Got iPads? Get a WiPad!

If you are an innovative educator whose school has moved to iPads in the classroom, you need a WiPad. Unlike Apple TV it does not require network connections or IDs. Unlike an interactive whiteboard you can get up and away from the board and into class. Just snap your iPad into the WiPad case, attach the battery to the back of the case, and connect that to WiPad and iPad with a cable. Place the receiver on your TV or projector and voilà! You’re ready to share whatever is on your iPad (i.e. apps, audio, video) with the class.  

What’s nice about the wireless device is that not only can the teacher be anywhere in the class, but the projecting iPad can also be given to a student to share their work as well. Or...you can just connect the WiPad to a student device.  

Unlike an interactive whiteboard that requires training, keeps you tethered to the front of the room, and costs thousands, consider a WiPad Pro. It works on an iPad 2 or 3 and runs for $299.  

A Friendly Guide to Deploying iPads at Your School

Guest post by Steve Kinney. Cross posted at http://stevekinney.net 

There is a lot to like about the iPad when it comes to using them in the classroom. It’s light and fast. It turns on instantly. The battery lasts all day. Best of all, it’s about half the price of a MacBook. Let’s face it, price matters when you’re buying at scale.

For personal use, the iPad is a breeze to set up. Turn it on, connect to a wireless network, enter your Apple ID, and you’re ready to go. If you’re already a resident of the Apple ecosystem, your apps are waiting for you in on a “Purchased” list in the App Store and backups of your other devices are available via iCloud for download to your current device. If you’re a new convert, getting started and downloading apps is a relatively painless experience.

There is also a lot to like about iOS. It’s a lean, mean operating system. It’s use of sandboxing keeps it relatively clutter free. iOS doesn’t do a lot, but it’s pretty good at what it does do.

Leveraging the iPad for School Announcements

Guest post by Matthew Dillon

The iPad and YouTube serve as the tools for the daily announcements to the staff, students and community at a public elementary school in Ohio with 1,100 students in grades K-5. The process of how this endeavor began, what we considered other than the iPad and YouTube, and how we put things into place can be viewed here.

There have been many successes and challenges using these technologies in the past five months. This is an example of outcome of this work.

Here are a few things we have learned, and a few things to consider as you explore using the iPad and an online video site such as YouTube to conduct school-wide announcements.

iPad Literacy Program Increases Reading & Writing Ability

Footsteps2Brilliance (F2B) is an impressive educational game platform that supports students in prek - 3rd grade in learning to read and write. Their Academic Language Program for Students (ALPS) teaches young children the 1,000 key words they will need to develop a powerful reading and writing vocabulary through animated ebooks and games. There is a back end management system tracks mastery of each child's vocabulary and comprehension development as well as standards-based concepts.  The program was developed in response to the landmark Hart-Risley study on language development that shows that an underprivileged child enters school with 25% of the vocabulary they need to succeed academically.  This program helps to rectify this situation by creating a language rich environment for all children.  

Turn Your iPad or iTouch into a Document Camera

I just LOVE saving people and schools money and here's another way to do it.  If you have an access to an iPad or iTouch you also have a document camera you can use in your classroom.  Simply connect the device to the projector and balance it on something in camera mode, then wah-la! A document camera.  You don't need any fancy or extra equipment.  So simple and so cool.

We used it in a workshop where people had iTouches and iPads and we were trying to figure out a very easy way for everyone to share their work without having to upload, email, etc.  All we needed to do is turn one iTouch or iPad into a document camera then everyone just took their device.  Placed it under the document camera -designated device and we were able to share!  It also worked well when we were trying to share how we did something on a particular device.

This video made by Chris Bell features Lainie Rowell showing us how at Alan November's Building Learning Communities conference.

Sites for Using iPads in Education

Following an iPad in Education workshop led by Meg Wilson (@iPodsibilities on Twitter) that was held at Apple last week, I asked an Apple employee to share with me useful materials for follow up.


Here are the sites that were suggested:

Want to Build the Home-School Connection? There's an App for That!

Imagine two students in a classroom: the first working diligently, doing something very well, and the second a student who is having difficulty meeting classroom behavioral expectations. 


