For iPad literacy, I chose to focus on the My Spelling Test app, Educreations interactive whiteboard, and Puppet Pals, all of which would be wonderful learning tools in an elementary school classroom. My Spelling Test is an app that allows the user to create their own spelling tests. Teachers can make tests or practice tests for their students, and the app even allows the teacher to record their own voice saying each of the words. This would be especially useful for those students who do not have someone who can work with them frequently on homework.
The Educreations interactive whiteboard is a really useful tool for teachers and students, because it allows teachers to create video lessons, recording what the teacher is writing on the screen (as well as the teacher's voice). Students can pause to take notes, going at their own pace, and watch the video as many times as is necessary. Maybe the teacher already taught the lesson to the class, but then during centers students could watch the video again to clarify what he or she did not understand.
I absolutely loved the Puppet Pals app. In Puppet Pals, students can choose characters and backgrounds, then record their own voices to create a story. This could be used as students either write their own stories, perform stories they have already written, or retell stories they have read in order to promote understanding. The app is fun and interactive, and allows the students to be creative. They are learning and reinforcing ideas all while having fun.
For iPad Disciplines, I chose to focus on the Piano app for music, the Kids Can Match Animals app for science, and Mathboard for math. Again, these are all apps that are great for elementary school age, since that is my specialty. I chose to look at the Piano app because I love music, and I truly believe that it is essential to children's development. Not only would this app be fun for students to make up their own songs, but it is very educational. It has a metronome to keep time, a pedal option, and says the notes on the keys. Students can even learn songs on this app. This app would help children to develop a musical ear, especially for those who cannot afford a real piano or music lessons, and to have a good time and develop musical confidence.
The next app I chose to look at was the Kids Can Match Animals science app. In this app, students play a virtual matching game, matching photographs of real animals. The game also plays the sounds that each animal makes, so students can learn that as well. There seems to be a wide variety of animals in the app. Students are learning to identify animals, the sounds they make, and practicing their memory skills. This game would be most suitable for young elementary schoolers, probably just kindergarten and first grade. However, I do think that it would be great for those ages!
The last app I am looking at is the Matchboard app. It is a fun, unique, and interactive way for students at all levels of math to learn. Not only does the app have problems for students to solve, it also makes math into different types of games. There are different math tables that students who are struggling can look at, and the app can save the user's score. This app would make math much more interesting for young students. Again, it could be used as a center after the main math lesson.
I enjoyed exploring and learning about these different apps for education. These would all be great to use in my elementary school classroom, making learning more interactive and enjoyable.
Showing posts with label TECH. Show all posts
Showing posts with label TECH. Show all posts
Friday, May 15, 2015
Wednesday, May 13, 2015
TECH-iPad Basics
In iWorks I chose to focus on Pages, which can be compared to Microsoft Word. I have used Microsoft frequently growing up, so I am fairly familiar with it. Pages is similar to Word in many ways, although different in several as well. The format of each are decently similar; while the iPad's toolbar is set up slightly differently in order to save space, the options are basically the same. Both programs have templates which one can choose from, and you type on it just like any Word document. One positive of Pages is that it saves your work automatically; you never have to save. The biggest difference between the two programs, however, is that Pages was created specifically for the iPad; therefore, its touchscreen actually makes it, in my opinion, easier to use, especially for young users. There is no mouse to navigate. One drawback to this, however, is that there is no actual physical keyboard, so typing can be a challenge. I enjoyed working with Pages, although I am not sure I have a favorite program between the two.
Box.net is similar to dropbox in that it will save your work online in an organized fashion. You can make different folders into which you can import as well as search information, and it can be accessed from anywhere and on any device as long as internet is available. I was easily able to import a picture of myself from my iPad into my new Box.net account, although videos, documents, PDF files, and more can also be imported. Collaboration is also possible with this website, which is great for many kinds of people, especially in schools.
I had never used iThoughts before, and I absolutely love it! It is easy to use and fun to play with. I could see this being a great classroom tool for brainstorming and understanding stories and concepts. It would be great for young learners because of the hands-on, interactive features, especially because it is on and iPad, and therefore, a touch screen. There are tons of colors and ways to format your diagram, so each student can be creative and make their ideas unique. IThoughts is a great visual aid, which is important, especially in elementary school.
