iPad Curriculum

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I must be crazy, that is the only explanation I have for starting yet another blog!  iPad Curriculum is a new blog I am starting today where I will post app and web app reviews, highlight educational tools that work seamlessly on the iPad/iPod Touch/iPhone, and give tips and tricks for using the iPad/iPod Touch in the classroom.

If you follow my blog regularly, you know I am working on an iPad research study with elementary students (help with funding by voting here).  I thought that as long as I was collecting and reviewing all of these resources, I should share them with all of you!  I’m not sure how frequently I will be posting yet, it may be once a day or several times a day depending on what I find and what I have going on.  For now, there is one lonely post but it will give you the idea of what the blog is all about.

iPads in Education

Some of you may know that I am working on an iPad 1-to-1 pilot program for first and fifth grade students at the school where I teach.  The program will study the effects of the mobile device on learning and achievement in the math and reading/language arts classroom.  One of my PLN members, Jason Schmidt will be working with us as a part of his masters program.  Additionally, Robert Marzano and Debra Pickering from the Marzano Research Institute, have agreed to partner with us in research if we can get the funding all settled.  Which brings me to the point of this post.  I still have to fund the thing!  I am waiting to hear back on several leads but never the one to only have one marshmallow in the fire, I am looking at every method conceivable to find the money for this.

This morning my mom sent me a Kohls Cares for Schools contest email that is offering $500,000 to the 20 schools with the most votes by September 3.  Of course I promptly signed up for it and am counting on all of you to help me out.  You are given a total of 20 votes that you can use, but you can only use 5 votes per school.  So I am asking for 5 of your votes to help fund the iPads in education study.  It is simple and just takes a one time click to connect and then 5 clicks of the votes button.  Easy right?  So, would you give us a hand and help us put some research to the iPads in the classroom debate?

One of the fun outcomes of this little idea is the comments that students have started leaving about how they think that the iPad could be used in the classroom.  Pretty fun to see from the students point of view 🙂

Two side notes:

1.  I have an iLearn Technology fan page on Facebook, if you haven’t already become a fan and clicked “like” you can do that here.

2. If you have a contact that could help with funding, I would take that too 🙂

Thank you all for your help and support!  If you are so inclined, you can also tweet about this post and ask others in your PLN to help vote.

ISTE 10 Recap: From Add-on Technology to Essential Technology: Constructing a 1-to-1 Aware Curriculum

One of the sessions I attended at the ISTE 10 conference was Elliott Soloway and Cathie Norris’s entitled: “From Add-on Technology to Essential Technology: Constructing 1-to-1 Aware Curriculum”.  It is hard to go wrong with a session by Elliott Soloway, his humor is contagious.

I was interested in this session because I am currently working on a proposal for a 1-to-1 iPad pilot program and study for next year.  I came away with some new perspectives on mobile technologies that I will share at the end of the post.  To begin, here is the gist of the session:

  • “Within 5 years every child in every grade will be learning with mobile technology, it will be bigger than the Internet”- Elliott Soloway
  • There are 7 billion people on the planet and 4 billion mobile devices.
  • The greatest challenge we face as educators is to teach ALL kids.  We need to teach kids “brain jobs” not “back jobs”.  This is 21st Century skills and content.
  • “Right now looking at all the school data is just like moving deck chairs around on the Titanic.” – Elliott Soloway
  • Mobile technology is the game changer.
  • In Singapore, Nan Chi Primary school saw a significant increase in tests scores after introducing smart phones in the 3rd grade science classroom.
  • In a classroom using 1 to 1 mobile devices, not a single child failed to turn in a single homework assignment all year.  Why did that happen? Because they are engaged.
  • Time on task = success
  • The tools have to be used as essential tools, not supplementary.  Supplementing with technology doesn’t move the needle.  Essential means that technology is in hand 24/7 students have complete access to the tool.  Essential means that students are actively engaged in doing and creating.  That doesn’t mean that there aren’t other tools being used.
  • Most things can be done on a mobile phone device.
  • Mobile devices connect students to the real world.  Learning doesn’t end when school does.
  • When you look closely at the studies that show that technology has no impact, you will see that it is because technology was used as a supplement.
  • Technology should be like oxygen, invisible but essential.
  • Mobile devices like the cell phone are ideal because the cost of the device is $0 and what you pay for is the connectivity.  It is a cheap solution.
  • It is about the kids, not the technology.  Let them use their own tools.
  • Mobile devices are growing at a rate of 50% a year, this is the fastest growing technology.  We used to tell teachers to get on the technology bus, now we have to say get on the technology bullet train because it is moving!
  • Elliott mentioned that he doesn’t think that the iPad has a place as a learning device.  His reasoning is that it isn’t what kids are using.  He argues that kids are using cellphones and mobile devices, that the iPad isn’t natural for them.