What if it were possible for the teacher to inform both student’s parents in 10 seconds or less, while walking around the classroom? If it were possible, would this be something teachers would want to do? Moreover, what if students were aware that their teacher had this ability, might they make an effort to be caught doing the good stuff?


In most cases, the answer is a resounding, “YES!” followed by, “But how?”

Answer:  

Give an idea and get dozens more for using iPads in the Classroom

I’m often asked how iPads (and other such technology) is being used in the classroom.  Here’s a great Google presentation from Tom Barrett (@tombarrett on Twitter) where viewers can also contribute their ideas.  Check it out below and then visit the source to share your ideas.

Break Political BANdates, Boycott Outdated Assessments, and Empower Students to Learn

Innovative educators are frustrated when forced to follow political BANdates (i.e. a mandate banning something) such as one that has taken hold across many cities in the nation requiring students to power down at school. In New York City, the largest of these districts, the iPad toting Mayor, Mike Bloomberg relies on the same tools he refuses to let students bring with them to learn in school. While he purports wanting to develop students who are prepared for the 21st century world of career and academic success his technology BANdate prevents students from bringing any personally owned digital devices they may rely on at home into school. There are even metal detectors at schools to ensure the devices they (and he) could depend on for learning are not be used in the classroom. If we really wants our students prepared for the 21st century, then we must speak out against political BANdates. Educators not politicians should be empowered to make the decision about whether they want to allow students to use the tools they need to know how to use in the real world to succeed. Here is why this is so important.

6 Reasons Political BANdates Should Be Broken

1. BANdates Result in Dropouts
2. Schools Can Not Offer Real World Opportunities When BANdates Are Enforced
3. Saying Yes To Students Means Saying No To Political BANdates
4. Outdated Assessments with Tech BANdates Results in Students Prepared for The Past
5. Educators Who Think Outside the BAN Are Penalized
6. Political Bandates Shouldn’t be Driven by Success on Outdated Assessments

1. BANdates Result in Dropouts
If you ask educational visionary Marc Prensky, he’ll say, “Let’s admit the real reason that we ban digital devices is that, given the opportunity to use them, students would vote with their attention, just as adults would ‘vote with their feet’ by leaving the room when a presentation is not compelling.” But students don’t have that option. Unfortunately as NYC DOE Innovation Design Director Jonathan Skolnick, shares, “A traditional compulsory education requires students sit through 12 years of classes they never signed up for.” With drop out rates nationwide at about one third with many cities having rates hovering closer to 50% of students leaving school, many secondary students are indeed exercising the option to leave. The top reason motivated students with high GPA gave for leaving school is that class were not interesting and students suggest school offer opportunities in alignment with the real world.

2. Schools Can Not Offer Real World Opportunities When BANdates Are Enforced
Without technology, without the ability to connect, without the ability to use the tools necessary for success in the real world, school becomes a place where students feel trapped and disconnected which is why many innovative educators are morally opposed to enforcing political BANdates. Although New Jersey Principal Eric Shenninger knows that “Banning certainly is the easy way out”he knows educators didn’t get into this work because it is easy. When we ban, nobody has to change the way they do business. Teachers teach the same way. Testing companies test the same way. Politicians measure students the same way and most disturbingly, students are assessed and prepared for a world that no longer exists. When the world inside our schools looks so different than the world in which we live, do we make it our priority to think outside the ban and prepare our students or to we accept our charge to make our students easily and inexpensively measurable political pawns?”

3. Just Say No Is Fine for Drugs, but Not for Technology
Educators and parents who care about preparing students for the 21st century, know it’s time to stop fighting and start allowing students to use the tools they love for learning. If we did we would instantly have an influx in the availability of technology reaching millions if not billions of dollars. Like in the real world, schools would not need to provide tech for everyone, but instead follow the model of internet cafes, libraries, or coffee shops where device-agnostic internet is provided for those with their own equipment and additional devices are available for check out with those in need. Forget the the scary and faux excuse of the needing to secure student data. That can and should be housed separately. Forget hiding behind filtering laws. The internet can be configured to the schools specs. Schools that prioritize this like The School in Harlem figure it out.