I have used Safari frequently in the past, but never Rover. Rover is a unique program which is geared toward education and allows students to surf the web with protection, which would be great especially for elementary schoolers. It enables Flash, which is needed for many programs and videos, but does not work on iPads, and so that is a definite bonus. When I experimented with Rover, however, as I chose a few things to search, articles and websites would come up in the search, but I could not find any that I could use; they were all blocked. I am not sure what the point of even having websites show up in the search that are blocked. Of course I want to protect my elementary school students, but they also need to have access to enough information to learn.
Box.net is similar to dropbox in that it will save your work online in an organized fashion. You can make different folders into which you can import as well as search information, and it can be accessed from anywhere and on any device as long as internet is available. I was easily able to import a picture of myself from my iPad into my new Box.net account, although videos, documents, PDF files, and more can also be imported. Collaboration is also possible with this website, which is great for many kinds of people, especially in schools.
I had never used iThoughts before, and I absolutely love it! It is easy to use and fun to play with. I could see this being a great classroom tool for brainstorming and understanding stories and concepts. It would be great for young learners because of the hands-on, interactive features, especially because it is on and iPad, and therefore, a touch screen. There are tons of colors and ways to format your diagram, so each student can be creative and make their ideas unique. IThoughts is a great visual aid, which is important, especially in elementary school.
I have used Safari frequently in the past, but never Rover. Rover is a unique program which is geared toward education and allows students to surf the web with protection, which would be great especially for elementary schoolers. It enables Flash, which is needed for many programs and videos, but does not work on iPads, and so that is a definite bonus. When I experimented with Rover, however, as I chose a few things to search, articles and websites would come up in the search, but I could not find any that I could use; they were all blocked. I am not sure what the point of even having websites show up in the search that are blocked. Of course I want to protect my elementary school students, but they also need to have access to enough information to learn.
Sunday, May 10, 2015
TECH-Tablets in Education
There are many advantages to using tablets in education, and while most types of tablets are quite similar, each comes with its own set of strengths and weaknesses. I would like to look at the Barnes and Noble Nook, the Amazon Kindle, and the Apple iPad, and some of their pros and cons as far as use in the school. I would then like to take a look at how the iPad has been implemented in some schools, and what the results were.
The Barnes and Noble Nook is one tablet that has been used in some schools, including in Jennifer LaGarde's school library. There are many advantages to using a Nook. First of all, it comes at a reasonable price point, which is important for schools that need to purchase many. Six Nooks can share one Barnes and Noble account, which is less for accounts for teachers to manage. One reason LaGarde chose the Nook was because of the fantastic support and trainings, including with real people. She had really great outcomes with the students' use of the Nooks. The students enjoyed customizing their own "library" on their own Nook, and motivated them to learn. The students were also able to interact easily with the text. A couple of drawbacks that LaGarde experienced included the fact that there was much to learn not only about the Nook itself and how it worked, but also how to implement the devices smoothly into the school. Next, many schools needed to catch up with the technology; their policies did not always make her transition into using the Nooks for instruction smoothly (for example, in purchasing books on the Nooks). And last, she noted that Barnes and Noble was not necessarily aimed for schools and libraries, but rather for the individual consumer. This is a red flag for me, as I consider what I think would be the best tablet to use in my school,
The Amazon Kindle is another tablet, which has one great and obvious advantage over the other tablets; that is, its domination of the e-book market. Amazon has more e-books than any other company, and has a strong market of textbooks as well (another obvious advantage for schools). It comes at a reasonable cost, less than the Apple iPad, and has a longer battery life as well. The Kindle seems like a great addition to a school, especially in a library or a literary-focused school.
The Apple iPad also has many wonderful implications for education usage; however, it did not initially market to schools; it "followed its customers there." Now, however, Apple is much more focused on catering to schools and education. One of the biggest advantages to the iPad is the sheer number of educational apps for use in schools. As a future elementary school teacher, I think that these interactive and fun learning apps would best benefit my young students. The one drawback that I can see for the iPad is the cost, although I think that it would be worth the cost in the end.
I would now like to take a look at how iPads have actually been used in education, and what the outcomes have been. One surprising and encouraging outcome is that the use of iPads seems to be improving test scores. This could be because the iPads cause students to be more engaged in their learning; students think that it's "cool." Students now have grown up with technology, and so it only makes sense for them to use it not only in their home or social lives, but in the educational/school lives as well. Students enjoy using iPads in school; it helps make learning more interesting to this technological generation. Students can take their iPads home to complete their homework, email teachers, and even watch instructional videos multiple times until they understand the concept.
