeleteJon- I actually watched your video on the discussion and found it very interesting. Apple's marketing program is so interesting because their products are more expensive then others and yet people will line up and cause a commotion for them. I think it has something to do with status symbols. I think if you have iPad it is a major status symbol. It states that you care about technology and you are "hip and cool." Apple has a great reputation and is even more bolstered by the social capital of its products. I actually saw a quote somewhere that you may find interesting, "Blackberries are for people who think they are important, iPhones are for people who think iPhones are important, and Droids are for for poor people" (I am sorry if you have a droid, I did not make this up). I think this quote is extremely representative of our society and how technology becomes a social status.
ReplyDeleteJennifer- You're welcome for sharing the screenshots! They are just a few examples of what the Apple app store can do. I am in agreement about the revolution from this mobile devices. I can not wait to see how they are going to affect our classrooms.
I completely agree. I too feel that technology, especially those created by Apple, have definitely changed the way we educate our students. I recently took a visit to a private special needs school that I once interned at and came to find that in one of the autistic classrooms, teachers were using IPads with the students! It was great for the kids because many of them ar nonverbal, and it gave them the opportunity to communicate with their teachers and classmates by pushing a button to say hello, or answer a math question. I feel as though I need to become more Apple tech savvy, however, if I am to fully excel in my future career.
ReplyDeleteThat is a really interesting point you make Sammi about being Apple savvy in order to excel in your future career. It is interesting to note that you didn't say technologically savvy but you said Apple savvy specifically. I feel that this mirrors a shift in our paradigm as educators and consumers. Education is definitely headed down a path that is more Apple friendly.
ReplyDelete