003+iPads+in+Classrooms

Frostburg State University **SPRING 2011**

Throughout the United States, iPads are fast becoming the newest technology being introduced into the classroom. The majority of students and teachers are loving the iPad, however the users are having a few technological problems. Despite the problems, teachers, from physics to kindergarten, are using the iPad to reinforce the material they are teaching. Students, especially college students, are using the iPad to take notes and research material. The applications, or apps, available for the iPad are too many to count, but we have discovered the top-rated apps available, according to teachers and students. Overall, iPads are considered the future in classroom technology.

In a recent study, Ross (2011) interviewed Kindergarten students who stated they love using the ipad, and many prefer it to pencils and paper. WV educators, according to Ross (2011), also expressed their surprise at how fast the children took to the iPad. Part of another ongoing study at the University of Notre Dame, Woyke (2011) reported the students saying that iPads increased their learning because of the technology available, and also made courses more interesting. Harbor (2010), current teacher using an iPad in his classroom, stated he enjoys the endless list of useful applications, and also the long battery life. The iPad is truly the most portable device on the market at this time. When talking about the positive attributes of an iPad, the list is growing daily. However, iPad users are discovering technological issues that need to be addressed.

With all new technology, comes the problems that will need to be dealt with. The biggest problem iPad users, according to Harbor (2010), are discovering is the ipad does not support Adobe Flash. However, Harbor (2010) also states companies are developing apps everyday accepted by the ipad. It is believed that it will only be a matter of time before Adobe and Apple work together to create an app. Woyke (2011) wrote that a problem students are having is the size of the keyboard and the difficulty taking notes during class, but most feel note taking got easier as they got used to the keyboard. Harbor (2011) states that many of the problems mention by iPad users are being immediately dealt with. Overall, iPad users are enjoying the iPad and feel the pros greatly out weigh the cons.

Teachers use the iPad in their classrooms to help reinforce what they teach. One 8th grade teacher likes using the iPad becasue the videos give step by step directions on how to solve math problems. When the students watch the videos it helps reinforce what was taught in the classroom by their teacher. Barseghian (2011) states "That’s one of the best things about the iPad as opposed to the book,” Mitchell says. “It shows //how// to solve. The textbook just has answers in the back, no explanations as to how to get there". The iPad also provides more math problems for the students so they can get extra practice in any areas they are having trouble with. The 8th grade teacher likes the iPad because it makes learning math more fun and more people enjoy her class. Barseghian (2011) also says the videos have been key. But even more importantly than scores, Mitchell has noticed that some students who’d showed no interest in math in the past are hooked. “I have students who are participating in this class who did not participate in their previous math classes, so it does engage them.

A high school teacher uses the iPad with her physics class. She makes a portfolio filled with websites, activities, and videos can be used on the iPad. Anonymous (2010) says Since the iPad allows you to set any webpage as an “app” of sorts on the first screen, she created a set of Physics sites that related to her lesson. Some were apps and some were websites. Then she created a pathfinder of guided questions relating to the content she wanted them to know. She has noticed that by using the iPad the students are more likely to work together on the activities. When they students do book work they tend to work alone and not talk to each. Using the iPad creates excitement amoung the students and they want to work together. The teacher has notcied that once the students started using the iPad they became more interested in learning about physics. According to Anonymous (2010) when using the iPad, the sharing increases a great deal, and it’s not uncommon to see several heads bent over an iPad, or two students with an earbud in each ear. Some of her students even improved their grades because the iPad videos and activities help reinforce what the teacher taught in class.

iPads are even used in Kindergarten classrooms. The teacher uses the iPads to make her students become more familiar with technology. Faulkner (2010) interviewed the classroom teacher who said I believe that all kids need to be technology literate, whether they're five or 15. She used the iPads everyday so that her students have something to look forward too. The activites the class does on the iPad tie with that day's lessons. Faulker (2010) also reports that I'm still doing the teaching but it gives them opportunities to reinforce those skills for students who don't grasp the skills the first time. It gives them that extra practice. Overall, iPads are becoming more popular in classrooms, both teachers and students enjoy using them during class.

The iPad offers many useful and educational applications that can be used in today’s classrooms. For the subject of math, there is an app called “Math Cards,” which is described as a “grade-as-you-go game teaches subtraction, division, multiplication and addition in a touch-screen game” (2010, June 16th.) This game could be very beneficial to any grade level that still emphasizes basic-level math, or for any individual student who is learning this level of math. Another app called “Brain Tuner Light” is a free application that is useful for daily math practicing (2010, June 16th.) This game also adds in the factor of speed while still requiring accuracy as well. It times you as you solve very basic math problems, and allows you to try to beat your personal-best score, which it saves for you. Anyone who wants to increase their confidence and quickness with math skills could benefit from this application.

