TECH- Literacy in Education

I explored the Dictionary Application. My first impression was the app’s “word of the day”. What a great concept that could be included in daily morning work. I was surprised to find that the program offered much more than word definitions and their related sources. 

The app had links to blogs associated with particular topics of interest. For example, if I were to search “Border Collies” the app would allow me access to a variety of blogs written on the subject. The program allows users to store a list of their favorites, as well as follow the site’s current trending words or topics. Another great use for the application is it’s inclusion of a translator. It would be extremely helpful for ESL students who are asked to define a term for an assignment. 29 different languages are listed for the drop down selection while utilizing the translator feature.

            Show Me is an app I was unfamiliar with. Upon starting the program, I was impressed that the “welcome” included a brief, built-in tutorial for how to operate the app. You begin with a blank screen with options to draw in different colors and erase. The colors are chosen by scheme. There are also options to upload a photo and record audio. 

            The voice recording feature is awesome and would allow for the app to be used by students to create their own story narrations. For example, pictures could be taken from a book or flash cards and organized in a slideshow of sorts. The recording could include the student’s summary of the story’s order of events. This would be an engaging substitution for the more traditional activity of organizing events using “First, Next, Lastly” paragraphs.  

            Strip Designs brings a new concept to the classroom, creating comic strips to master organizing events in a story plot. The Strip Design app was easy to use, offering templates with different comic page layouts. The application offered different aesthetic styles such as “old and dirty” and “film and embossed”. Pictures could be added via the camera, photos, google maps, creating a drawing, social media (Facebook), Drop Box, or by uploading an existing saved document. 

           Once the picture is in place, the student can choose a brush effect. The app offers filter options similar to those used in Instagram and other applications. The user can draw on top of the background photo and finally chose a frame of their choice. I appreciate that the app is self-guided in regards to content and would push the student to use their imagination in creating their own comic.

TECH- Disciplines in Education

Doodle Buddy is an application our Kindergarteners use at Bonny Kate. The kids use them during their reading stations to help them practice their letters. This app offers the children freedom to create and acts as a mini-white board of sorts. It allows users to change formatting, as well as insert backgrounds, photos, symbols and emoticons. It also offers a variety of  font styles and colors. 

Using this app has really cut down on paper use in the classroom as well. This is paper that is in limited supply and we would otherwise have to give the students a maximum number of sheets per day. I could see this application also being used in an art classroom or as a free choice during a brain break. 

Solar Walk is an application that is designed to help students gain a foundational knowledge of Astronomy. It is free for download, but the full version does cost $2.99. This program is interactive and allows students to “move through space”. As they tap on a specific planet and zoom in, some general information pops up at the left hand side of the screen. 

The information displayed includes planet size, appearance, distance from the sun, history of it’s name, as well as the planet’s internal structure. At the top of the same screen, the app offers the answer to the popular question: Can the planet support lifeforms? This application would be great for introducing lower elementary students to the planets located within our solar system. It would prove most useful for the upper elementary grades who delve into the discoveries and chemical properties of our planets. 

Stack the States is an application I would download to my personal iPad. It offers so much more than the task of locating and labeling a state on our map. Perhaps it offers a better retention for geographical location of our states because it requires students to select from a list of states that potentially border the state in question. 

This application can be played by multiple students at one time. It is designed for older elementary school students because the nature of the sentence structure is more complex. It keeps students engaged as they play by allowing them to “drop it” once a question is answered correctly. The app uses a variety of questions including knowledge of the state “nicknames”, as well as recognition of the shapes and sizes of the states. I appreciate that when a question is answered incorrectly by the user, the app provides additional information about the missed topic.

TECH- iPad Basics

For this assignment, I explored Keynote. I have used PowerPoint on a desktop in the past. Creating a Presentation in Keynote was relatively simple. The way the software is structured, it walks you through the steps of creation. Although PowerPoint has these options (and more) available, I appreciated that the program prompted me for each decision. PowerPoint only prompts selection of a template sytle when first opening the program. One negative of using iPads to create this type of document,  compared to a desktop, is that many formatting/selection options are simply not available. This would be one benefit of using PowerPoint versus Keynote. Both programs offer the choice of adding an unlimited numbers of slides, inserting textboxes and other graphics of choice, as well as the ability to organize the order of  the slides being presented. I believe if I were in a pinch and needed to create a Presentation in a limited amount of time, I would be more likely to select Keynote. Often times, the great number of formatting options available in PowerPoint can feel overwhelming and like you are attempting a daunting task.

