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One method of getting kids to engage reading in different ways is through a tablet-based literature circle.

Don’t understand a word in the text? A single tap on the screen pulls up a dictionary that gives the definition, and another tap returns the reader to the page on which the word appears. If a student is reading about the Great Depression but ha

s no understanding of what that is, the tablet can help.

Introducing School-Wide Digital Citizenship Practices with iPads 8Share An elementary school in our district recently got 30 iPads and asked for some advice implementing them with students and teachers. In addition to suggesting some starter apps, I recommended that we have conversations with kids around the appropriate use of these devices. While almost every child has used an iPad, iPod Touch, or iPhone, the exciting learning opportunities these mobile, Internet-connected, media creation devices create also open the door to new challenges. Cyberbullying or inappropriate web publishing happens more through the camera than regular computer use does; the mobility of the device combined with the reality that multiple users are using the device with no personalized, password-protected, network-tracked accounts makes it more challenging to keep track of who is doing what with the device or that the device itself is safe. R

experts say the future of education may revolve around these hand-held instruments.

Using the tools students are most comfortable with keeps them interested in class, he said.

“At least at the high school level, we need to allow them to use the technology they have,” he said. “If you don’t, it’s almost like tying their hands.”

She argues that for children to become successful adults, they need to know more than just how to read, write and multiply. They need to learn fundamental social skills, such as the ability to “persist in goal-oriented activity, to seek help when needed, and to participate in and benefit from relationships.” The arts are an invaluable teaching tool in this regard, in that they “naturally and frequently involve group tasks,” she notes. “Activities such as dramatic play or dancing in unison provide a venue for learning collaboration and cooperation.”

“If all teacher certification programs at the elementary level were to equip teacher candidates with arts-based techniques for supporting the social-emotional development of children,” she writes, “this would not only benefit students but also create a broader base of support for the ar

M-Learning and Mobility M-Learning and MobilityU

sing portable computing devices (such as laptops, tablet PCs, PDAs, and smart phones) with wireless networks enables mobility and mobile learning, allowing teaching and learning to extend to spaces beyond the traditional classroom. Within the classroom, mobile learning gives instructors and learners increased flexibility and new opportunities for interaction. Mobile technologies support learning experiences that are collaborative, accessible, and integrated with the world beyond the c

lassroom.

reduced the number of minutes that are spent in frustration.

motor difficulties

disorganized students by consolidating calendars, memos and notes all in one device.

Google Docs

respond in a variety of ways to questions posed during the course of a lecture or reading. How

collaborate and maintain documents online

cell phones

a growing number of schools have decided to open the door to what are, essentially, mobile computers.

129 students were taught to read and write using an iPad, while the remaining 137 were taught the 'old fashioned' way, using pen and paper.

in every single literacy test, students using the iPad outperformed those who did not use the tablet, and by a significant margin.

iPad has allowed them to maximise the time spent on teaching the lesson,