Some students will be experts with a vast amount of background knowledge about ipads, others not so much. I do not teach technology, I teach content, I discovered that my students struggled figuring out how to use the technology AND learn the content I was teaching at the same time. It was just too overwhelming! Last year I lost a month of instruction because I had to teach so slowly. I did not take the time to properly introduce my students to the device! It is the second day of school and my students are getting comfortable with the ipads without new content. Here is how I've decided to introduce my classes to the modern world (where an ipad can be a tool and not just a toy):
FIRST:
I have my students create accounts for the following three apps that we will use every day:
**All of these apps require students to sign in and out so their work is protected.
1. Edmodo:
This app is like Facebook for school, I post their assignments and they can turn in their assignments electronically, this app allows me to go paperless. This solves the problem of ipads not being hooked up to a printer (mine are not).
2. Evernote:
My students use Evernote to complete their assignments. They copy and paste their assignment from Edmodo into Evernote. It is like a notebook that saves all of their work, they can access it anywhere there is Internet access. Students can even turn their work in from Evernote to Edmodo.
3. Dropbox:
This is a cloud storage app. It allows the students to store pictures, documents, and videos. It saves their work and keeps their information safe from other students (I have a classroom set of 30 ipads that are shared by five different classes so sharing is an issue).
As students create accounts for the above apps I walk around and provide assistance. They are slowly gaining confidence with their new device.
SECOND:
I let the students to explore the ipad without instruction or direction from me, I allow them to do this for the duration of one song (I play music and use it as a classroom management tool it is a PEAK strategy from Peak Learning Systems).
Some students need longer to create their accounts (the three above) and this "free" time allows them to finish creating those accounts without feeling rushed.
THIRD:
I have students complete each of the tasks below using information about themselves. This allows my students to learn to use the technology without having to learn new content at the same time.
*Each underlined word is an app
Task 1: Trading Cards
Students create a trading card about themselves, save it to their pictures, and upload it into Evernote.
Task 2: Pic Collage
Students create a collage that tells me about their personality. They can use the camera to take "selfies" (pictures of themselves), use pictures from the Internet, insert words, or even quotes.
Task 3: Sock Puppets
Students use Sock Puppets to make a skit that describes what they hope to get out of the class.
Task 4: Tellagami
Students create an avatar (or "Gami") of themselves in 15 years, they can make their Gami look like they think they will look, dress like they will, and they must talk about their family, where they are with their career, and what they are doing. This helps the students establish goals by visualizing their future.
I put each of these tasks on a Power Point slide and go over it with the students one at a time. I also post the Power Point in Edmodo so my more advanced students can go at their own pace, this ensures that no student finishes early and is left with nothing to do. I intentionally gave them more than it is possible to accomplish.
We spend two 50 minute class periods on all of the above. Then we focus on learning the course content. They will still need to learn more about each app we use and I will teach it when the time comes, but now it will not take as long because the students have had time to explore. While the ipad can be a crucial tool, it could also be a confusing distraction, which is why all of this set up and preparation is so very crucial.
If you teach with ipads what do you do to prepare your students?
If you don't teach with a tablet what do you suggest doing to ease students into using them?
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