For students to each have their own device (1:1) aids student learning. Jill Hobson, an instructional technology direction, says that they help students to become "information producers" instead of "information consumers." Students must interact with the information that they are learning in order to get the most out of their education, and this is what iPads allow them to do.
The Barnes and Noble Nook, Amazon Kindle, and Apple iPad, have all had fairly positive outcomes in the integration of their use into education. Students enjoy using them, and thus, are more motivated and inspired to learn. Which tablet is right for one's school depends partly on the school's needs, what the tablet will be used for, and cost. For an elementary school, I think that the Apple iPad would be most beneficial, mainly because of their extensive number of educational apps, and continued focus on education. Very positive results, including rising test scores, have been recorded with the use of iPads.
References:
Jennifer LaGarde, "Our Nook Adventure" Parts I, II, III, and IV.
Peter Kafka, "Amazon Tries Taking the Kindle to School, Again, With Textbook Rentals"
Bertolucci, Jeff, "Apple iPad vs Kindle DX"
"How the iPad is Changing Education"
Schools See Rising Scores with iPads
'Bring Your Own Device' Catching on in Schools
The Barnes and Noble Nook is one tablet that has been used in some schools, including in Jennifer LaGarde's school library. There are many advantages to using a Nook. First of all, it comes at a reasonable price point, which is important for schools that need to purchase many. Six Nooks can share one Barnes and Noble account, which is less for accounts for teachers to manage. One reason LaGarde chose the Nook was because of the fantastic support and trainings, including with real people. She had really great outcomes with the students' use of the Nooks. The students enjoyed customizing their own "library" on their own Nook, and motivated them to learn. The students were also able to interact easily with the text. A couple of drawbacks that LaGarde experienced included the fact that there was much to learn not only about the Nook itself and how it worked, but also how to implement the devices smoothly into the school. Next, many schools needed to catch up with the technology; their policies did not always make her transition into using the Nooks for instruction smoothly (for example, in purchasing books on the Nooks). And last, she noted that Barnes and Noble was not necessarily aimed for schools and libraries, but rather for the individual consumer. This is a red flag for me, as I consider what I think would be the best tablet to use in my school,
The Amazon Kindle is another tablet, which has one great and obvious advantage over the other tablets; that is, its domination of the e-book market. Amazon has more e-books than any other company, and has a strong market of textbooks as well (another obvious advantage for schools). It comes at a reasonable cost, less than the Apple iPad, and has a longer battery life as well. The Kindle seems like a great addition to a school, especially in a library or a literary-focused school.
The Apple iPad also has many wonderful implications for education usage; however, it did not initially market to schools; it "followed its customers there." Now, however, Apple is much more focused on catering to schools and education. One of the biggest advantages to the iPad is the sheer number of educational apps for use in schools. As a future elementary school teacher, I think that these interactive and fun learning apps would best benefit my young students. The one drawback that I can see for the iPad is the cost, although I think that it would be worth the cost in the end.
I would now like to take a look at how iPads have actually been used in education, and what the outcomes have been. One surprising and encouraging outcome is that the use of iPads seems to be improving test scores. This could be because the iPads cause students to be more engaged in their learning; students think that it's "cool." Students now have grown up with technology, and so it only makes sense for them to use it not only in their home or social lives, but in the educational/school lives as well. Students enjoy using iPads in school; it helps make learning more interesting to this technological generation. Students can take their iPads home to complete their homework, email teachers, and even watch instructional videos multiple times until they understand the concept.
For students to each have their own device (1:1) aids student learning. Jill Hobson, an instructional technology direction, says that they help students to become "information producers" instead of "information consumers." Students must interact with the information that they are learning in order to get the most out of their education, and this is what iPads allow them to do.
The Barnes and Noble Nook, Amazon Kindle, and Apple iPad, have all had fairly positive outcomes in the integration of their use into education. Students enjoy using them, and thus, are more motivated and inspired to learn. Which tablet is right for one's school depends partly on the school's needs, what the tablet will be used for, and cost. For an elementary school, I think that the Apple iPad would be most beneficial, mainly because of their extensive number of educational apps, and continued focus on education. Very positive results, including rising test scores, have been recorded with the use of iPads.