For the subject area of reading, there are many useful applications as well. One application called “Newspapers,” is self-explained by its title. This application allows the user to access newspapers on their iPad from multiple cities (2010, June 16th.) This could be used for education purposes, such as current event assignments, for reading practice, or even for the purpose of reading for enjoyment. Another application, called “Free Books,” is also described well by its title. For a one-time fee of $1.99, this app gives the user access to thousands of free books to read on their iPad. (2010, June 16th.) This is a very cheap fee when thought of from a school budget standpoint, and can places thousands of books at the students’ fingertips. I would seem to be a very logical investment.

For the subject area of general education/life skills, there is an application called “Flashcards Deluxe,” which allows the user to “customize your own flashcards with this app, which integrates with Quizlet.com, features audio and text, and can hold over 5,000 flash cards” (2010, June 16th.) This seems like a great application for teaching and promoting positive study skills. There is a lot of flexibility involved with this as well; since the flashcards can be customized, the uses for these flashcards can be endless. Also, there is an application called “2010 World Factbook.” “With this app, your children can learn about different countries, their flags, languages, government, economy, and more” (2010, June 16th.) This application could be beneficial for general knowledge, as well as for history/social studies classes.

In conclusion, the iPad is, without question, at the forefront today's technology used in classrooms. Due to their flexibility with applications, there are limitless possibilities as to what can be done, as well as what can be taught with them. They can be beneficial to students of all levels (even college,) teachers, professors, as well as anyone within the education system that is looking to educate, or be educated. The iPad, with it's flexibility, should stay around for a very long time as a useful tool in the processes of teaching and learning.

References:

Barseghian T. (2011, January 26). A day in the life of the iPad classroom. //Mind Shift//. Retrieved from [] Faulkner T. (2010, December 2). Local kindergarten students using iPads in the classroom. //WPSD News//. Retrieved from[] Harbor, G. (2010). 10 Pro's and con's of iPad in the classroom: a trial. //Wordpress.// Retrieved from http://gharbor.wordpress.com/2010/12/02/10-pros-and-cons-of-ipads-in-the-classroom-a-trial/ Mind Shift. (2010, October 11). Collaborating with iPads in the classroom. //Web Log Message//. Retrieved from[] Ross, J. (2011). Schools: iPads are popular teaching tools. //The State Journal.// Retrieved from [] Woyke, E. (2011). Pro's and con's of iPad in the classroom. //Forbes Digest.// Retrieved from[] [|40 Amazingly Educational iPad Apps for Kids]. (2010, June 16th). Retrieved from []

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Liz Ruffini media type="custom" key="8751818"







Liz Kimmel:

The following information has been copied from: [] A research study done at the University of Notre Dame, which started in August 2010, found that students are not totally convinced of the ipad’s effectiveness. Elizabeth Woyke (2011) reported the current conclusion of the study is that students have difficulty taking notes during class, due to the size of the keyboard. Woyke (2011) also stated that students would rather be loaned an ipad then purchase one, because of the cost. However, many said the ipads increased their learning because of the technology available, and also made courses more interesting. The study is still continuing on through the Spring 2011 semesters and they hope to implement the ipads into the University’s Education Department because they feel all teachers will eventually be using the ipads in their classroom, stated Woyke (2011).

The following information has been copied from: [] Jim Ross (2011) told in //The State Journal// how schools across West Virginia are implementing ipads into the classroom. Ross (2011) interviewed Kindergarten students who stated they love using the ipad, and many prefer it to pencils and paper. After further talk with West Virginia educators, Ross (2011) wrote that they feel the ipad is their future for technology. WV educators were also surprised to how fast the students took to the ipad and feel the future transition to putting the ipads in the all classrooms will be very smooth.

The following information has been copied from: [] Samantha Miller (2011) reported that ipads are quickly becoming the newest creative technology for the classroom. Miller herself is a teacher and member at teachhub.com and is implementing the use of the ipad into her classroom. Miller (2011) listed the top apps she found could be useful for teachers. Under each app, Miller (2011) gives a descrition of the app and how it could benefit a teacher and/or student.

