Come learn about my FAVORITE technology tools for digital communication and collaboration with elementary students. Use these tools with Chromebooks, laptops, computers and some can even be used with iPads. Global learning is making its way into the classroom and we need to make sure our students are prepared so they can make the most of these authentic learning experiences!
Credit: The 3AM Teacher, Zip-ah-dee-doo-dah Designs, KG Fonts, Hello Fonts It's no secret that I use my iPad ALL the time in my classroom. Some teachers are REALLY lucky and they have a cart of iPads or a class set. I only have one Wi-Fi iPad (my personal iPad) to use with my kiddos but we make it work! Before we begin let me say that I am lucky to have a Smartboard and projector in my classroom. I bought this handy little gadget to hook my iPad up to the Smartboard which helps ALOT to make the iPad more accessible to all students. This is a VGA adapter for the iPad, you can get it from the Apple website or at Best Buy. Now that we're hooked up, here are 10 of my favorite apps/activities using my iPad that benefit all the kids in my classroom. 1. iBooks This is a free app to download from the iTunes. Any read aloud book I read this year (Magic Tree House, etc.) I downloaded it from iBooks. To help with cost, I asked for iTunes gift cards for my birthday, Christmas and as a wish item for my classroom. When we read the book aloud, I would hook up to the projector so my kiddos could see the books much better than if I just held it for them. Sometimes my kiddos would read along on the Smartboard or have a specific set of questions they were working on while we read it aloud. I found that my kiddos were so much more engaged when I projected books onto the Smartboard. 2. mClass Assessment My district uses the mClass 3D Reading assessment (which also includes Diebels Next) as the K-3 reading assessment for our kiddos. I originally used a mini-laptop and a Bamboo tablet before I found out that I could use my iPad! This quickly became the only way to assess since it was so much easier! Sometimes I use a stylus when assessing but you could use your finger just as easily. (Note: my school also has Wi-Fi which makes it easy to sync, if you do not have Wi-Fi at your school you can sync when you take it home to your personal Wi-Fi or whenever you are in a Wi-Fi range) HERE are the directions to get the mClass button on your iPad. 3. Storia I have talked many times of my love for Scholastic Book Clubs, well the Storia app has added to that love. I send home Scholastic Book Clubs every month and my kiddos order books. I can spend my points to get FREE e-books using the Storia app, which I then project onto the Smartboard and read aloud to my class. They also offer some books with audio. 4. Class Dojo About halfway through the year my kids grow a little tired of all the incentives I offer for good behavior. Around January I set up Class Dojo for a new, fresh approach. Now that Class Dojo is available as a FREE app it has gotten even better! The best part of this app is that I can I project my class dojo page on the Smartboard and then open the app on my iPad. While I am sitting with my iPad and teaching small group (which is usually the time that is most difficult for classroom management) I can give Dojo points by clicking on my iPad and it shows up on the Smartboard! I don't have to say anything, I just teach my small group, do a quick scan of the rest of my kids working on centers and give a few points (or take a few points) as needed. As soon as my kids hear the "ding" of points being given it becomes super quiet! It also has an option to pick a random student, no more popsicle sticks! If I need to call on a student, I open Class Dojo and pick at random! 5. Brain Pop Jr. App We LOVE some Brain Pop Jr. in my class!! Usually I just project the website using my computer but sometimes I want to watch a video while teaching small group. I teach small group reading and math instruction everyday so I spend a lot of time at my horseshoe table. (Note: you must have a subscription to access all the brain pop videos, but there is also a FREE Brain pop video of the week you can watch each week if you don't have a subscription). 6. Small Group Instruction I use my iPad ALOT in small group. I play short videos from Grammar Jammers, read short stories from iBooks/Storia or use skill specific apps depending on my kiddos needs. So, how do we do this without disrupting ALL the other kids who are working independently and want to see what's on the iPad?? We plug in headphones using this fancy splitter! I have heard of some teachers requiring students to bring a pair of headphones to school like any other school supply at the beginning of the year so that they have headphones ready to go when using a headphone splitter. I bought headphones from Dollar Tree so I would have enough to use, they aren't the most durable but they get the job done! 7. Tap Roulette App This is the simplest app but it is AMAZING! Do you ever have an argument in your classroom that you don't want to solve?? Well this app will solve it for you! Have whichever kids are arguing put one of their fingers on the iPad and you click "Pick Finger". The iPad will flash and then pick one of the fingers, solving the argument by random selection! If you need to solve a simple problem (who was there first?? who should get the first pick?? who gets the red crayon first?? ) then this app is a lifesaver! 8. Pandora Radio My kiddos LOVE listening to music! Sometimes we dance to pop music, play freeze dance, play musical numbers/words/operations and other times we write while listening to soothing classical music. I plug my computer speakers into my headphone jack on the iPad, we choose a kid friendly station and we are good to go! Pandora has it all! (Note: Wi-Fi is needed to access Pandora) 9. Mad Libs This is another app that I project to practice our parts of speech as a whole group or for just a fun brain break. This is a great review of the different parts of speech. There are many FREE stories and also ones you can buy. I usually move around the room and choose different students to fill in each blank. They always find the final story to be hilarious : ) 10. QR Codes I found myself incorporating QR codes into more and more activities last year. My kids were fascinated with them. QR codes are SUPER easy to make using THIS website. And I usually make QR codes with answers or hidden riddles for different centers/activities around the room. I don't let the kids walk around with my iPad scanning them because I know kids sometimes drop things and I would be so sad if my iPad dropped on the floor and broke. These FREE QR codes were fun to use for test prep and then I used these QR codes in HERE to countdown the last 10 days of school! The countdown codes were a big hit at the end of the year. I also have some ideas for them in the upcoming school year! And that's how we do it folks! I hope I have given you a few new ideas for how to use 1 iPad in your classroom of many!
