Here's a brief breakdown of my experience with these devices for the past 1.5 weeks:
Rollout:
- I spent quite a bit of time installing all of the Apps I thought I'd like the students to have access to (detailed list to follow later). Updating the iOS, installing Apps, setting up Mail, and then setting (and resetting) the permissions prove the most time consuming. I guess I'd call it just initial startup time I should expect.
- Each student was assigned an iPad which I tracked on a spreadsheet. This way students can self-police each other ("hey, who messed up my iPad?") and I can narrow down the list of culprits.
- The first couple of times the students had the iPads, I didn't give them any instruction - to let them get the play out of their systems. Photobooth is definitely popular!
- After a couple of days, I introduced them to just a couple of Apps (Campus Portal Mobile, Evernote, Goodnotes). I let them play with them and/or take class notes with them.
Advice:
1. Dive in! –
- Let the students mess with them. Maybe show them an App or two and turn them loose. After the initial Photobooth / Siri infatuation, they'll settle down and use them more like the tool they're designed to be.
- If you have the same Apps on your teacher iPad, just look for 'big' updates before you go trying to update them all.
Initial Apps:
- GoodNotes - I can't say enough good things about this app. Students can import photos and PDFs to this App, they can take notes (using their fingers to write or a stylus), and they can then export those notes to either their Email or DropBox (they have to set up an account). I've attached a picture of an example of this free app. (a paid version is available also).
- EMD Periodic Table of Elements - This is a highly interactive table of elements. Students use it to look up all things from atomic mass, to an element's classification, it's boiling point, trends in atomic radii, etc. There's even a molar mass calculator if they need to double-check things.
- Carl
Great ideas. I think it'd be best to pick a few notetaking apps and put the free version on all the HS iPads, let students use them, then decide which ones to focus on. I don't think every student needs to use the same app for all note taking but it'd be nice to standardize on a few so if students are using iPads in different classes then they can easily transfer their learning. And OMG, what works in Chemistry might work in ELA?
ReplyDeleteAnd don't forget, at some point we want each student to have their own device then they can choose their own apps. :)
Your post is a great model. Posts should be manageable in terms of content for both the writer and the reader. Two apps at a time is more than enough. Thanks for your input.
Another idea with Rollout ... I found it easier to work in groups of 3 or maybe 6 iPads at once. I was thinking about a row by row approach to the carts. Do everything you want on one row of iPads. Finish those, then go to the next row. It may take a while to get everything done, but at least for me it helped me to remember which I had done and which still needed work. Plus, it seems the server allowed for a quicker download on 3-6 than with all of them at once.
ReplyDeleteMike