References:
Jennifer LaGarde, "Our Nook Adventure" Parts I, II, III, and IV.
Peter Kafka, "Amazon Tries Taking the Kindle to School, Again, With Textbook Rentals"
Bertolucci, Jeff, "Apple iPad vs Kindle DX"
"How the iPad is Changing Education"
Schools See Rising Scores with iPads
'Bring Your Own Device' Catching on in Schools
Tuesday, May 5, 2015
TECH
In searching for tablets for our elementary school, there are many things to consider; first, what will the tablet mostly be used for? In our particular case, we anticipate using the tablets mostly for apps, which the students will use for interactive games and activities to build skills primarily in reading and math, but also for books and textbooks. The internet will not be used frequently on the tablets, as it must be monitored closely at this age. Also, because of the age of the students, the tablets will not be taken home; they will be left at school, another factor to take into consideration.
In deciding which brand of tablet to purchase, the operating systems used by each must be considered; Apple, for the ipad; Android, for the Barnes and Noble Nook, Amazon Kindle, and generic Android; and Windows (Microsoft). Each has its own set of pros and cons, including the types of tablets each system can be used on.
The Apple operating system for ipads (or ipods, which we have concluded are too small to be of decent use in our classrooms), has many pros, although it does have some cons as well. First, Apple has a strong app market, and is very education-focused in many of their apps, an obvious advantage for our elementary school, as we plan to make use of many apps in the classrooms. Second, the Apple operating system is easy to use and understand, which is important for our young learners in order that they may quickly learn to use the tablets without becoming frustrated, and wasting valuable learning time. Next, there is great technology support for Apple, which is important since we do not have an IT team. Last, Apple is a strong competitor in the marketplace, constantly updating and coming up with new ideas; they are not likely to soon become obsolete, or cause us to fall behind in our technology, which is important for our children to learn and understand in order to compete and be successful in the global marketplace. One con to consider is the fact that Apple does not use Flash software, which can sometimes be needed for certain videos, etc. to work; although, this should not become too big of a problem, since we will mostly be using apps.
The Android operating system is the next to consider. Products that use the Android operating system, such as the Barnes and Noble Nook and Amazon Kindle, are often cheaper than Apple products. Another pro that definitely holds relevance for our school is the fact that many books are available for these tablets; in fact, more than are available for Apple products. Last, these products have the least expensive cellular capabilities, which will be discussed in more detail later on. One large flaw for these products is that they have a significantly lower number of apps than what are available for the Apple ipads, which could be a great disadvantage for our school. Many schools are using Apple, and many of their apps are not compatible with an Android operating system; therefore, sharing apps and ideas with the schools around us may prove difficult. Android also does not have nearly as strong technical support as does Apple.
The last operating system to consider is that of Windows (Microsoft). Windows has been around for a long time, and is a well-trusted company. Another strong pro for Windows is that they are compatible with Microsoft often used on desktops. There is also access to the entire Microsoft office suite, which is, ironically, the cause of one con to consider; battery life. Windows' tablet's battery life is significantly less than that of Apple or Android powered tablets, which could be a problem when our students are using the tablets frequently in the classroom. The students should not have to take the time to plug them in and wait for them to charge, losing learning time in the process.
Besides the operating systems for each type of tablet, there are a couple of other factors to consider. First of all, there is the question of size. While we came to the conclusion that small (such as ipods) is too small, there is also medium (6-7 inches) or large (8-11 inches). I believe that because we are an elementary school, medium would best serve the needs of our small-handed children. Medium tablets are much lighter and easier to hold, while still maintaining a decent sized screen. Lighter and easier to hold also means a smaller likelihood of accidents with the tablets. Because we are not likely to use internet and video frequently on the tablets, a medium size will suffice.
The next question is that of cellular capabilities; whether or not our school needs it, or is fine with just wifi. Tablets that are only wifi-capable cannot be changed later to add cellular capabilities; it must be bought initially with the cellular capabilities. In the long run, wifi will probably prove to be cheaper in our case. Our school already has it; there is no point in adding cellular, an extra cost. Wifi tends to have a more reliable connection as well. Our students, being elementary, will not be taking the tablets home, so whether or not they have wifi in their homes is not an issue.