4. Tech BANdates Result in Students Prepared for The Past, Not the Present or Future
When we continue to assess students using outdated measurements we are imprisoning them to a school life stuck in the past. Sadly, all too frequently I have walked into schools I know have ample technology resources and have not seen a single computer being used. Instead I’ve see kids writing on paper with pens and pencils because “that’s what is used for the test and that’s how we’re judged.” Even schools with the best intentions require students to duplicate efforts because they are judged on outdated assessment. In these schools students are told, go ahead and do your work on the computer as you like, but you must also get practice with paper /pencil since that’s how we are judged. Why are we wasting student’s time? Why aren’t we boycotting outdated assessments created for industrial workers?

5. Educators Who Think Outside the BAN to Empower Students Should Not Be Penalized
Our current system not only is doing a disservice to our students but research shows that innovative educators are being penalized. If teachers empower students to use technology they intuitively know that they will see a dip in the outdated bubble sheet test scores. Though Generation Tech has been scapegoated by some as the reason for declining test scores, when digging a little deeper we can see the research indicates (you can read more here and here) students who have become proficient using technology will see a decline in paper /pencil tests scores that use outdated assessments. The outdated assessments are keeping our students stuck in the past. We must start to acknowledge that we are not doing what is in the best interest of our children, but rather doing what is easiest and cheapest to provide quantifiable data for politicians and testing companies.

6. Political BANdates Shouldn’t Be Driven By Success on Outdated Assessments
Let’s face it. The impetus for using outdated tests that are no different than those used when compulsory education started in the early 1900s, is that it’s just plain easier and cheaper. It’s easier for testing companies to administer and for politicians to measure the results. When put in perspective it all makes sense for them. Lifting the ban and allowing students to use technology would make the job of measuring students, teachers, administrators, and politicians more difficult and more costly. Weeding out those teachers who don’t have a passion for test prep is easier than measuring teachers who have a passion for real student learning.

These political BANdates result in the establishment of a workforce of educators that look no different than the those who taught our silver-haired politicians and prepared students for the industrial age of the last century. In fact in our current system innovative educators, creative thinkers, and tech savvy students are severely penalized. They are banned from 1) using technology on the test, 2) working cooperatively as you would in the real world or 3) connecting with those in their personal learning network to solve problems. Can you imagine if the iPad-dependent Mayor of New York City had his technology taken from him prior to a speech? Can you imagine if he was told to prepare for work with out the help of his learning network? If it’s not right for the politicians, then it shouldn’t be right for our students.

Break the Ban and Give Schools The Authority to Empower Students
We will never prepare students for success in the 21st century when we 1) follow political BANdates that prevent students from using the tools we all need to succeed, 2) filter them from accessing the sites they need to learn (YouTube is the #1 educational site) or 3) prevent them from developing their personal learning networks using social media like Facebook, Twitter, and blogs they need to connect.

What’s good for the politicians IS GOOD FOR OUR STUDENTS. The do as I say, not as I do mantra of the past is no longer acceptable for students who want to spread their own wings doing as they want to say and do to pursue the passions they want to explore.

If we continue abiding by BANdates cultivating students to be prepared for the outdated world that is mandated to exist inside schools, we may make politicians happier, we may making testing companies richer, but we will not be preparing our students for their future or even their present. It’s time to let our students come out of the dark and allow them to power up for learning!

Daily Walkthroughs with GoogleApps and the iPad

How timely in light of the fact that I attended an iPad for Admins professional development session today that I come across Chris Lehmann's post Daily Walkthroughs with GoogleApps and the iPad. Take a look at his post for a smart walkthrough protocol using Google forms. At the training I attended, I was not surprised a vendor was touting their expensive walkthrough app. I wasn't much impressed. First, it seems that the iPad as the tool for this process was forced and any effort on our part to actually test the app out or have questions about it answered, were quickly squashed. They seemed more excited to talk about the app then let it speak for itself (red flag!). However, do I really need an app for that? I think not.

I have successfully been using the poorly-publicized, all-in-one Tablet combined with Google forms for this work. Lehmann is taking this path too and is trying to fit onto an iPad what may be better suited for a Tablet. However, if you have an iPad, it likely beats out engaging in the is work with a traditional laptop. Regardless of the device (an NYC administrator I work with successfully uses cell phone texting technology), it is important to note that educators are realizing the importance of digitally capturing classroom successes and challenges which is powerful!

