Group items tagged

'We are now entering the mobile age, where phones are carried everywhere...cars are becoming travelling offices, airplane seats are entertainment centres, computer games are handheld ... We now have the opportunity to design learning differently: to create extended learning communities, to link people in real and virtual worlds, to provide expertise on demand, and to support a lifetime of learning' (Sharples, p.2 ). New technologies are enabling change, socially and economically, and education is cautiously embracing these tools for 21st century education. A paper presented at the recent 26th Australian Computers in Education Conference, titled Developing Early Learners' Creativity and Collaboration Using iPads, reports on a case study designed to investigate pedagogies using iPads that develop creative and collaborative skills in young learners. 'How can teachers use iPads to facilitate the development of creativity and collaboration in early learning?' (p. 3) is the focus of this research. The study was conducted in a Year 2 class where one of the authors was the teacher. Six iPads were available in a class of 25 students. Ten learning activities were developed and students in small groups used iPads to complete the assigned tasks. For some activities students worked in pairs. A reflective journal, guided by questions that focussed on creativity and collaboration was maintained by one of the authors. The paper responds to the forces of 21st century education: the surge of mobile computing devices and what have been termed the 21st century skills (critical thinking, communication, creativity and collaboration). The authors focus discussion on creativity and collaboration from various perspectives including those outlined in the Australian Curriculum documents (ACARA). It is through the review of these sources that the authors adapted and developed checklists to measure creativity and collaboration in their study. Three vignettes are shared by the aut

1- My students should be able to create presentations . Here are the apps to help you achieve this goal :" 2- My students should be able to create digital stories. 3- My students should be able to create eBooks . 4- My students should be able to print their docs right from their iPad. 5- My students should be able to create videos . 6- I want to Improve my students reading skills. 7- My students should be able to take notes on their iPad . 8- My students should be able to create written content on their iPads . 9- My students should be able to use White Boards from their iPads. 10-My students should be able to record audio clips 11- My students should be able to screen share 12-My students should be able to do their homework with the help of iPad . 13- My students should be able to create mind maps 14-My students should be able to do research using iPad 15-My students should be able to create digital portfolios .

1) Focusing on content apps" 2) Lack of Teacher Preparation in Classroom Management of iPads 3) Treating the iPad as a computer and expecting it to serve as a laptop. " iPads are devices meant to compliment computers" 4) Treating iPads like multi-user devices 5) Failure to communicate a compelling answer to "Why iPads? "iPad supports essential skill areas - complex communication, new media literacy, creativity, and self-directed learning"

This paper reports on a qualitative study exploring ways teachers can adopt iPads to provide opportunities for young children's learning and exploration in an early childhood education and care setting in Hamilton. Interviews with teachers, children and their caregivers as well as observations of teacher interactions with children and copies of children work produced on the iPad informed the study. The findings focused on two teachers' practice to reveal the different ways teachers can make use of the iPad to expand children's learning opportunities and foster closer home-centre links. In particular, four key iPad-supported practices were observed - use of the iPad as a relational tool, as a communicative tool, as a documentation tool, and finally, as an informational tool for supporting child-led learning. 

The rocky launch of an iPad initiative in a California school district has led some to question whether the benefits of the devices are worth the cost. At issue is the decision to pay $4.3 million for 6,300 iPads for seventh-grade students, plus the cost of iPad covers and related software. While teachers and other supporters say they are enthusiastic about the potential benefits of iPads in the classroom, the district is not tracking whether students' grades have risen since the technology was introduced.

"(student) engagement always goes up when technology is used... to say that iPads result in increased engagement is to say nothing". Are iPads just a craze? Is there a danger that we are using new technology to implement old pedagogy? 

Educational institutions have rapidly progressed from computer labs for teaching and learning to the use of laptops and now to a wider use of tablet devices. The iPad is gaining popularity as a learning tool at all levels. However, there is limited empirical research available about the nature of students' interaction with the device or the potential of these devices to support student learning. iPads in the Primary School: Emerging Findings from Research, by Garry Falloon, a paper presented at the 2014 Australian Council for Computers in Education conference articulates 'key findings from the first two phases of a 3-year study exploring primary school students' use of iPads and apps in general class settings.

This paper presents a case study of the iPad's adoption in a primary school, one of the first in the world to adopt it. From interviews with teachers and IT staff, we conclude that the iPad's main strengths are the way in which it provides quick and easy access to information for students and the support it provides for collaboration. However, staff need to carefully manage both the teaching and the administrative environment in which the iPad is used, and we provide some lessons learned that can help other schools considering adopting the iPad in the classroom.

As educators continue to move beyond the bells and whistles ofinto a more transformative change, iPads can serve as a common denominator toward making this change happen within your school. Students and teachers are embracing the idea that learning happens not just in class but at anytime and anywhere. iPads have the ability to provide a classroom without walls to our student population. Are iPads the device we have all been waiting for to help us through these transformative changes that are happening in education? ***Includes Learning With iPads iBook***

Researchers studying the use of iPads in classrooms in California's Encinitas Union School District say the devices generally are favored by students and parents. In the district, where every student in grades 3 to 6 has an iPad, 90% of students said the technology has helped them learn -- especially when used in math lessons. However, some parents say they want to ensure the technology does not replace hands-on learning, and teachers say the iPads can be distracting for students if not managed properly.

5 studies on use of iPad in schools. Study in Australia reports greater success in primary/special schools rather than secondary.

OK, you're got / been given an iPad and you're thinking "where do I start?" 

The study looks at the use of iPads at the Longfield Academy, where a large scale 1 to 1 iPad program was implemented last year. A brief overview of this groundbreaking study is provided.

What does it take to ensure the successful rollout of a one-to-one iPad program? In this blog post, Jac de Haan, technology integration specialist, outlines step-by-step what a successful two-month rollout should look like. In the first week, students establish solid academic habits without the iPads, before students and parents learn about the devices. By week four, students are given the iPads at the beginning of class and asked to return them at the end, building up to week nine when students are trusted to use the devices as they see fit.

Enterprises deploy technology slowly because they tend to plan methodically and for the long term. In most situations, the IT departments and managers are the ones calling the shots. They think they know what's best when it comes to incorporating tech and they want control over how that tech works. But the iPad is different for some reason. Many organizations are seeing employees rebel and bring iPads into the fold without IT approval. It's often a situation of "it's easier to ask forgiveness than to ask permission."

After the tremendous success following the publication of " 9 starter tips for teachers who have just got a new iPad " iPad4schools has put forward this new graphic featuring a set of interesting ideas teachers and students can try during the 5 minutes, 5 days, and 5 weeks  'when introducing a new initiative or technology.'

Focused on students respecting themselves as people who can make a difference, especially with devices like the iPad...

iPads are designed to be customized for personal use and can be difficult to share between users

"Developing and maintaining a productive workflow while using iPad is not an easy thing to do. It does not only take knowing and installing all the necessary apps, students need to build a momentum , working on their apps and using them judiciously. Building such a momentum is a process of habituation that calls for repeated actions. It does take some time for students to get used to develop these skills but once they do their use of iPad becomes fluently productive."