Tablet computing and mobile devices promise to have a dramatic impact on education. A growing number of schools across the world are jumping on the digital bus and embracing iPads (less often, other tablet products) as the latest tool to teach literature in multimedia, history through games and simulations, and math with step-by-step animation of problems.
Not surprisingly, student scores improve when they use iPads and their interest in school soars. I say not surprisingly because students love digital toys and in my experience work harder and longer if given the opportunity to do so with any of the digital offerings (ipods, laptops included).
Here is a collection of free iphone/ipad apps that are hand picked by us and categorized by IEP Goal/Skill and rated based on their quality, ease of use and educational value.
app for the iPad that allows the user to create ebooks. There are over 50 story templates (If I Were a Superhero, for example), or you can create your own.
This is a unique site in that it is the application of apps that creates a transformation in learning. Various apps are covered by offering suggestions of ways to use them in the classroom. There are even video examples to help further educator understanding. Apptivities is the response to a challenge given at the ADE Summer Institute 2010 at Full Sail University, Orlando, Florida. ADE colleagues contribute apptivities, a specific learning activity using apps on mobile devices.
Although this is based in the UK, the site's content will reflect practice from other counties and contexts in order to explore and learn from a wide field. I am Ian Wilson (www.ianwilson.biz) a freelance Apple Distinguished Educator based in the north west of England (Twitter: @Ian__Wilson). I have set up this site as I believe the iPad signals the opportunity for a transformation in how technology is used in schools, colleges and universities. I am interested in looking at all age ranges across all areas of the curriculum and keen to see if the iPad makes technology cross-curricular as it should be.
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