Why iPads? Consumption

Wifi connected iPads are just like networked computers allowing anyone to use a browser to search the internet and access Web sites. Students at WIS learn that their starting point for inquiry is our PS Library Website with its databases, safe search engines, media sources and lists of helpful, fun Web resources rich in media and text.  

The iTunes App Store is packed with apps that can help students practice and improve specific skills (e.g., language, math, science, etc). The iBooks app connects to the App Store for downloadable books. The Kindle app gives students access to eBooks that can be purchased or downloaded for free. The International Children's Digital Library app is an excellent source to find books in French, Spanish, Dutch and English. Students can also listen to books through the Audiobook and iTunes apps that provide recorded books, podcasts and other audio resources for easy downloading.

Many news and education providers have apps so students don’t have to navigate through a browser to access information. Examples are France 24, BBC and National Geographic.

Social media and news can be gathered from Twitter, blogs and Pinterest among others. Teachers and students can choose topics and questions using their ICL skills to find reliable resources from which they can subscribe to by using iPad apps. A couple excellent aggregator apps are Flipboard and Feedly. Subscribing through Flipboard or Feedly means that one doesn't have to go out on an individual basis to his/her favorite blogs, news sources or podcasts. All the latest updates are pulled into your aggregator app for easy access. See below for a screenshot of Feedly being used for professional development resources.

Consumption of information can be much more than just pulling from resource providers on the Web. Students and teachers can create their own content to be shared for others to consume on their iPads. This Web site is filled with ways to create and communicate one's ideas so think about students as authors (iBook), video producers (iMovie) and musicians (GarageBand). Focusing on multimedia, GarageBand is one of many apps that support music and podcast creation. Try using an iPad app like iMovie to produce tutorials, documentaries, documentation of museum visits, etc. And don't forget about using the iPad camera to record movement and skill attainment in dance, PE, sports team practices, etc. to then provide immediate feedback to one's students. 

Why iPads? Creativity

Think of the iPad as a tool for students to record, edit and synthesize media to then communicate their understanding. Students can record sounds, video, and still images using the Camera, GarageBand and iMovie applications. Each gives our students the power to edit a mixture of images, video and voice recordings to make their thinking visible.

A second way to create videos is through screencasting apps like Educreations and Explain Everything. There are so many ways in which screencasts can be used in our classrooms with students creating videos of number talks, how to's, reflections, thinking routines, etc. Here are several screencasts that a First Grade teacher had her students create. Screencasting is a wonderful technique that easily differentiates instruction by helping students communicate their understanding in an unrestricted environment. Watch Kindergarten student Marco's Spanish screencast on water by selecting the link below the image.  

Marco's screencast on water.

Talk about making thinking visible!

Below is a video podcast using Google Hangouts that shares classroom experiences where iPads were used to facilitate creativity and expression. It includes many lessons learned about how technology empowers students to apply their various literacies as they create and communicate their learning. Note that you need to get past the first few minutes of the video before the participants get down to business. :) The examples are from older students but there are many possibilities for "junior versions" with primary school students.