iPad+Class

Marian iPad Wiki
 * __ iPad Class __**

**__Apps for Professional Use__**
[|Brain Pop]: Brain Pop is an educational website that has animated videos on several different topics in the various content areas. The videos are short, humorous, and get the point across. There are quizzes, lesson plans, and activities to go along with the videos, as well. I have used several Brain Pop videos in the past and find that it would be useful to have it on the iPad for quick, easy access. Topics I would find most useful include Internet safety, computers, and language arts.

[|Evernote]: Evernote allows you to take notes and record. These files can be accessed any where there is an Internet connection. I like that you can access them from the Internet. Students could use this during class by taking turns taking notes. The notes could be uploaded to a class website for students that were absent. I could also use it as a way to flip a lesson. In addition, I could use Evernote for taking notes and recording presenters at conferences.

[|Dragon Dictation]: Dragon Dictation could be used for many things in my classroom. In both CLIK and language arts, students could record answers, discussions, etc. and these things could be put in a class newsletter or something similar. They could use it to word process their papers instead of having to type. Again, this is something I could use professionally at conferences if I needed to take a quick note down in between presentations.

[|Educreations]: I think Educreations could be used by students or myself. I could use it to create illustrations or a video to go along when teaching certain concepts, for example, the inside of a computer or the proofreading process. I really like that you can search the creations that other teachers have already created. Why reinvent the wheel? Students could use this tool when creating a presentation for a research topic.

[|Voice Thread]: I finally used the online version of Voice Thread in my classroom this year. There were a few glitches, but overall, I thought it went well and I think students enjoyed it. Like Educreations, I like that we can go on and look at different Voice Threads that others individuals have created. I think this is a great way to open students’ eyes to the world around them. It can provide students with an opportunity to practice safe and responsible netiquette when they comment on their own Voice Thread or on the Voice Threads of others. Having this app on the iPad makes it much more accessible and easier to use since the display seems less cluttered.

[|TED]: I took a class a while back and the instructor showed us a video from TED. It was very inspirational and I have used it quite often since then. Accessing it on the iPad would allow me the same flexibility as using something like Brain Pop…I could just use the adapter to hook the iPad up to the projector to show the class a video (rather than having to hook up the laptop). I could find videos to inspire students or ask them to journal about a certain concept that the video touches on. I could also use this tool to share videos with other staff members or if I needed a particular resource in classes I am taking.

[|Kindle]: I really enjoy iBooks, but sometimes I find that certain books require the Kindle app. Plus, there might just be more free books that iBooks doesn’t have available. I could use the app to buy electronic versions of textbooks and I could use it to download free books, such as some of the classics, to share with students. I like that these apps have various tools available to help students as they are reading, such as a dictionary to look up unfamiliar words.

[|Sticky Notes]: In the past, I have seen people use an app called Infinote, which is basically a pin board for sticky notes, however, now the app cost $2.99, which is somewhat frustrating because it was free in the past. Anyways, in my classroom, I envision using this app as a sort of discussion tool. I could pose an opinion question to students and ask them to reflect on it a bit. Depending on how many iPads were available, students would take turns answering the question. Responses could be anonymous, I could request students to put their ID# if I wanted to be able to identify them, or students could just use their first names.

[|Story Kit]: I think this is similar to Book Creator, but it is free. I think this app would be a good way for students to practice their story writing skills. They would need to think through the story writing process and different elements involved; they would need to develop ideas of what they want their story to be about. Another idea would be to have each student do a page of a story to create a classroom story. It would also be a way to do a sort of class newsletter where each student creates an illustration and includes text of something they learned about a certain concept or during class. [|Grammar Up]: This is an app that would primarily be used in my language arts class. There are several grammar concepts that students can take tests on. It would be a good way to review a concept or to use during a mini-lesson.


 * There were several other apps that I found to be very useful, but they had a cost and I didn’t have enough money in my account, but I plan to add these later: Garage Band, Speak It!, Comic Life, Literary Analysis Guide, and Book Creator. I also had a Common Core app on my other iPad, but now I can’t seem to find it.**

__Apps for Personal Use__
[|Pinterest]: I felt Pinterest is an app that could also be for professional use, but I usually use it more for personal use. I love using this app to get ideas for recipes, gifts, crafts, and even my classroom. I enjoy looking at other people’s pinboards too.

[|Pandora]: When I am around an Internet connection, Pandora is a great way to listen to a variety of music. I can just type in an artist or genre that I like and listen. I don’t need to worry about having to skip songs and there are limited commercials (a lot less than the radio).

[|Accuweather]: Very rarely do I watch the weather on TV and if I do, I usually forget it. Accuweather allows me to look at the daily forecast, the extended forecast, and more. If I am going out of town, I can easily look up the weather for that location, as well.

[|Skype]: I use Skype to talk with my friend in Iowa and my sister that goes to college in LaCrosse. The nice thing about the iPad 2 is that it has a camera, so instead of having to skype on my laptop, I can use the iPad. In the future, I plan to use this tool professionally to connect my classroom with other classrooms around the country or, hopefully, the world.

[|Pic Collage]: I enjoy being creative using different pictures and Pic Collage allows me to do so. You can edit photos, add some effects, add text and stickers, and more. These collages can be shared via Facebook, Twitter, email, and more. I feel this is another app that could be used in my classroom.