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What use is an ipad as an instructional tool

 
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hdeth



Joined: 20 Jan 2015
Posts: 583

PostPosted: Mon Sep 14, 2015 5:49 am    Post subject: What use is an ipad as an instructional tool Reply with quote

So we were just given ipads to use in our class and I'm trying to figure out what to use it for besides eye candy for the kids and their parents. All classrooms either have a pc with a projector or a mini-mac with a 70" TV. What can I do with an ipad that those can't do? I understand the usefulness of the kids having some device but what's really the point of me having one? They've given us some training with them but there's nothing they've shown us to do that couldn't be done just as easily or better on a normal computer.
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buravirgil



Joined: 23 Jan 2014
Posts: 967
Location: Jiangxi Province, China

PostPosted: Mon Sep 14, 2015 6:10 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

http://www.ipadeducators.com/#!curriculum-apps/c2t8

Bloom's Taxonomy of Apps
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hdeth



Joined: 20 Jan 2015
Posts: 583

PostPosted: Mon Sep 14, 2015 8:36 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

ipadeducators appears to be blocked in china. Will check it out later when I get on the ol' vpn.

There's a lot of apps that would be great for students and everyone was looking forward to that aspect...but the school cheaped out and only bought the teachers ipads. Almost no students have them (school's trying to get the parents to buy them now).

So until the students get ipads....I'm not really sure how much good this thing does me. Are there some tools that work really well even though the students don't have any sort of tablet (and not allowed to bring phones/computers to class)?

I mean, I think I can use all the apps on the main classroom computer...one less thing to carry around.
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buravirgil



Joined: 23 Jan 2014
Posts: 967
Location: Jiangxi Province, China

PostPosted: Mon Sep 14, 2015 8:59 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

hdeth wrote:
So we were just given ipads to use in our class...but the school cheaped out and only bought the teachers ipads. Almost no students have them (school's trying to get the parents to buy them now)
I've used a tablet to organize my own materials/schedule/roster, leaned it on the lip of a chalkboard to use a countdown timer (that is extra large and can be seen from far away), cast (or sling) content to an enabled projector (eZ cast, ChromeCast), and play music...that's about it.

I had inferred the students had them, and the links I posted are for that purpose. So...not much for you in those links.

Maybe offer it up to students structured by a fair time-sharing to see what they can do/find/enjoy with an earnest admission finding a purpose for the thing is a goal. Kids excel at doing unexpected things with the latest technology.
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winston.smith



Joined: 11 Nov 2015
Posts: 5

PostPosted: Sat Dec 05, 2015 7:01 pm    Post subject: Depends on student IT literacy & what lessons they repla Reply with quote

Depends on student IT literacy & what lessons they replace.

If the students have little IT experience they can be used as a "clunky" locked-down mini versions of a full blown PC. However, any IT instructor/assistant worth their salt should either be aware of how a system can be locked down and pass a request on to the relevant technician/engineer or can do the lock-down themselves, if the device needs this, though really this should already be in place.
A locked-down device is one which has been configured so that the users cannot reconfigure the device to the extent that it impairs their learning.
Otherwise, unless the students would benefit from a more mobile/sociable environment to the tasks at hand then the (slate/tablet/ipad (they're all the same, they're just marketed differently and have different operating systems, but essentially they're the equivalent device)) may not be the best option. Occasionally a certain level of isolation so students learn to develop initiative per specific tasks is necessary or useful, in which case tablets/slates/ipads may not be the best tool.
Like I said when mobility and sociability is an important aspect of whatever it is they are learning then in such a scenario this kind of device may be useful. However, even though they are tactil devices in some senses it is altogether different from getting students to really use their hands. Pen, paper, handling objects without too much object interaction. Electronic devices interact/respond "intelligently" in ways that non-electronic devices do not. This moves the student to a sense of almost total and complete self-reliance and helps encourage creativity in a more organic, less sterile interaction.
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Tarantogosh



Joined: 08 May 2016
Posts: 5

PostPosted: Thu May 12, 2016 11:02 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Here is a useful app finder:
http://designingoutcomes.com/assets/PadWheelV4/PadWheel_Poster_V4.pdf
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currentaffairs



Joined: 22 Aug 2012
Posts: 828

PostPosted: Thu May 12, 2016 12:56 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Lots of teacher apps for keeping records.

Practically speaking, I often find myself trying to explain what a parsnip or cauliflower is and with my iPad I can go into google images and dig a pic right up and go around the class.

I want to sync it up to the projector at some point but you need the proper software and not all projectors are compatible.
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CTravel32



Joined: 01 Mar 2017
Posts: 85

PostPosted: Fri Apr 13, 2018 11:18 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

It really depends on how invested the school is in tech. If they just care about eye candy, it is just an ipad and that is it, sure. But they could go further and invest in some solid digital platforms for reading, writing and grammar but those can cost money. Anything from the standard Pearson and beyond.

There are some free platforms/free with a 30 day trial like IXL. After the 30 days just create a new email address and get a new 30 day trial. Only issue is you are typing your roster into IXL every 30 days. Still, this is a great platform for grammar lessons and just require short teacher led instruction at the start of class most of the time (5 to 10 minutes slideshow and teacher led examples).

They can use goformative. The great thing is that on your teacher dashboard, projected on a 70 inch tv if you want (or kept private too) you can see live updates as they happen, as kids respond to multiple choice or essay questions, etc. and as you look at the dashboard you can tell the class to stop for a moment and point out things you are noticing on the big screen, for everyone to see if it is a class wide issue. Or keep it private and call up the kid in question and show them.

British council has awesome activities. The kids can get headphones and do listening activities.

You could also have them do kahoots team quiz/ team reviews with the scores being updated live on your teacher dashboard on the 70 inch screen. Quizziz is much the same but individual rather than team like kahoots. Regardless of what you use, kahoots, quizziz or otherwise, kids love to compete, to the extent that they often do not realize they are reinforcing concepts/reviewing.

Actually, the sky is the limit with an ipad. Go explore.
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