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'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. 

Some Los Angeles schoolteachers who use iPads in classroom lessons say it's necessary for teachers to give up some control to make the technology initiative successful. The teachers say they suggested students read but placed no limits on what students read, and asked them to use applications but did not say which ones. The teachers also found that the iPad enhances classroom lessons, but it is not a replacement for good teaching.

""We're doing a lot of formative assessments on them," Morelock says. Using apps such as iResponse and resources like Google Documents, teachers are able to receive feedback from students and record their own observations about students' progress, he says. Teachers have full autonomy in deciding which apps they use and how they use the mobile devices in the classroom, says Morelock. That leeway cuts down on the management load for the district's technology team. "The teachers are updating them, syncing them, and they're finding a thousand different ways to use them," he says of the devices. "It's been really incredible, and it really has to do with the ease of using the device, and the teachers really taking the lead." "

In this blog post, David Andrews, a teacher in the United Kingdom, writes about the pros and cons of using iPads in the classroom, rather than laptop computers. Among the benefits, he writes, are usability, superior audio-visual tools, electronic books and tools that enable creativity. The downside, Andrews writes, is that the devices are not compatible with Adobe Flash and Javascript, do not facilitate multitasking and have poor word-processing capabilities.

Grades K-5 Grades 6-8 Grades 9-12 Graphic Infographics New Teachers Reference Teacher-Librarian Web 2.0 Tools A-H Web 2.0 Tools I-P Web 2.0 Tools Q-Z"

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

Schools today are investing more time and resources into tablet computers -- and their ability to help improve teaching and learning. In this blog post, Justin Reich, a fellow at Harvard's Berkman Center for Internet and Society and co-Founder of EdTechTeacher, and Beth Holland, a senior associate with EdTechTeacher, write about the ability of the tablet to foster classroom collaboration and meaningful connections for students and teachers.

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.'

"another kind of checklist that you might not be used to before. This one here helps you select the right educational apps to use with your students. Avatar Generation has featured a set of such awesome checklists created by Tony Vincent to help teachers make sound educational choices when selecting apps to use with students in the classroom. Check out those rubrics and get possibly get them printed off . Click on any title to access the checklist. Enjoy"

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.

""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."

"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."

The fourth in our six-part series on collaboration takes on iPads. They were created as devices for individual consumers, so teachers have their work cut out for them in using tablets for student collaboration. We highlight apps that help educators turn iPads into wePads.

I was introduced to this app at Learning 2.012 conference. In the video in this post it appears that it is being used for 'test' situations. I wonder if this is much different from just using a paper and pen. Teachers create the content that is used - so there is a potential here for it to be used for tasks that require deeper thinking skills (if the app allows). Something to investigate at least.

Educators say students who use iPads are able to look up unfamiliar words as they are reading on the tablets, receive instant feedback from teachers and have access to an unprecedented amount of information without leaving the classroom. While it's still relatively rare, a growing number of public schools are purchasing enough iPads so that every student can have one. "It's transforming instruction," said Marianne Currie-Hall, principal of Roy B. Kelly Elementary School in Lockport, N.Y. "I've got kindergarteners who email me their work.

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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.

Some ideas for iPad-based learning activities