Liz Ruffini:

The information below is copied and pasted from: []

But one of the differences between the book and the app is that students can watch videos of instructors explaining each problem as many times as they need in order to understand.“That’s one of the best things about the iPad as opposed to the book,” Mitchell says. “It shows //how// to solve. The textbook just has answers in the back, no explanations as to how to get there.” If the goal of learning is to figure out the “how” and not just the correct answer, then the gadget is doing its job. “Students don’t really look at it as it’s solving the problem for them. They really want to understand. Kids really do want to learn, and this just makes it more fun for them to learn,” Mitchell says.Mitchell admits that when the pilot first launched, test scores for the class using the iPad were actually lower than those using the traditional textbook.“I had a conversation with the class explaining to them that the iPad was not the panacea of all ills. It wasn’t going to do everything for them, that they still had to think,” she says. “You have to be engaged. It’s not giving you the answers; it’s helping you get the answers.” Each class in the pilot program is figuring out its own way of getting the best out of the iPad, and in Mitchell’s case, the videos have been key. But even more importantly than scores, Mitchell has noticed that some students who’d showed no interest in math in the past are hooked. “I have students who are participating in this class who did not participate in their previous math classes, so it does engage them,” she says. “Is it going to make them all brainiacs and straight A students? No it’s not going to do that. But it will keep them engaged.”

The information below is copied and pasted from: [] The latest part of our iPad pilot concerned using the iPad in classroom settings. We have a set of five iPads for classroom use, so it really requires thought on the teacher’s part in thinking about how the tool fits into their curriculum and how to make it work from a practical level. One teacher found the use of pathfinders successful. Since the iPad allows you to set any webpage as an “app” of sorts on the first screen, she created a set of Physics sites that related to her lesson. Some were apps and some were websites. Then she created a pathfinder of guided questions relating to the content she wanted them to know, which these apps and websites could assist students in understanding. One question that interests me about this pilot is this–once the excitement about using the iPad wears off, will the engagement of using it linger? I think it will because when I watch students with it, I clearly notice a difference from their laptop use in terms of sharing; when students work on our desktop computers or in our laptop lab, they tend to work on their own, occasionally sharing with another person, but when using the iPad, the sharing increases a great deal, and it’s not uncommon to see several heads bent over an iPad, or two students with an earbud in each ear (just as we see with their iPods and nanos). When we start to think of classrooms as more collaborative environments, a device that is easily shared can support that kind of collaboration.

The information below is copied and pasted from: [] The iPad is arguably one of the most popular new gadgets in the world today and now is a teaching tool in local classrooms."I believe that all kids need to be technology literate, whether they're five or 15," Morgan Elementary School's Julie Gargus said. She is a kindergarten teacher at the school and has her students use the iPad on a regular basis."I'm still doing the teaching but it gives them opportunities to reinforce those skills for students who don't grasp the skills the first time. It gives them that extra practice," Gargus said.She added that the programs the kids use on the iPad drive home important lessons learned in the classroom.

Justin Fama

Information below was copied from []

<span style="background-color: transparent; border-width: 0px; color: #222222; font-family: arial,verdana,tahoma,sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; outline-width: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 10px; vertical-align: baseline;">RoomPro Technologies has released RoomPro ONE, a fully integrated, all-in-one classroom control and microphone system that enables K-12 educators to provide an enhanced audio and video experience for students to improve learning. <span style="background-color: transparent; border-width: 0px; color: #222222; font-family: arial,verdana,tahoma,sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; outline-width: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 10px; vertical-align: baseline;">RoomPro ONE is equipped with a built-in infrared microphone system that offers optimized voice enhancement and 360° sound reinforcement for full-classroom auditory learning. It also includes a wall panel for simple, one-touch control and notably features a Virtual Control Panel, a proprietary (patent pending) control panel emulation software that allows teachers to operate the system using multiple technologies. <span style="background-color: transparent; border-width: 0px; color: #222222; font-family: arial,verdana,tahoma,sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; outline-width: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 10px; vertical-align: baseline;">Dean Olds, president of RoomPro Technologies, says the system’s classroom control software offers educators several advantages. <span style="background-color: transparent; border-width: 0px; color: #222222; font-family: arial,verdana,tahoma,sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; outline-width: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 10px; vertical-align: baseline;">“RoomPro ONE solves the problem of uneven classroom sound distribution and as a result the related problem of uneven learning experiences from student to student. And, with the addition of our Virtual Control Panel, we have found a way to provide educators with more convenient system control and access. Teachers can now quickly and easily operate the system at the touch of a button, whether they are working from a laptop, a wireless table or an interactive whiteboard,” Olds says. <span style="background-color: transparent; border-width: 0px; color: #222222; font-family: arial,verdana,tahoma,sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; outline-width: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 10px; vertical-align: baseline;">Olds adds that the Virtual Control Panel software program eliminates the need for remotes, which can be cumbersome to use and are easily misplaced. <span style="background-color: transparent; border-width: 0px; color: #222222; font-family: arial,verdana,tahoma,sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; outline-width: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 10px; vertical-align: baseline;">According to Olds, another critical advantage for educators is that the system is priced with today’s tight school budgets in mind. “Our initial feedback from district decision makers is that this system is very affordable. It essentially can be purchased for what you would expect to pay for a classroom microphone system,” he says. <span style="background-color: transparent; border-width: 0px; color: #222222; font-family: arial,verdana,tahoma,sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; outline-width: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 10px; vertical-align: baseline;">Olds says that RoomPro ONE has also been well received by school technology specialists because it is engineered for quick installation. “RoomPro ONE includes a one-of-a-kind, all-metal ceiling enclosure that attaches cleanly to the ceiling and integrates the speakers, audio amplifier, A/V switcher and project mount—all in one,” he says. <span style="background-color: transparent; border-width: 0px; color: #222222; font-family: arial,verdana,tahoma,sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; outline-width: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 10px; vertical-align: baseline;">In addition, RoomPro ONE comes with full audio support and includes multiple audio inputs and one audio output to record lessons and create podcasts to share with others. <span style="background-color: transparent; border-width: 0px; color: #222222; font-family: arial,verdana,tahoma,sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; outline-width: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 10px; vertical-align: baseline;">RoomPro ONE also includes a full complement of voice amplification options, starting with an IR pendant-style microphone that features an audio input jack for seamless connection to an IPod or MP3 player or an optional plug-in headset that can be worn comfortably around the neck.

