"Apple is upping its bid for its hot-selling iPad to be a teaching device, with an update today to its iTunes U app that allows any teacher to create a private course.
The new features, aimed at K-12 teachers who use iPads in the classroom, allow teachers to create up to 12 private courses."
"At this stage it's going to be incredibly hard for Android or even Microsoft/Windows tablets to break into the market. Apple are stated to have 94% of the educational market in the US and whilst the craze hasn't dominated Australian schools yet, the future is not far off. This means it is incredibly unlikely that Australia will reverse an already popular choice in America. Combined with a lack of development for other formats this means the iPad will soon be the tablet parents HAVE to buy."
"Have you read The Paperless Classroom with Google Docs by Eric Curts? If not, you should. It is a great way for Google schools to harness the power of Google for sharing documents, and establishing a workflow for students to turn in work for teachers to grade and return in a paperless environment. I love it. In fact, I liked it so much that I decided to pay homage to it with a version that is dedicated to doing the very same thing on the iPad using just the Google Drive app."
"Microsoft is set to release a series of Windows-based, tablet-style computers this year as it seeks to see off the challenge posed by Apple's iPad.
Steve Ballmer, Microsoft's chief executive, told delegates at the company's annual worldwide partner conference that they would find the range of devices "quite impressive"."
"Fraser Speirs is a busy man. Having convinced Cedars School of Excellence in Greenock, Scotland to buy more than 100 iPads and distribute them to all its students (age 5-17) earlier this year for class and homework, the private school's head of IT is traveling around the United States to talk about his school's experience with the Apple tablet."
Bad Apple!! Bad!
"Apple's iPad delivers on the tablet part of that vision - but the company has blocked a kid-friendly programming language based on Kay's work from getting onto the iPad."
From Diigo - Readict is for those who take reading seriously. It is an iPad reading app that integrates highlighter and "read later" functionalities to provide efficient and effective reading experience. $5.49 in Australia
"Qrafter is the first QR Code app that is designed for iPad instead of just taking the iPhone version and making it bigger!
Qrafter is a free two-dimensional barcode scanner for iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch. Its main purpose is to scan and parse the contents of QR Codes. It can also generate QR Codes when you purchase the "Pro Pack"."
Schools are experimenting with devices, such as iPads and digital whiteboards, even as the debate about the role of technology in the classroom continues
With iOS 5 you can now use AirPlay to "mirror" your entire iPad screen and display or project it. All that is required is an iPad 2, the new iOS operating system and an Apple TV (which sells for around $100) that connects to any TV, monitor or projector with an HDMI interface.
AirPlay is a very simple method for promoting sharing and collaboration in your classroom ... and it's an option that comes at a relatively affordable cost.
The Structure Sensor is a 3-D sensing camera which clips onto the back of your iPad and hooks into its Lightning port. The camera has its own battery, and grabs a VGA image at up to 60fps. That doesn't sound like much, but it's plenty enough to allow you to make a 3-D map of your room just by swinging your iPad around, or to play 3-D augmented reality games that actually interact with real objects in your environment.
"Apple has just unveiled their latest attempt to rethink an entire market. It's not a new tablet, phone, or even a device at all. Today at the Guggenheim, Apple announced how it will essentially get more school districts to buy iPads. But it's not just about the money, there's some amazing software that's rethinking the tried-and-true textbook publishing model.
Below are excerpts from the world's best news sources who are live-blogging and in attendance at the event. From them you'll be able to understand exactly what the new software is, what it does, and how it will affect you and your classroom."
April 27, 2017 Here is a handy visual we created based on iTunes collection 'Teachers' Favourites'. In it you will find a number of key iPad apps popular among teachers and educators. via Pocket