Using the iPads in class has been exciting and very different from normal day to day life in the classroom. When wanting the kids to do something new with the iPad, I have to plan to take a good bit of instructional time out of my plans for the day. However, by using the iPads, we do get more done quicker so the time evens out. I am not having to spend valued class time for students to turn in their work and for me to pass the work back out to them. It's all done over the internet.
The students access all resources they need from my website (http://teachers.vestavia.k12.al.us/hawthornesd/MLearning/APS_ipads.html). My website gives them any external links they may need to supplement their learning since we do not have a textbook and is the primary location to open any files we are working on in class. All documents are saved as PDFs so they can be opened easily.
The app I have chosen for the students to use is Note Taker HD. This has to be one of the top apps I would recommend for classroom use. All in one app they can take notes (handwritten or type written); create graphs, data tables and charts; insert or take photos; annotate files; send files; and so much more! The students can create folders for each unit to save their files in and can also backup all of their files. It is user-friendly. It has taken the students some time to learn how to use the app, but are becoming more efficient everyday using it. There have been times when the students would be too consumed with making their notes "perfect" and not paying as much attention to the lesson; however, we have slowly overcome this as the students have gotten more comfortable. I have attached some samples of student work created in Note Taker.
All files the students create or annotate are sent directly from Note Taker HD to my Evernote account and their account. We set up each student's Note Taker to automatically include their email address for Evernote and my email address for Evernote. The subject line has the name of the folder the file needs to be sent to. For example, we are in the Graphing Unit so the students have a Graphing folder to organize all of their files. The subject line will say @Graphing and the file will automatically go to this folder. I then access their work and open it into Note Taker for grading. Once graded, I send it back to their Evernote account directly into their folder for the current unit. Grading has been much easier and its nice having a lighter load--not carrying hundreds of papers to and from school for grading.
Evernote has been another program I highly recommend for use in the classroom. I purchased the Premium version because I am sending/receiving so many files. However, my students have not come near the quota for their free accounts. I suggest that everyone should have an Evernote account. It is so powerful and has so many possibilities for any type environment (home, work, school).
I have a Google Calendar that I update daily for my students. I include the day's activities and any homework. The students have a program called Calengoo on their iPads that are synced with my calendar. Every time I update the calendar, it syncs with their programs. The students also have a planner app on the iPad that many use instead of their agenda books now. It is allowing them to stay very organized in one location. My calendar can also be synced to this app.
Going paperless has had its challenges, but overall I am really seeing the benefits both for me as the teacher and for the students. We still use other resources besides the iPad in the class, just nothing with paper (i.e. textbooks). I use white boards at each group for them to show their work on to help one another, clickers, promethean board, document camera, and many other resources. The students are engaged the entire time during class, and are seeming to enjoy learning again!
No comments:
Post a Comment