Instructional technologist and blogger Andrew Marcinek in this post describes how a one-to-one iPad tablet computer program at Burlington High School in Massachusetts is translating into engaging lessons for students. In one example, students in a French class are using the application VidEditor to create video reenactments of a favorite scene or chapter from a novel. Meanwhile, as part of a history lesson, students take on the roles of renowned philosophers as they bring the ideas of the enlightenment to life using blogging and Twitter.

1. Do NOT wait until the last minute to give them to staff. 2. Do NOT expect it to go perfectly on the first day students get them. 3. Do NOT roll out all your apps at the same time on the same day. 4. Do NOT try and control everything about the iPad. 5. Do NOT expect teaching to change immediately. 6. Do NOT assume the entire community will be on board. 7. Do NOT evaluate the program solely with test scores. 8. Do NOT limit staff training to the summer. 9. Do NOT expect email to be the best option for submitting work 10. Do NOT let fear overcome your mission"

Getting started with iPads From Dept of Ed, Victoria

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"

"In principle, that avalanche of pixels (and their increased color saturation) means that photos, videos, maps and text should look jaw-droppingly good - and, in apps that have been rewritten for the new screen, they do. Apple's own apps, like Photos, Maps and iBooks, are just incredibly sharp and clear. "

"1. Sort your wireless out "

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

Three school districts in Illinois, Iowa and South Carolina will distribute approximately 27,000 Google Chromebook laptops to students as part of new technology initiatives, the company announced Thursday. While some have criticized the browser-based devices for slow performance, others say quick startup times and long battery life make them a good fit for schools and students

""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." "