Because I do not typically use an iPad, I noticed while comparing and contrasting Safari and Rover that I simply did not have as many options available. Because of the size of the screen and the need to streamline information presented on a tablet, many applications do not offer near as many functions as they would on a laptop or desktop computer. There were things I liked and disliked about both applications. On a basic level, I was not a fan of Rover's logo or style (mainly choice of color). For me, it is a bit distracting and obnoxious. I appreciated that Safari listed an option to airdrop to friends nearby or to share through email/social media. On the other hand, Safari seems geared toward the general population. I like that Rover's purpose is to serve teachers and students. Unfortunately, unlike Safari, Rover is not free and must be purchased (one time fee of $9.99). This is a game changer. An appealing setting on Rover is the ability to turn on a safe guard to protect children from accessing sites that may be inappropriate. It was a tough decision, but I would have to say I am partial to Safari because I prefer the layout of images/web links presented when you first enter your search subject. I enjoy seeing both when I am researching a word I am not familiar with. It is useful to see a short summary under the image of the topic. If I want a quick response without having to wade through link after link of unrelated information, Safari is my selection. One thought, maybe the use of Rover would be more applicable for younger ages and Safari for the older ones? This may ensure each group's search needs are met.

I enjoyed using iThought more than I did Google's Drawings. There is something about using your fingers to select and manipulate the bubbles in your mind-mapping. Often, when I am trying to organized my thoughts, I want the ability to totally rearrange everything. This seems less of a task on iThought. I like being able to enlarge the selection with two fingers to get a closer look. I can see this being used in the classroom for any pre-writing activity. It would be useful for making notes while reading a large body of text. It would also be neat to see a group of students use the application in working on a group project. The icons at the top are easy to interpret without having to "click to find out". I like the option of creating an additional, sub-bubble of sorts to include additional information about a given broader topic.

TECH- Tablets in Edu.

I owned a personal Nook for a short time and sold it because I felt restricted by its capabilities. I was unable to use a word processor and this was pitfall in my opinion. I was interested in a discussion about using Nooks in our classroom. I visited, “Knack for Nook: E-devices help learning in Hoover Schools” at http://blog.al.com/spotnews/2012/02/a_knack_for_nook_e-devices_hel.html. This school is testing out a Nook’s place in our classrooms and if it proves to be the best option. This “pilot-program” has been approved for three years, during which the students will use the Nook to complete their daily work activities.  Barnes & Nobel supported their endeavors and joined up with the school to purchase 50 Nooks for the trail run. The initial idea was that the students would use it to supplement their readings but the teachers quickly saw the potential for much more. Next, they began to use the tablets for viewing science and history videos, as well as to incorporate math games, complete vocabulary tests, and to come study guides in preparation for testing.

At our school, we have a student with a disorder that is causing him to lose the ability to speak. The article found at http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/verbally-turns-ipad-speech-impediment-aid-disabled/ presents the concept of using iPads to aid students with disabilities in their speech. The iPad offers a free application named “Verbally”. This app essentially turns the iPad into a communication aid. It works by audibly speaking the words selected by the user from the selection on the screen. Our school just invested a great amount of money to purchase a specialized machine for our student. I am not informed on all of the machine’s capabilities, but would be curious to know what it offers compared to the “Verbally” iPad app. The app could also prove useful to ESL students by acting as a reinforcement when learning pronunciation of English words.

Working at a Knox County school that has implemented the use of iPads in every classroom, I would like to understand their decision. One overwhelming factor that leads to the use of tablets in many classrooms is the drastic cut in textbook cost. I reviewed, “Schools Abandon Textbooks To Go All iPad” at http://www.hereandnow.wnur.org/2012/03/23/schools-textbooks-ipad. An interview with Principal Larkin in the city of Boston revealed that his school no longer uses physical textbooks. He makes the argument that if a school seeks to implement tablets strictly as a means for replacing costly textbooks, that the schools cost would actually be inflated. His argument is that tablets such as iPads are much more than textbooks and provide so many more uses. He noted that because of the transition to iPads, their school has entirely cut out the need for their foreign language labs, typing/computer labs, and other tech classrooms that are no longer necessary when tablets are available to students in every classroom.  

At this point, it is clear that iPads and other tablets have very useful applications. The link at http://www.freetech4teachers.com/2011/05/interesting-ways-to-use-ipad-in.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+freetech4teachers%2FcGEY+%28Free+Technology+for+Teachers%29&utm_content=Google+Reader surveys over 55 ways teachers can incorporate iPads into their lessons. This listing is written as more from a collaborative group of creative teachers and less from the standpoint of “what can the iPad do?”. Nonetheless, this is a great resource for brainstorming ideas for using technology (iPads) in the classroom. My favorite suggestion was to use the iPad in helping students learn to mind map.

A new question that has been raised is, “does tablet technology in the classroom impact testing scores?” We must note that it seems a little premature to make such a claim for iPads have just made their appearance in the classroom over the last few years.

 so early in the “iPad Age”: http://www.eschoolnews.com/2011/05/09/schools-see-rising-scores-with-ipads/. Through the use of curriculum based iPad applications, a school in San Joaquin Valley, California, has focused their iPad use on improving test scores. Teachers report students being more engaged when using the touch-screen devices than they are in a more traditional classroom activity.

The article found at http://www.eschoolnews.com/2011/04/29/bring-your-own-device-catching-on-in-schools/ explores the idea that iPads achieve the benefits of students participating in one-to-computing activities. It also presents the opinion that iPads are a better choice because they are simply easier to navigate and use. The article also discusses the “bring your own device” to school movement and the concerns with this plan of action.