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"How Much Did Steve Jobs Change the World? You might be reading this on your iPhone, iPad or computer, but whether or not you have a Macintosh or a PC, Steve Jobs is responsible for so much of the technology we are using today. Did you know that Windows computers copied the drop-down window interface from Apple computers? Yes, all true. So today, when the power went out in the school and we couldn't get on the Internet, I noticed what an important part of my life technology has become. Talk about making a dent in the world. Jobs' legacy will live on in generations to come. Here are 39 sites for using one of Jobs' greatest innovations: THE iPAD."

"What if your school had the means to purchase a piece of education technology for your classroom? What would you pick? Given the choice, a school in the UK went right for the iPad (as you probably guessed from the title of this article). Why did they pick iPads? Because that's what the students, faculty, staff, and parents all wanted to as fast as possible. They had the option to have netbooks, laptops, and other education technology but it was iPads all the way."

As for the students, the iPads "aren't really something 'new' now, they're just part of (students') daily activities, which is what we wanted this new technology to be."

"Over the course of the year, staff at this school will be receiving a significant amount of professional development to help them better utilize the technology that is available to them. The focus of my session was iOS Apps for professional development. I scrolled through my iPad and made a list of the Apps that I use on a regular basis to help me learn and develop as an educator. Here's what I came up with:"

There are a number of apps that are available that let you record your voice in order to convert it to text. I find this helpful when I need to transcribe longer pieces or even if I need to transcribe multiple entries. This technology is not yet perfect but it has improved considerably since these apps first came on the market. The first time I tried these app I got about 30% of the words correct, that figure is now more like 85% and with some effort on your part can be as high as 95%. Even with the minor inconsistencies it is still a quicker way for me to do larger pieces of text. I find these good when I want to just get the text down for a piece that I will spend some time formatting later. These are great for students as well, especially those kids who display great verbal intelligence but struggle with the written word.

Joshua A. Danish says it takes a village to effectively integrate new technologies such as the iPad into elementary classrooms. As we reported recently, some school districts are investing in iPad2 touchpad tablets in kindergarten classrooms. In an opinion piece published in the Indianapolis Star, Indiana University assistant professor Joshua A. Danish says that though tablets such as the iPad have potential to be a powerful tool for teaching and learning, educators shouldn't jump the gun.

Comprehensive instructions about setting up a group of class/library ipads