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This blog is dedicated to sharing my experiences with setting up a technology enhanced classroom. The technology I have in my classroom is 28 iPad minis. I hope to have students use the iPads to access the almost limitless information available on the internet to solve complex problems and analyze historical events. I would also like to create as close to a paperless classroom as possible. I obtained 12 of the iPads in my classroom through a Hillsboro Schools Foundation grant and the other 16 through the Hillsboro School District innovation grant. Even though I am short 6 iPads from being able to assign 1:1 iPads to each class I will attempt to fill that gap with students using their own devices. The first problem I had to solve was a way to store the iPads in a safe and secure way. When I first received the iPads I really had no other solution than just stacking them on the countertop. This made it difficult to know if all the iPads had been returned and didn't keep them secure. I decided to take on a weekend project to create a cabinet with enough shelves and locking doors for all the iPads that I had. Here is a picture of the final product in my room. The cost of the wood and hardware came in under $60 plus the power adapters listed below. The cabinet has a total of 36 shelves and is constructed from 1/8" fiberboard, 2x2's and fir boards. The back has holes in it for the charging cables to pass through in order to charge the iPads. The door has a clasp but could be defeated with a small pry bar. This solution is definitely more secure than the iPads laying on the counter but would not stop a serious crook determined to walk away with the iPads. The gray boxes in the plans are 2x2's and the shelves are made from 1/8" fiber board. The doors and the fir surrounding the shelves is not in the plans shown above. Once the shelves were all stacked on top of each other I just measured how wide and tall it was and cut the wood to match. The doors are 1x2's attached to two pieces of fiberboard, one on each side of the 1x2's. I then attached the doors with hinges. The real difficulty in creating the cabinet is the amount of outlets you need to charge the iPads. This is where a multiple USB port adapter comes in. With three of these and two 9 outlet surge protectors all of the iPads can be plugged in at once from two wall outlets. These are around $16 online.
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Did you or a family member become an iPad owner this Christmas? Then you'll need one of these! I've had one of these quilted iPad covers for awhile and I love it. This particular cover is what I would consider a comfortable size. This is not a tight-fitting cover. I wanted it to be easy for my kiddos to use this. I can grab it on the way out the door and quickly slide the ipad in without a struggle. The elastic closure and button ensure that the iPad is snug inside and well protected. If you would like this to be a tight fit, increase your seam allowance to 1/2". iPad Cover Tutorial by Andy Knowlton www.abrightcorner.com Materials Needed: 2 Coordinating Fat Quarters button 6" or so of thin elastic thin batting Cutting Instructions: From one of the fat quarters (this is for the cover lining/inside) cut 2 pieces that are 9.5" x 11.5" and then two pieces that are 4" x 10" (this is for the pieced outer cover) From the second fat quarter cut two pieces that are 9" x 10" (This is also for the pieced outer cover). Batting: Cut two pieces that are 9.5" x 11.5" and two that are at least 10" x 12" Step 1: We will first make the outer cover. Sew each of the 4" x 10" pieces to the 9" x 10" pieces. Press. Step 2: Place the outer cover pieces over the batting pieces that are 10" x 12." Baste using a few basting pins or using a bit of basting spray. Quilt as desired, then trim both pieces to be 9.5" x 11.5" Step 3: Place the two outer cover pieces together (right sides together) and pin. Be sure to line up those seam lines (see photo below). When you get the cover finished it will be obvious if these seam lines are not matched up. Sew the two outer cover pieces together (using a 1/4" seam) along the sides and bottom, pivoting at the two bottom corners. Leave the top open. Clip the corners to reduce bulk. Turn outer cover right-side-out. Gently push out the corners (I use the tips of a blunt-edge pair of scissors. A car key would work as well.) Step 4: Sew on your button in the center of one side and about 2" down from the top edge. Step 5: Now we are going to work on the lining. Layer a piece of batting, then one of the lining pieces (right side up), then another lining piece (right side down), and then the final batting piece. The two lining pieces should be right-sides-together with the batting pieces on the outsides. Pin together around all edges. This next step is optional - but I find it helpful! At the bottom edge of the batting, cut a notch out that is about 5" long and about 1/4" high. Trim JUST the batting - not the lining fabric. Repeat for both pieces of batting. (Cutting this notch will help reduce bulkiness when you are stitching the opening closed.) Sew 1/4" seam along the sides and bottom of the lining/batting sandwich, stopping at the notched section of batting (or at about 2" in from each side.) Leave the notched section unsewn - this is where you will turn the cover right-side-out. Leave the top open as well. Clip the corners to reduce bulk. Step 6: Place the outer cover (right side out) inside the lining so that the two (inner and outer cover) are right sides together. Match side seams and pin in place all along top edge. Measure the amount of elastic you will need (this depends on the placement and size of your button). Place the piece of elastic loop-side-in, between the lining and outer cover on the opposite side of where the button is. Pin elastic in place. Step 7: Sew (using 1/4" seam) around the top edge of the cover, catching the ends of the elastic. After you have sewn around the whole top edge, trim the ends of your elastic. Mine were obviously WAY too long. Step 8: Through the opening in the bottom of the lining (remember that notched section of batting?) turn the cover right-side-out. Find the bottom edge of the lining that is unsewn. Fold the raw edges in about 1/4" and stitch the opening closed. This is where the notched batting helps reduce bulk and make this stitching easier. Step 9: Push the liner inside of the outer case. Reach in and push the corners in and smooth the liner so that it lays flat inside of the cover. I like to press the edge of the top opening to help it to lay flat as well. And there you have it-- a personalized iPad case to take with you everywhere you go! I love mine so much, but the guys in my family had a problem with the flowers. So I made a more masculine version to appease them.
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