Elliott was an excellent presenter.  He made some great points about using cellphone technology in the classroom.  I have to disagree with his assessment that the iPad isn’t a good device for kids.  While I like the idea of using cellphone technology and just paying for connectivity, it isn’t what every classroom needs.  The conclusion that I kept coming to is that no classroom situation is the same.  While an inner city school with low access to technology and resources might benefit best from a smart phone for learning, it might not make the same sense in a suburban school with more ubiquitous technology access.  In a poorer neighborhood you will find homes that lack wireless Internet access, putting an iPad in the hands of those kids might not be as successful as giving them a cellphone that they could use to access a cellular data network.  But in a wealthier, suburban neighborhood where wireless Internet is around every corner, an iPad is the perfect device.  What I realized is that there can be no one-size-fits-all approach to education.  One solution isn’t going to solve the education problems of the world.  We need to look at each population and each classroom and choose the solution that makes the most sense for that instance.  Education has to be tailored to the individuals, not the masses.

Soloway is right, we keep trying to make the data tell us a new story.  Policy makers implement new standards and tests as a way to save education.  But that is like moving deck chairs around on the Titanic.  Sure things look different, but it is still a sinking ship.  We need to cut our losses and build a new ship all together.  That new ship should be tailored to fit the needs of the students who are boarding it.  For some that means mobile phone technology, for others iPads, and for some netbooks.  I can argue all day long for the benefits of the iPad in learning but when we get right down to it, the reason I hold that view is because it is perfect for the student population I work with.  It makes sense in our situation.  That may or may not be true of you.

To learn more about the session visit here.

Ten Ways to Boost Learning with Technology

MeeGenius

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What it is: MeeGenius is an outstanding site I just learned about from @NMHS_Principal on Twitter.   MeeGenius is an online library of picture books that kids can read independently or as a read along.  Books can be personalized with students names, just answer a few quick questions and the book is rewritten for you.  Each book comes with audio playback and word highlighting, perfect for beginning or struggling readers to read along.   

How to integrate MeeGenius into the classroom: MeeGenius is a nice web library of picture books that can digitally expand your classroom library.  Students will love the way they can personalize books using themselves and friends as characters in the book.  Personalized books can be saved and shared with friends.  Set up MeeGenius on classroom computers as a listening and reading center.  Students can practice their reading, vocabulary, and fluency.

Begin the school year by making personalized books that contain your students names in them.  Read them throughout the first week as a class on the interactive whiteboard or projector connected computer.

Older students can use MeeGenius, too!  If you have students who are learning a foreign language, have them listen to or read a story and translate it into the language they are learning.

Tips: MeeGenius is also available as an app for the iPhone, iPod Touch, and iPad.

Please leave a comment and share how you are using MeeGenius in your classroom.

My Hippo Has the Hiccups

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What it is: In honor of national poetry month (April), Kenn Nesbitt is offering his book “My Hippo Has the Hiccups” as a free ebook.  I don’t know about you, but I feel like I just opened a “happy spring” present!  If you aren’t familiar with Kenn Nesbitt, he writes poetry that hooks kids and makes them instant fans of poetry.  It is funny and engaging for readers of all ages.  The ebook is available to view online or to download (can you believe it?!).    

How to integrate My Hippo Has the Hiccups into the classroom: This ebook is a winner no matter what age group you teach.  You can read the poems as a class using an interactive whiteboard or a projector connected computer.  Because you can download the ebook, it would also be a wonderful addition to your classroom library on the classroom computers.  Students can visit classroom computers with My Hippo Has the Hiccups as a poetry inspiration station.  Invite your students to create their own silly Kenn Nesbitt inspired poetry.  Make a class book of the silly poems and post them as a class ebook on Issuu.

Tips: You have to have the Zino Reader installed to view this ebook, it is a simple click and download.

Please leave a comment and share how you are using My Hippo Has the Hiccups in your classroom.

