Educreations: iPad Lessons

Educreations has free computer and iPad software that helps you create and save iPad lessons and make use of lessons created by others.  Your lessons may include photo slides, diagrams, animation, and audio.  You can set who will be allowed to view your lessons. At Educreations you’ll find Featured Lessons, and subject area lessons in mathematics, science, Social studies, English, world languages, and the arts. Originally for teachers, this software may now be used by students to create reports and study notes.  The software is very easy to use, useful for teachers and students wanting to create iPad files, and convenient for learning from the lessons of others.

Evaluating Apps

How do you know if an app will work for your students?  Don’t just insert apps into your courses because they may cover what you want. Think of how they bring content to students and whether they propel students on to additional learning. Put your critical thinking skills to use when you evaluate an app. If an app doesn’t make use of the potentialities of 21^st Century Skills, is mostly glitz, and/or is actually a worksheet put into digital format, why bother with it? To help you, Silvia Tolisana, using rubics and updates from Harry Walker, Kathy Schrock, and Greg Alchin, developed an iPad Evaluation flier that can be used in all classrooms.

iPads Are For More then Apps

You’ve all heard of Bloom’s Taxonomy, 21^st Century Skills, Gardner’s Multiple Intelligences, and Alan November’s Digital Learning Farm. Now, Silvia Tolisano of Globally Connected Learning offers us several PDF pages showing how iPad apps fit into various categories of learning.

Let’s take a look at areas we’ve all studied such as Gardners’ Visual Spatial and Bloom’s Analyzing. Apps that promote the Visual Spatial include Motion Math, Google Earth, Pinterest, and Skitch. Some relating to Analyzing are: 3D Cell Simulation, Diigo, iThoughts HD, GoDocs, and Today’s Documents. Download the complete PDF, which will give you good ideas for the use of apps in learning.

Transforming Learning

High School Principal, Ben Johnson, believes that iPads have the capability to transform learning. In an article in edutopia, he offers scenarios of how iPads could be used effectively in classrooms. These include a geometry lesson that challenges students to find the “best geometric form for a deep sea submarine”. To complete the assignment, students search for information about pressure, tune in to lectures from experts, use math to discover the most durable form for the sub, work with their peers and teachers, both in–person and through networking, develop simulations, graph and present their results, and share what they learned. Students can accomplish all this and more without textbooks and without apps.  While Johnson believes that there are times when apps and other resources are useful, freeing students to think and create on their own is what will transform learning. According to Johnson, teaching mostly through apps and through control of student learning, “limits the true potential of the iPad.”

Exploratorium Apps

The Exploratorium in San Francisco is a fun place to visit both online and offline. This wonderful science museum now offers two free interactive books for the iPad, one featuring sound and one featuring color. Sound Uncovered lets you “hear with your eyes, see with your ears,” check your hearing and experiment with “things that go bump, beep, boom and vroom.” Color Uncovered lets you and your student explore with color via illusions, video, and text.

America’s Presidents from the Smithsonian

The National Portrait Gallery of the Smithsonian offers an excellent just-released (02-14-13) app that will be appreciated not only by students but all who enjoy learning more about history.  America’s Presidents ($4.99) uses the retina display of the iPad to bring users close up to the portraits of all our presidents. It also features information on presidential accomplishments, presidential families, and presidential pets. With the app, you and your students can take in FDR’s fireside chats, learn about the artists who created the portraits, vote for your favorite portrait, and find out just how much you really know about the presidents. Reviewers referred to this app’s graphics as “amazing”. Even if you don’t plan on purchasing the app, click on the link to investigate the Lincoln portrait with a Web magnifier and click on the app video. To find out more about this app, go to America’s Presidents on Facebook.

With Only One iPad in Your Classroom

Tech & Learning’s Advisor Blog is always a good place to go for information about classroom techniques that work. In Michele Vance’s blog comments, you’ll find twenty-nine different ways you can put to use that one and only iPad you have in your classroom.  Rather than grumbling about not having an iPad available for each student, focus on using that iPad for: group learning by connecting the iPad to a projector, individual student learning, creating class videos, using apps to track behavior, FaceTime with other classes, interactive games, taking pictures and creating bulletin boards, using audio books, giving practice tests, and so much more. Check Michele’s blog entry for the rest of her one-iPad ideas.

Apps for Kindergarten & More

Katrina Keene created an edshelf collection of tools for use with Kindergarten students. Some of the apps she recommends are First Letters and Phonics, Eddie’s Number Party, Spell + Friends, Tiny Chicken Learns Math, Toontastic, and twenty other apps. As with any edshelf collection, you can embed Keene’s resource right into your blog or Website using the edshelf’s Collection Widget. The free edshelf site features many other collections that may be of use to you. Perhaps, you’ll want to create a free account so that you can create your own edshelf collections.

Looking for Apps for Kids & Teens?

Common Sense Media offers “starter kits” to help parents, teachers, and students find essential apps for iPhone, Android Phone, Android Tablet, and Kindle Fire. The apps are listed by device in the following age categories: 2-6, 7-12, and 13-17. You can look at the selections online, download the apps, and print the guide. Essential Apps for Kids and Teens were selected by editors at Common Sense Media, independent evaluators who have children’s best interest in mind.

Mobistories for Ages 2-6

An interesting collection of digital books for children to use at home or school is available from Still Motion Media. The stories target ages 2-6, 4-8, and 6-10, and may be used on Mac and PC computers, iPads, iPhones, iPods, Xbox, Wii, and Playstation. Stories cost about $1 each, but parents can subscribe to Mobistories in order to receive free downloads each month, entrance into Mobistories library collection, and special offers. For school and library subscription offers, contact Still Motion Media. Short previews are available online, and you can also sign up to receive a free book.