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

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. 

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.

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.

"National social media and technology reporter PETRA STARKE lists the top 50 learning apps for children and teens."

""In the shift to digital, it's not just about replacing textbooks but inventing new ways of learning," Forrester analyst Sarah Rotman Epps said. "Some of the education apps being developed for iPad are approaching learning in an entirely new way, and that's exciting." Sallie Severns, founder and CEO of iOS app Answer Underground, told Wired that tablets' simplicity, ease of use and the massive range of academically minded applications available are drawing teachers and educational technologists to the platform in droves."

"(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? 

There are mobile applications for devices such as the iPad that can help elementary-school students become critical thinkers, says teacher Diane Darrow. She suggests eight such apps to develop the "remembering" phase of learning -- included in Benjamin Bloom's continuum of higher-order thinking and learning. Darrow suggests teachers use Word BINGO to help students recognize words; Rocket Math, a program that uses math to teach about rocket design; and Shake a Phrase, an app that helps students understand sentence structure

They are mostly apps for kids with learning needs

" iTunes has 6 categories under education, but nothing for social and emotional learning."

"Change 1: Personalized learning" Change 2: Creative interactivity Change 3: Online learning Change 4: Formative assessments Change 5: Change

An experience from Marymount School in New York.  

An implementation story and lessons learned

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***

"Learning a language requires huge investments in both time and money-unless you know where to find high-quality programs that are also free."

Touch-screen tablets for young students have become all the rage. Some districts are even buying iPads for every kindergartener, a move sparking both celebration and consternation. Do we really want to give $500 devices to kids who can't even tie their shoes?