Online Audio Stories

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What it is: Online Audio Stories is an impressive collection of free audio stories online.  The audio books are all free and downloadable.  The online version of the story includes accompanying text for students to follow along with.  The short stories will transport students on a fun adventure of listening to fairy tales and classics.  The extensive collection includes stories by Mark Twain, Robert Louis Stevenson, Brothers Grimm, Tales of Time, Edgar Allen Poe, Emily Bronte, Aesop, Lewis Carroll, Edward Lear, Joseph Jacobs, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, William Blake, Oscar Wilde, Louisa May Alcott, Hans Christian Andersen, William Shakespeare, and many more.  The stories are read with excellent voice, inflection, and timing, making them a joy to listen to.  

How to integrate Online Audio Stories into the classroom: These Online Audio Stories will transport your students to new magical worlds and adventures, they will allow struggling readers to enjoy stories that may be just out of reach otherwise.  Online Audio Stories will help increase student vocabulary and improve listening comprehension skills.  Students may not choose to pick up these classics in the library, but they will enjoy listening to the stories online.  This is great exposure to the classics!   If you have computers in your classroom, set them up as a reading/listening center that students can visit during silent reading time.  Because the Online Audio Stories are free to download, these are also perfect for downloading to an iPod or MP3 player.

Tips: Let parents know about these free online stories, they make great bedtime stories, listening enjoyment for long car rides, or for a fun listening experience any time.

Please leave a comment and share how you are using Online Audio Stories in your classroom.

Jackson Pollock Whiteboard

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What it is: Jackson Pollock was an influential American painter and a big name in the abstract expressionist movement.  Recently,  I was reminded about the Jackson Pollock Whiteboard interactive from the wonderful  Techie Classroom blog.   This website allows students to create Jackson Pollock-esque virtual paintings.  Students click anywhere on the screen for splatters of paint, drops, and dribbles.  As they are “painting”, students can press any key on the keyboard for a different background color, erase using the space bar, press alt+ any key to change the color of the drip, or use numbers 1-0 or left, right, up, or down arrow to change the color of the drip or background.  Jackson Pollock by Miltos Manetas is also an iPhone and iPod Touch application.

How to integrate Jackson Pollock Whiteboard into the classroom: This site is just plain fun!  Students will enjoy creating abstract works of art by clicking and moving around the virtual page.  Obviously this would be a great way to introduce students to abstract art and to Jackson Pollock, students could start by creating here, and then study Jackson Pollock and his famous paintings.  Put the Jackson Pollock website up on your interactive whiteboard and let your class create a Pollock masterpiece throughout the day.  Take a screen shot of the finished painting at the end of the day/class period.  This could be done every day over a week or month.  At the end of the week/month collect all of your classroom virtual paintings into a slide show.  Do the finished paintings convey the emotions of the days?  The slide show of paintings could also be used as a backdrop for information that students learned on their Jackson Pollock study.

Students Pollock masterpieces can be used for adding some color to the classroom walls, as a desktop picture or screen saver, or as thank you notes for classroom helpers.

Tips: In the iPod/iPhone version of the Jackson Pollock Whiteboard, multi-touch capabilities are built in for even more fun!

Please leave a comment and share how you are using Jackson Pollock Whiteboard in your classroom.

World Math Day 2010

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What it is: Hooray!! It is World Math Day time!   This year World Math Day will be held on March 3, 2010.  For those of you who are unfamiliar with World Math Day, it is a day when students from around the world compete in an online environment in live games of mental arithmetic.  Each game lasts for 60 seconds and students can play as many as 500 games, earning points for every correct answer.  The students who answer the most questions show up in the Hall of Fame. This is an absolutely free event to take part in.  Students can train for World Math Day every day leading up to March 3rd by participating in arithmetic competition. For those of you home school readers, World Math Day is also open and free to you!  The competition is designed for students 5-18 years old.  This year has a little bit of a new format (the change is fantastic!) with multi-levels for all groups.  Teachers, parents and media are also invited to participate for the first time.  Last year 2 million students from 204 countries participated and correctly answered more than 4 million questions!!

How to integrate World Math Day into the classroom: World Math Day is a fun competition to involve your students in.  It helps build mental arithmetic and numeracy.  Students from around the world compete in this competition to find out which country has the top mathematicians.   Students have a great time working to get their country to the top (nothing like a little National pride!).  My students beg to be involved in World Math Day each year.  We spend extra time in the computer lab and on classroom computers preparing for the day.  Students answer mental math questions appropriate to their age level. This is a phenomenal way to get some fact practice in!

