Sooo true, but I 've worked with the ipad with my tutoring children and sometimes they get bored with some games because its not as fun as Angry Birds!! Jajajaja
Apps have to continually improve and become more creative and challenging.
Debate on use of ipads in kindergarten and whether or not they are age-appropriate. Would you rather have them bash sticks together to see if they can make fire?! Have some faith that kids, even young ones, can benefit from appropriate use of technology! Keep them in this century! They can do things you never imagined!
The iPad is far superior to the workbooks- instant, self correcting, gives immediate feedback, kids progress at own levels and can be working at differentiated levels.
I love this post! thanks Michelle! I do believe that technology has to be part of the early years classrooms..but it has to be brought in in a way that it is not a treat. Kids need to see them as learning and exploration tool just like they see legos, blocks and books.
Other curriculum areas we use the iPad in are science (as a journal to record our observations) to check the weather, Social Studies- we tweet other kindergarten classrooms and find them on maps and the globe and learn about their lives; comparing similarities and discussing differences and even collaborating on play projects.
Wow! Super aplicada Miss Michelle, you are finding amazing things for us in the ECC! I do believe that ads are a wonderful tool althought, will they or could they replace workbooks, puzzles, boardgames, books, manual activities???
We are now in 2012, and the 21st Century is totally upon us. The 20th Century, to be honest, is not even in the rear view mirror anymore. Blogging, flipped classrooms, iPads, mobile learning- these topics dominate the airwaves of education news and technology blogs. With the announcement of the iBooks textbook initiative by Apple, we are entering a true era of Minority Report-style media consumption.
Taking the time to master these tools is not something that can be done in a 30 minute prep session before school. Mastering the education tools of this century takes a commitment to breaking down the proverbial walls of what a teacher used to be. Mastering these new teacher processes takes letting go of the idea that your day will end when you leave the brick and mortar.
The problem, I began to realize, was my own understanding of how the iPads should be utilized in the classroom. I had seen them as a supplement to my pre-existing curriculum, trying to fit them into the structure of what I’d always done. This was the wrong approach: To truly change how my classroom worked, I needed a technology-based redefinition of my practic
Redefine with a goal in mind. When rethinking your curriculum and classroom, identify the goals you have for yourself and your students. I focused on two important goals: increased differentiation and robust, efficient assessment. Next, I asked myself, "Can the iPads help me reach those goals?" Realizing that they could, I redesigned my classroom practice around the goals, with iPads as the infrastructure. Here are a few examples:
Using Promethean’s award-winning software ActivInspire or Promethean ActivOffice, display a question on the interactive display or ask it verbally, and students will respond using the virtual device on their computers or handheld devices. Assign full quizzes of varying difficulty with ActivEngage’s Self-Paced Learning functionality to encourage students to work at their own pace and comprehension level. Gain instant insight into student comprehension and progress with an intuitive, integrated application that makes the most of existing classroom technology.
Use Devices
Use the iPad in the Classroom
Use Your Interactive Whiteboard in the Classroom
Use an iPod Touch in the Classroom
Ideas for Class Blog Posts
Use Mobile Phones in the Classroom