In conclusion, I would recommend that our elementary school purchase Apple ipads for use in the classrooms. Because of our primary uses for them, apps, Apple is the obvious forerunner. Apple also has a great interest in education, and has developed many apps for use in schools. Although the cost of Apple devices is somewhat higher, this will be worth the price in the long run, because of the plethora of apps, great support system, long battery life, easy-to-use functions, reliability, multitude of books, and prominence in other schools. There are few cons to this choice, and I truly believe it is the best course of action for our school at this time.
In deciding which brand of tablet to purchase, the operating systems used by each must be considered; Apple, for the ipad; Android, for the Barnes and Noble Nook, Amazon Kindle, and generic Android; and Windows (Microsoft). Each has its own set of pros and cons, including the types of tablets each system can be used on.
The Apple operating system for ipads (or ipods, which we have concluded are too small to be of decent use in our classrooms), has many pros, although it does have some cons as well. First, Apple has a strong app market, and is very education-focused in many of their apps, an obvious advantage for our elementary school, as we plan to make use of many apps in the classrooms. Second, the Apple operating system is easy to use and understand, which is important for our young learners in order that they may quickly learn to use the tablets without becoming frustrated, and wasting valuable learning time. Next, there is great technology support for Apple, which is important since we do not have an IT team. Last, Apple is a strong competitor in the marketplace, constantly updating and coming up with new ideas; they are not likely to soon become obsolete, or cause us to fall behind in our technology, which is important for our children to learn and understand in order to compete and be successful in the global marketplace. One con to consider is the fact that Apple does not use Flash software, which can sometimes be needed for certain videos, etc. to work; although, this should not become too big of a problem, since we will mostly be using apps.
The Android operating system is the next to consider. Products that use the Android operating system, such as the Barnes and Noble Nook and Amazon Kindle, are often cheaper than Apple products. Another pro that definitely holds relevance for our school is the fact that many books are available for these tablets; in fact, more than are available for Apple products. Last, these products have the least expensive cellular capabilities, which will be discussed in more detail later on. One large flaw for these products is that they have a significantly lower number of apps than what are available for the Apple ipads, which could be a great disadvantage for our school. Many schools are using Apple, and many of their apps are not compatible with an Android operating system; therefore, sharing apps and ideas with the schools around us may prove difficult. Android also does not have nearly as strong technical support as does Apple.
The last operating system to consider is that of Windows (Microsoft). Windows has been around for a long time, and is a well-trusted company. Another strong pro for Windows is that they are compatible with Microsoft often used on desktops. There is also access to the entire Microsoft office suite, which is, ironically, the cause of one con to consider; battery life. Windows' tablet's battery life is significantly less than that of Apple or Android powered tablets, which could be a problem when our students are using the tablets frequently in the classroom. The students should not have to take the time to plug them in and wait for them to charge, losing learning time in the process.
Besides the operating systems for each type of tablet, there are a couple of other factors to consider. First of all, there is the question of size. While we came to the conclusion that small (such as ipods) is too small, there is also medium (6-7 inches) or large (8-11 inches). I believe that because we are an elementary school, medium would best serve the needs of our small-handed children. Medium tablets are much lighter and easier to hold, while still maintaining a decent sized screen. Lighter and easier to hold also means a smaller likelihood of accidents with the tablets. Because we are not likely to use internet and video frequently on the tablets, a medium size will suffice.
The next question is that of cellular capabilities; whether or not our school needs it, or is fine with just wifi. Tablets that are only wifi-capable cannot be changed later to add cellular capabilities; it must be bought initially with the cellular capabilities. In the long run, wifi will probably prove to be cheaper in our case. Our school already has it; there is no point in adding cellular, an extra cost. Wifi tends to have a more reliable connection as well. Our students, being elementary, will not be taking the tablets home, so whether or not they have wifi in their homes is not an issue.
In conclusion, I would recommend that our elementary school purchase Apple ipads for use in the classrooms. Because of our primary uses for them, apps, Apple is the obvious forerunner. Apple also has a great interest in education, and has developed many apps for use in schools. Although the cost of Apple devices is somewhat higher, this will be worth the price in the long run, because of the plethora of apps, great support system, long battery life, easy-to-use functions, reliability, multitude of books, and prominence in other schools. There are few cons to this choice, and I truly believe it is the best course of action for our school at this time.
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