Cheers,
Lesley
PaperHelper is FREE for a few days! While I haven't used it before, I did create a practice document and I thought it was quite easy to use. I liked how I could be writing an essay and researching at the same time. You can even create your Works Cited page as you go along because it will save the resources you quote and the resources you use (if you ask it to, that is). It even allows you to set reminders and keep verbal notes with your work and it can interface with DropBox (something I'm sure almost all of you have by now, right?) and Pages. I still need to do some more work with this app, but I am impressed. This could make writing our research papers easier! I'll have to test it out with a class and let you know how we do. Cheers, Lesley
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With the end of the quarter approaching, I have been quite busy! But do you know who else has been busy? Apple people. They now have a section called "Apps for Teachers" and while I'm sure you are familiar with at most (if not some) of these apps, you never know what you may find. (And if you find something good, let me know and I can add it to our site!) Here is what you do... 1. With your iPad, access the iTunes App Store. 2. At the top where it lists the categories, click on "More." 3. Using the drop-down menu, find "Education" and click on that. (See below for a visual aid.) 4. When you are in the "Education" category, you should see the "Apps for Teachers" in the menu at the top of the screen. 5. Scroll to the new "Apps for Teachers" menu and click on it. 6. Explore the categories with "Apps for Teachers." They include:
So there you have it. Apps suggested for teachers by Apple Inc. Perhaps it will help inspire you for 2nd quarter. ;-) Enjoy!
Cheers, Lesley As I'm sure you all know, iOS 7 came out on Sept. 18. However, I know it's a rather big design change and that can be difficult to adjust to. To help you, I've found a couple of different resources to check out. Mind you, some of them use the iPhone, but for the most part, the features are quite similar to the iPad. I hope these help! If not, leave a comment detailing how I can better assist you. Cheers, Lesley iOS 7 Resources
American association of School Librarians' (AASL) List of Best Apps for Teaching & Learning8/6/2013
Click on the image to go to the link.
As the school year is about to start, it's no surprise Mr. Makhlouf sent me this link to the AASL's Best Apps for Teaching and Learning. A few of them are already highlighted in this website, but many are new, so please do check it out. There are book apps (and I'm guessing they would be the complete books, too, because none of them are free. Prices range from $2.99 to $14.99.); Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) apps (and most are free except Operation Math is $2.99 and Simple Physics is $1.99); organization and management apps (all are free and most should be familiar); social sciences apps (all are $4.99 except News-O-Matic and MyCongress which are FREE!); and content creation apps (and all are FREE except GarageBand which is $4.99). So before you head off for the first day of school, take a look and see if you get any more ideas for this 2013-14 school year. With two iPad carts and many teachers who have their own iPads, I believe there are many possibilities to enhance what we're already doing well. Imagine the possibilities and keep checking back here. ;-) Cheers, Lesley Congratulations!!! I hear the iPads are out and I've seen some pictures and what not on Facebook. How fun! So now I'm hoping we will make this site AMAZING! As you find cool apps, please let me know and I will post them here so that we can use our new technology in the best way. Yesterday, Edutopia posted this picture: Those are words to remember.... In fact, here is an article that talks about putting iPad on a "pedestal"--something we definitely don't want to do! If you are interested, here's the link: http://www.edudemic.com/2013/05/ipads-in-the-classroom-the-right-questions-you-should-ask/
Those are some questions we should all be asking as we work together to use iPads in an educationally sound manner and not as a means of entertainment. Cheers, Lesley “Because there was no training on the apps, I had to fend for myself and was confused much of the time. The professor was unable to help as they were just as confused. The iPad was ineffective because no one knew how to use the apps.” ‐iPad class student I don't know about you, but the above quote is something I've thought a lot about and a fear I have for the coming year. To help us all prepare, I made a new page called "Ideas for iPads in the Classroom." There are some repeat resources from the "Tech Resources" page, but on the "Ideas for iPads in the Classroom" page I have added a discussion forum so that we can all share our ideas with one another. Now I must admit that I've never used a forum in Weebly before, so I hope it works as slick as it's supposed to! Please check it out and add what's worked for you or ideas that you've read about using iPads in the classroom. That is the page that I hope you will all find to be the most useful. But as always, let me know if you have other ideas or if I should change something. This is a website for YOU so I want it to be as user-friendly as possible. Cheers, Lesley Guess what I found the other day... A blog like this website! Here's the link: http://appsineducation.blogspot.mx/
So as we prepare for our iPads, please check out this website. (I'll also add specific links on the pages of this website, but I wanted to highlight it here.) As you find apps you like, please let me know and I will add them to our site so that it is more tailored for us at CAT. Let's face it, the World Wide Web is FULL of resources; therefore, if we can find apps that work for us, it will be nice to have them in one place, especially as teachers come and go. Cheers, Lesley I actually found these particular iPad video tutorials almost immediately; however, they are copyrighted and I would need written consent to reproduce them. Womp, womp. Nevertheless, I don't think it's a problem if I pass along the links, so here you go.
Apple iPad Tutorial Part 1: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sLzCXB-BD9g Content: "Getting Started: Powering and Locking, home screen layout, volume controls, home button & multitasking, keyboard, wi-fi, web browser, saving contacts, calendar." Part 2: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9EjA6tZgSTs Content: "Applications and Customization: Appstore Setup and Use, Brightness and wallpaper, Notifications and Sounds, Home Screen Customization." Part 3: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xfqJ955s1XMContent: "Email and Security: Adding an Email Account, Adding an Email Account Manually, Email Composition & Inbox Management, Email Settings, Removing an Email Account, and Passcode Lock." Part 4: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y0ozI9xEA1I Content: "Additional Content (final section): iTunes Store, iPod, YouTube, Netflix, Google Maps, Photo's and Video, Picture Frame, Restrictions, International, Bluetooth, and Factory Data Reset." The background music is pretty funky and perhaps distracting at times, but the videos are very thorough and probably the best I've found. If you have some time, please do watch the ones that interest you and feel free to skip parts that you may have seen from the "iPad Intro" videos. Cheers, Lesley So today I have stumbled upon a great new resource: Listly. The pages I've found have a list of apps specifically for iPads; however, I plan to see what others lists I can find on Listly. I've already bookmarked the ones I've found on my Diigo account and linked them on the appropriate pages here, but just in case you missed it, here are the pages I've found and LOVED!
Educational Games: http://list.ly/list/1oW-parents-guide-to-educational-ipad-games?feature=widget Educator's Essential iPad Toolkit: http://list.ly/list/1WF-educators-essential-ipad-toolkit?feature=widget iPad App Recommendations for K-6: http://list.ly/list/1W6-ipad-app-recommendations-for-k-6?feature=widget If I find more, you better believe I'll post them here to highlight the wonderful resources I've found. Enjoy! Cheers, Lesley |
About the AuthorLesley is an English teacher who is passionate about using connectivism in the classroom and preparing students and teachers for using the tools that are available to them on a regular basis. This blog will focus on iPad apps and Web 2.0 tools that can enhance and diversify learning. Leave a comment and let me know what you think or what you'd like to learn about! Archives
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