We make a big deal out of World Math Day and let students have an extended math period to compete on March 3rd.  You could use World Math Day as a Math Olympics for your class and have and opening and closing ceremony for your class, school, or representing your country.

Tie World Math Day into your social studies curriculum.  As students compete against other students from around the world, the other student is represented by a flag.  My students are always very curious to learn more about the other countries and cultures represented. It would also be fun to start a map in Google Earth where you put place markers on the countries that students have competed with.

The platform is open, register your students and start training today!

Tips: If you would like to find out more about past World Math Day competitions check out my posts 2009 here and 2008 here.  There are rumors of a World Math Day iPod App coming soon, check back with the official site for more information.

Please leave a comment and share how you are using World Math Day in your classroom.

NASA Space Place

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What it is: NASA has hundreds of excellent educational resources online.  NASA Space Place is another awesome site for elementary kids to explore science and space.  The Space Place has fun online games, animations, projects, and fun facts about Earth, space and technology.  Space Place Live is an animated talk show where all the guests are real scientists and engineers who work on space and Earth missions.  Students can find out what it is like to work for NASA, how the scientist or engineer got started, and what they like to do for fun.  There are currently 7 episodes that students can enjoy topics include: solar wind, satellites, weather, space missions, telescopes, engineering, the birth of stars, Mars, robots, and black holes.  Even though the show is animated, the experts involved are the actual experts.  NASA Space Place has a variety of on and offline games with everything from scrambled pictures, to world puzzles, crazy quizzes and board games.  Students can learn more about weather, space, satellites, the environment, (and much more) through game play.  There are a variety of projects and experiments on the site with step by step directions for students.  These are great for the classroom, science fair, or at home on a rainy day.  Space Place makes finding games, animations, and projects related to your curriculum easy arranging the site by subjects.  Use Space Place when you are learning about planets and the solar system, stars, galaxies, and black holes, laws of the universe (light, motion, gravity), the Earth, and space technology.  Space Place has several storybooks that can be viewed on or offline.


How to integrate NASA Space Place into the classroom: Because of the wealth of resources on this site, there are a variety of ways to use it in your classroom.  The animations are a neat way to bring expert scientists and engineers into your classroom.  Share an animated video a week as your students explore the solar system and universe.  The games reinforce learning, use them as a center activity on the classroom computers as they relate to your curriculum.  Many of the games encourage exploration and trial and error (these are my favorite kind of learning games for students).  Students can explore the Amazing Facts section of the site and then complete the trivia game to test out their understanding.  In the project section, you will find experiments and science crafts. Choose some of these to complete as a class or assign each student a different project to test and share with the class.  Projects would also make an excellent stop during science fair time.  Use the Space Place Storybooks as animated flipbooks online as a class with a projector/interactive whiteboard, or print them out for your classroom library.  The books could be used as an online reading center on your classroom computers as well.  These stories are sure to capture your students imagination!


Tips: Be sure to check out the educator page on NASA Space Place, it is packed full of good ideas, newsletters, printable images of space for bulletin boards, space related articles, math related articles, printable posters, and podcasts to download.  With the renewed push for STEM education, there has never been a better time to include sites like NASA Space Place to excite and engage your students.


Leave a comment and share how you are using Nasa Interactive Timeline in your classroom.

Story Nory

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What it is: Story Nory is a collection of FREE audio books for kids.  There is a mixture of new stories, fairy tales, and specially adapted myths and histories.  A new audio story comes out each week (this has been true since November of 2005!).  Search stories by newest additions, original stories, fairy tales, classic authors, educational, or junior stories.  The stories can be subscribed to as a podcast in iTunes, through their iPhone/iPod touch app, via email, or RSS feed.  Story Nory offers the text to accompany the audio so that kids can read along.


How to integrate Story Nory into the classroom: Story Nory would make an excellent addition to your reading/listening library.  Listening to audio books can be a great way to help students improve comprehension skills, and to listen for different literary features (such a voice, timing, rhythm, annunciation, etc.).   Set up a listening center on your classroom computers, an iPod or MP3 lab, or in a lab setting.  Students can access stories that are of high interest to them at their level.  Students can create book talks, or reviews of the stories to share with their peers.  Set up a wiki where students can share their thoughts about the stories they listen to.


Tips: Encourage parents to sign up for the Story Nory emails so that they can share the story of the week with their kids.


Leave a comment and share how you are using Story Nory in your classroom.