<span style="background-color: transparent; border-width: 0px; color: #222222; font-family: arial,verdana,tahoma,sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; outline-width: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 10px; vertical-align: baseline;">Information below was copied from <span style="color: #000000; font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif; line-height: 19px;">[]

<span style="border-width: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 12px; line-height: 1.7em; margin: 0px 0px 1em; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">The London School of Economics and Political Science (<span class="caps" style="border-width: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">LSE ) believes in combining the best of traditional classroom and online learning. Steve Ryan, Director, Centre for Learning Technology, revealed two technologies – clickers and lecture capture – which have proved to enhance the learning experience. <span style="border-width: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 12px; line-height: 1.7em; margin: 0px 0px 1em; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">In the next academic year, <span class="caps" style="border-width: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">LSE planned to scale out the use of clickers to all 1500 first year undergraduate students. This will be implemented for the course ‘<span class="caps" style="border-width: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">LSE100 – Thinking like a Social Scientist’, which is an introductory course to help students appreciate the breadth of social sciences. Several techniques can be employed when clickers are used in the classroom. Clickers help pace a lecture as it can be used to quickly check students understanding. Teachers can pose a difficult question which is likely to generate a range of responses, then ask students to discuss among themselves, and then vote again. From experience, students’ understanding will improve considerably after such a discussion.“A pilot project last year on the use of clickers in the classroom was highly successful,” said Ryan. “While it is difficult to quantify the impact of clickers on students’ grades – because there are so many unique variables – our survey on the 300 students involved in the pilot yielded very positive results.” Two thirds of students felt that they learnt more in classes which used clickers compared to classes that did not. <span style="border-width: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 12px; line-height: 1.7em; margin: 0px 0px 1em; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">“A factor that teachers need to consider is that such techniques do take up time,” advised Ryan. “While the use of clickers helps check and improve students’ understanding, teachers might not be able to cover as much materials in that class if they are using clickers.” <span style="border-width: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 12px; line-height: 1.7em; margin: 0px 0px 1em; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Lecture capture is the other technology Ryan has found effective and well-received by students at <span class="caps" style="border-width: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">LSE. “Being able to watch a recorded lecture is particularly useful for students whose first language is not English. Or for technical courses which involve lots of formulae and graphs,” observed Ryan. <span style="border-width: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 12px; line-height: 1.7em; margin: 0px 0px 1em; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="caps" style="border-width: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">LSE captured 1000 hours of lectures last year and attracted around 30,000 views a month. This figure is substantial considering <span class="caps" style="border-width: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">LSE ’s relative small student population of 9000 and that the recorded lectures are only available to <span class="caps" style="border-width: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">LSE students who are enrolled in certain courses. <span style="border-width: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 12px; line-height: 1.7em; margin: 0px 0px 1em; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">The lecture capture system records not just the lecturer’s voice but also the presentation slides. Students can see the lecturer on a small window, and the concurrent presentation on another. More importantly, students can easily navigate around a single lecture by clicking on the portion of the recording. Instead of watching the entire video in a linear fashion, students can jump right to the middle of the lecture which he or she missed or did not understand.

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