iPad Collaborative Research

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.

Will it?!? "The following piece is by the amazingly talented Adam Webster, Assistant Director of Learning and Teaching at a secondary school in Surrey, England. He writes for both the Edudemic Magazine and his blog 'Cageless Thinking' (worth bookmarking). This article originally appeared on Cageless Thinking and was cross-posted with Adam's permission."

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.

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

"This update highlights what distinguishes Tablets from other technologies that have previously been introduced in schools, such as computers, laptops and netbooks. It describes the factors in particular that make tablets unique; their mobility, increased affordability and functionality."

In creating books using the iPad, I have found Book Creator to be by far the simplest and most effective app available. Those who haven't yet created a Multi-Touch Book will make their first book with Book Creator. For those who are already familiar with Book Creator, there are a couple of other apps you may wish to try out.

Cannot agree more on the way this Swiss school use ipad for content creation!

If you aren't aware of the S.A.M.R. model (devised by Ruben R. Puentedura - @rubenrp) then in simple form it explains the common journey teachers go through when introducing technology. It's popular for introducing iPads in schools.

"Khan Academy has launched a free new iPad app featuring interactive exercises, handwriting recognition and more."

"Maurice Walker reports on an innovative approach to assessment using tablets to monitor educational development in the early years of schooling."

Teaching and Learning with iPad - demonstrates workflow and collaboration opportunities

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.

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 apps for very young children are a booming business. But the research hasn't caught up yet.

On this page I hope to share my experience of making iPod/iPhone apps with upper primary/elementary children. No particular expertise is required to get started. All software required is freeware. Additionally, there are a lot of excellent free resources available to help you.

Last month, the Institute of Play released a 160-page whitepaper on successfully designing and implementing video games as classroom assessment tools.

" collabrified - that support two or more students, co-located or not, with each student on his or her own mobile device (e.g., iPads), working together simultaneously inside a collabrified app, e.g., WeMap, our collabrified concept mapping app, all the while talking, talking, talking - verbally, not text-chat."