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Embrace Connected Learning - The concept of "Connected Learning" is at the center of a new theory that champions say "is a model of learning that holds out the possibility of re-imagining the experience of education in the Information Age" that draws on "the power of today's technology to fuse young people's interests, friendships and academic achievement." According to Dr. Mizuko Ito, a leader in the field of Connected Learning and a professor at the University of California, Irvine, and cultural anthropologist of technology use, examples of Connected Learning are when a teacher may ask a student to do a report on their favorite video game, or if a kid who likes to draw on the computer creates the signs and banners for a classroom party.

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nts learning technology, it is especially important to focus on effective teaching strategies that are commonly used in other content areas, such as academic language development and meaningful interaction with the content.

Computer tutorials should be organized by tasks: the things most students want to do with the program.

For each task, concise, step-by-step instructions should be provided.

Each step should be illustrated with a computer screen shot that shows exactly what to do. The bigger the illustration, the better.

At the end of each important task, stand-alone exercises should be included to give students an opportunity to practice the tasks. Including multiple exercises will ensure that students who work quickly will remain occupied.

"There's never been a better time to be a teacher," he says, "or a curious kid."

A whopping 72 percent of iTunes' top-selling education apps are designed for preschoolers and elementary school children

4. Involve parents by creating a link between home and school.

an Online Course

Focus on just that one technology-enhanced activity until you feel very comfortable with it. Then, when that feels good, try adding something else.

Flexibility and a backup plan are important ingredients in any classroom,

I model, model, model it and then we practice it together until the students can do it independently.

Students are comfortable using these devices to communicate and to find information. To them, tools and apps are just another part of the world they inhabit.

Students need to be shown how to use them to learn.

Students learn in different ways

The iPad can provide visual, audio and tactile learning; reaching many students’ learning styles.

The iPad is often used as an individual tool in isolation

But please, don't put the child in a quiet place and just hand them an iPad without a true purpose. Let's get creative with its use. How to use an iPad in the classroom with a group? A couple of thoughts - Teacher directs, students watch.  Teacher directs, with iPad in the middle of the group and students touch with instruction.   Teacher instructs and iPad is passed between students. Use as part of your lesson, part of your center activity.   Teacher instructs and the students use, independently or in a team situation.    Team learning situations. Hand a group of students an iPad with a purpose. 

Most of us will not have enough for all our students for a while.

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be careful to not have the iPad become what we have seen so many computers become in education: a glorified toy.

What are some of the benefits we are seeing? We are seeing that the iPad often encourages interactivity. Students will share a lot of what they're doing, ask each other "How did you do that?" or, "Oh, look what I did!"  They want to problem solve together. It encourages group discussions between the students. They tend to help each other a lot more.  It is affordable, comparatively speaking (see below.)  

For special education students, some are saying it is the best tool that has ever been designed. Here are a few reasons why we might prefer an iPad over a desktop computer: Ease of access – no need to be able to operate a mouse, a switch or to need to sit a certain way. The iPad can easily come to the student, be placed where they need it and the touch required is extremely friendly. (Not for all!! Remember, this is very individual.) Simplicity of programs – from very basic to more complex, many apps are design to be user friendly. For the moderate to severe population of students the amount of simple apps is huge, plus they are extremely inexpensive and visually draw students in. Simplicity of use - many who cannot understand how to operate a computer, can understand how to operate an iPad. (Even your grandmother!) Low cost of programs – compared to the cost of software programs for a computer, there really is no comparison (unless you consider the abundant amount of free programs available on the Internet. And yes, please continue using those!). There are apps designed specifically for our population (see other postings to right). Designing apps for education has become quite the market. The amount of apps designed specifically for special education has grown so much that there is now a category for it that stands alone in the iTunes Store. Assistive Technology and Communication Apps are available that help to make this a tool for access support, not just a tool for learning (i.e. audio books, word prediction, visual prompts, etc.) It can be loaded with many adaptive technology gadgets and programs, thereby reducing the need for multiple devices. Talk about UDL (Universal Design for Learning)! This is a tool that can level the playing field for many. There are apps that are inexpensive and exciting to increase vocabulary, sight words, math facts, reading comprehension, organizational skills, and drawing skills, just to name a few.It can be very educational and in the classroom, this is what we want: exciting, fresh, innovative teaching tools. Built-in accessibility tools such as zoom and high contrast display make this a tool to support visually impaired. The built-in VoiceOver screen reader works as well on the iPad as on the iPhone. For our VI population, the options are growing and growing. (However, it may be the iPhone that is the best solution for those with significant vision impairments.) Programs such as Dragon Dictation is free, no paper and pencil needed if one can speak clearly, for writing text messages, e-mail, maybe documents. (Must have Internet/WiFi connection for this to work however and it is not the best option for longer texts.) The brilliant screen of the iPad which creates and supports visual interest - with the ever improving HD colors which are bright and the HD video and/or camera- tools at our fingertips that can be pulled into our educational artillery in so many new and innovative ways.  The right case can make it much less indestructible. More and more tools are being developed to help with access. (Mounts, switch access, adaptive styluses, etc.) Light weight (iPad = 1.5 lbs.) Instant Response/Instant On/Fast Processor. Consider this: Combine the touch screen, ease of use, and cool factor of the iPad and you have a pretty interesting format for communication device

AT is intended to enhance performance of an individual with a disability.  It is why we have to carefully match what we recommend to the user's strengths and needs.  The iPad cannot do that on its own, it is the recommendation of the appropriate Apps that ultimately improve the performance of a student.  Thus, the iPad itself is not the Assistive Technology it is the Settings and the Apps, the case, the special stylus, that offer enhanced performance. Improving performance of a student with a disability through AT (Apps or otherwise) means looking at the student, identifying the task that needs to be performed and identifying where the student will use the AT - i.e. the environment, effects of time etc

This is a list of iPad pros, from a student’s point of view (wish I knew the student’s name so I could reference her. My apologies!):

iPads with Moderate to Severe Students:

Videos worth watching:

Articles worth reviewing:

Now go out and make this tool a wonderful addition to our educational world!

accustomed to getting quick answers with a few keystrokes that they are more likely to give up when an easy answer eludes them.