What a great opportunity to have a chance to try out the ipads as a pod. I am so glad that we are a division that takes technology seriously. It's so incredible how one enhances the other. Like anything new, it does take planning and preparing when you start something new. I wanted to use the pod as a center while I was doing reading groups and so I wanted to have something for the children to do that didn't involve my assistance. I also wanted to do something that had a purpose not a time filler and not games that didn't have an educational purpose. I will post each app we tried separately so it's easier to read. I had 4 ipads--one of my own and 3 to borrow for first term.
Pros
- great enthusiasm from children to get their turn
- the learning is so incredible
- The ipads are way WAY easier for the children to use than a computer at this age. They are more straight forward and we eliminate the signing in--the manoeuvring around the sites---and all the errors that seem to occur with the pc's.
- There are so many great apps out there--and they never get bored-- and the developers are coming out with even better apps all the time.
- making sure there was enough time for each student to have equal time. I tried to get 2 groups with the ipad at center time but discovered that if I just allowed one group to go through it was less rushed.
- finding an independent app they could do. I overcame this hurdle by spending time showing the app on the whiteboard thru the lcd projector and then following thru with feedback at the end of the morning. I also had students that had used the app already to be the teachers for those who needed extra help. The more experience they have been getting with the ipad the better they are getting of course. I have also given in to knowing that my reading group will have to deal with small interruptions when nothing else works.
- Planning--like anything new, as I was saying, it takes time to prepare--but as I get more knowledgeable -- it is easier
I have another hurdle for your post..... so I had all my kiddos set up with profiles on the ipads, they knew which ipad was theirs to use for Teach Me Grade One and they were well on their way independently using the app! YAY - right? No, I decided to juggle a few kids in my reading groups. Some were advancing much quicker and needed to be in a different group. So it's reading time. Kids are on ipads and I discover 2 of them have their profiles on the same ipad! And now I have a group with 7 kids and only 6 ipads! My fast thinking solution was this....... "would one of you be willing to start over" - poor kid, new profile on a different ipad. As for being short one ipad - I quickly let her use my iphone!
ReplyDeleteThat is a hurdle, Christine.I am thinking if there was a log in and then it wasn't tied to a specific computer that would solve the issue....but then the children have to log in and we know what trouble that causes...there goes the independence. That's my hurdle with Spelling City.
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