See this video for a whimsical insight into the process.



As an innovative educator I question if the administrator is the "one" who can provide valuable insight into what's going on in classrooms? In this 21st century, web 2.0, interactive, power-with-the people world, my answer is...heck no! Let's transform this work and incorporate peer, self, student, parent, and other important voices, to weigh equally in the process where we all take ownership and move schools forward in ways that make all proud.

iPads? Eh! Social Reading from Your Phone? Now That's Innovation!

IPAD FEVER? For some iPads are all the rage. For me, I'm not impressed or inspired. If I want to read I do so just fine on my iTouch, Tablet, or Blackberry. I don't need another gadget to lug around...or possibly lose (The Innovative Educator's Amazing Race to Find Her Lost Pocket Book). However, regardless of the device on which you are reading I find the real innovation is social reading. Social books are powerful because they unlock reader’s voice and provide opportunity for conversation.

If this is appealing to you, you'll be excited to know and check out BookGlutton which works great on the iPad right out of the box - and it's the only community reading experience on a tablet. And, you don't needs an app. Just open your browser and type in bookglutton.com, open a book and read. See this shaky mobile video for a demo of how it works on an iPad.


If you don't have an iPad, you can also log in and pick up where you left off on an Android, iTouch or iPhone device for a seamless and interactive reading experience across all your devices by visiting http://www.bookglutton.com/mobile. You can also just read from her laptop by visiting http://www.bookglutton.com.

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Related reading:
See the conclusion this innovative educator came to when he pondered the question, "Is iPad just another iFad?" Read: Is the iPad Coming to Your Classroom?

What Happens When you Give a 3, 4, 8-Year-Old an iTouch?

When asked what an appropriate age is to integrate cell phones into the classroom, I recommend doing so at the time they exist for most outside of the classroom. According to Pew Research Center’s Internet & American Life Project today that means around 12-years-old for cell phones. However, it is at a much earlier age that children become intrigued with iTouches, often commandeering one of a parent, family member or friend when possible. Conversely adults have found that putting one of these devices into the hands of a young child can keep them entertained for quite some time. The beauty of these devices for educational use is that they are functional without cell phone service operating wherever there is an internet connection.

For educators interested in integrating technology into the lower grade classrooms, iTouches might be a tool to explore. Below are a few ways that 3, 4, and 8 year olds have been using iTouches. Each of them addresses different ways in which iTouches have become an engaging tool for students. They all make strong cases about the power of providing tech to students. You'll notice with each of them the appeal of the tactile experience that digital technology provides. When I hear folks reminisce about the "feel of the book" I think about how much richer the experience could be digitally. This first video does a great job of conveying this.

Why an iPhone could actually be good for your 3-year-old


Should a 4-year-old have an iPhone?
Marc Prensky shares how his four-year-old uses his iTouch for reading, writing, drawing and more.

What happens when you give a class of 8 year old children an iPod touch each?

In this video you see students using iTouches devices like it's second nature just like they do outside the classroom. They use the devices for reading, writing research and more using applications that are either free or much less expensive than the traditional textbook.

iPod Touches in our Pre-K Classroom

This video features a Pre-K student who explains how she is using an iPod touch to help her learn to spell better.

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Finding apps to use with your students

These are just a few ideas for using iTouches with early elementary students. The best way for educators to determine what's right for their students is to start with learning goals and then partner with students and parents/guardians to determine ways various technologies can help meet them.

Appolicious
A terrific resource for teachers and students engaging in this work is www.appolicious.com, a site where users can find and share the mobile apps they love listed by categories like "kids" and "education." Not only is this a great resource, but encouraging students and their parents to share and review apps for the world is also a powerful learning experience.

The iPhone Mom
Another terrific resource for finding iTouch Apps is www.theiphonemom.com. This site is maintained by the mother of four iPhone/iTouch using kids. This is a great way to bring families into the conversation. Have your student explore apps with their families. Remember, not all students need to use the same apps to accomplish a learning goal. Share with your student's parents/guardians what you're trying to help their children learn and ask them to visit this resource for ideas. Encourage your student's parents to begin establishing their digital footprint by commenting on the blog with feedback they have from using the apps with their children and teachers can do the same with class reviews of apps they find useful.