Assignment #8: iPad training

In the survey we recently sent out, many of you mentioned that you might like some more training on the iPad.  If you were the one planning our iPad training sessions, what is one thing you might add?

Since so many of you have finals, projects, and other big assignments due this time of year, we have decided to make this the last blog assignment for 2012.  You have until December 16th to complete this assignment.

Assignment #7: Show and Tell

We were impressed with how many of you are using your iPads throughout the day.  Now we would like you to show your teachers how you are using them.  Please select a teacher that does not have their own iPad and share with them how you are using the iPad in their class (or how it could be used).  Make sure you set up a time to do this at your teacher's convenience.  Once you have shared with a teacher, please comment and tell us who you shared with, what you showed them, and what their reaction was.

This assignment is due Monday, November 28th.

Assignment #6: A Day in the Life

We want to experience what it is like to be your iPad for a day.  We want you to use your iPad to create a multimedia presentation called "A Day in the Life of ______'s iPad."  Use iMovie, Keynote, or any other app you can think of to create a short (about one minute) presentation or movie that highlights how you use your iPad throughout the day.  You may want to include screenshots of your notes or apps you use.  You can also record yourself in iMovie.  Creativity is a plus for this assignment!

This assignment is due November 14th.

There should be a folder on your First Class desktop called iPad Group.  Please turn your presentation into this folder.  Make sure you include your name in the filename. Please let us know if you need help getting your presentation turned in.  If you made a movie on your iPad, you can save it to your camera roll.  Once you have done this, you can open the folder within First Clas on your iPad and click on the plus sign.  You will then be able to upload your movie (use the Upload Photo option).

If you have any questions or need help getting started, please stop by the tech office.

Assignment #5: Changing the Way You Learn?

Think about your life before iPads, both in and out of the classroom.  Has it changed for the better or worse?  How so?  Give as many specific examples as possible.

This assignment is due by October 21st.

Teacher's Lounge

This section is for teachers to comment only. Students may read the comments, but may not post.

Assignment #4: If I Were the Teacher...

Imagine you were a teacher and had several iPads in your classroom.  What would you do?

Please comment on this post and tell us how you would make use of the iPads if you were a teacher.  If a certain app is needed, please include the name. Here are a few examples:

• If I were a Math teacher, I would use Screen Chomp.  I would give my students a problem, then have them work in groups to figure it out.  Once they figured it out, I would have them record how they solved it and email it to me.  I could review them after class and then share some of the good solutions (or go over errors) with them on the next class day.
• If I were a teacher, I would have a student type notes in Pages and then put them in a shared Dropbox, First Class conference, or Google group for the rest of the class to view.
• If I were a Science teacher, I would use iMovie to record info on a lab and then post it for my students to watch before they come to class on a particular day.  I would also have one person in each lab group being in charge of documenting the lab.  They would have to record everyone's hypotheses, questions, and participation.  Then they would edit it with text and send it to me to review.
• If I were a teacher, I would use iCal to keep track of all my lesson plans.  I would use the notes feature to record what I need to go over with my class.

This assignment is due Friday, October 7th.

Assignment #3: iPads by Subject

During our meeting last week we discussed which classes you all were able to use your iPads in and which classes you were not able to use them.  For some, it was because of the layout of the class and for others, it was because your teachers either encourage or discourage their use.  For this assignment, please answer the following questions as thoroughly as possible:
1.  Which classes are you using the iPad in the most?  Why do you think this is?  What sorts of things are you doing with them in these classes?
2.  Which classes are you using the iPad the least?  Why do you think this is?  What ideas do you have for how they could be used in these classes?
3.  What grade are you in?

Please do not use any teachers' names - only class names.  This assignment is due on September 23rd.

Save the Date: iPad Lunch and Learns

We will be holding two iPad Lunch and Learns over the next few weeks. Both sessions will be held in the meeting room inside the high school library 12:40-1:30. These meetings are not mandatory.  If you would like to join us for either, please bring your lunch and iPad.
Wednesday, September 21st: Pages and Keynote on the iPad
Wednesday, October 5th: iMovie on the iPad

Mandatory Meeting on 9/7

Below are the responses for two of our questions from our mandatory meeting on September 7th. Thank you to everyone who attended!

Replace audience response hardware with Poll Everywhere

Make your own poll voting question with Poll Everywhere

Assignment #2: First Impressions

While everyone seems to be enjoying the iPad as a new learning tool, everyone has had different experiences in their classes.  What has been the hardest/easiest/most surprising part of your experience with using the iPad? Please comment to this post and answer all three parts of the question in as much detail as possible.  Don't forget to enter your name when posting.
Please comment to this post and and answer all three of the questions below:
1. What have you found to be the best thing about having an iPad at school?
2.  What have you found to be the worst thing about having an iPad at school?
3.  What has been the most surprising thing about having an iPad at school?

Assignment #1: Notetaking Apps

This year we are hoping that most of you will start taking your class notes on the iPad. For your first assignment, we would like you to look into notetaking Apps.  Read the reviews, then try some out.  There are many free notetaking Apps, so you do not have to purchase one if you don't want to.   Once you have tried several, write a review of your favorite as a comment to this post.  Tell us the name, how much it cost, why you liked it, and what features it offers. 
It is not required, but you may want to look into getting a stylus to use when taking notes.  They range in prices, but we found a decent Acer one on Amazon for as low as $9.
Due date: August 26, 2011

Training Handout

Click here if you need to view the handout we used during the iPad orientation.

Apps

In case you haven't come across your own list of available apps, check out some of the ones below.
If you come across any good compilations, please share them in the comment section.
Note:
To post a link in the comments section, you will need to type some HTML code like this:
"<a href="http.....">displayed text</a>"
Apple Distinguished Educator App Reviews / Lists
Top educational apps
Apple Educational Apps
Educational Apps Review
Apps in Education

Once you have started using some apps yourself, make sure you are adding them to our shared Google Doc (using this form) so others know what's worth trying and what's not.  
To see what others have tried, click here.

iPad tutorials

To learn more about your ipad and some of the apps pre-installed for you, check out the link below:
Apple Video Tutorials