WHAT ARE YOU "APP" TO DO?

written by Martha Beagle, Berea College, Berea, Kentucky

Introduction

The iPod changed how we listen to music. The iPhone advanced the limitations of smartphone technology. Now the iPad is changing mobile computing. New technology has its way of making it into the educational setting. The entrance of the iPad is now on our doorsteps.

iPad can inspire creativity and hands on learning not found in any other educational tool. It is a gadget that students want to make use of, and allows them to engage interactively with new content, find information quickly, and have access to a library wherever they are. The iPad has changed the way a student accesses all types of information – media, academic research, and books – for a lower cost than a laptop.

The mobility of an iPad provides wireless connectivity anywhere students are; a classroom without walls. This provides access to information on demand as questions arise with no down time in a research process.

As physical educators our classroom provides a wonderful opportunity for our students to be bodily- kinesthetic learners. The iPad's motion sensor allows students to use their hands in guiding the iPad to balance skills. Imagine being able to measure levels of exertion, balance, and repetitions using a rubberized iPad. The iPad camera, portable and easy to use, provides opportunities of documentation at a whole different level, along with note taking that can be instantly teamed up and shared.

Despite the newness of the iPad in an educational setting, a recent research study in Auburn, Maine has found some interesting and positive results. Half of the districts' sixteen kindergarten classes were randomly assigned iPads for nine weeks. One hundred twenty-nine students used an iPad while one hundred thirty-seven were without. All of the students were tested before and after the iPads were introduced into the classrooms.

Post-literacy testing found that those students who used the iPads improved on every tested literacy measure. Test scores are not the only measures that were important, but also the interaction of the kindergartners with the iPad and the applications used. The level of excitement for learning and engagement in the iPad classrooms was extremely high. The iPad applications used were interactive and provided immediate feedback, reinforcing fundamental literacy concepts and skills. The iPads allowed teachers the opportunity to customize applications to match the instructional needs of each student learning at their own level and pace.

Imagine that your school has just received a huge technology grant, and every student will be given an iPad. Now what? What apps should be used? You do not want to see your students playing Angry Birds on their iPad all day.

Finding Educational Apps

Teachers with an enthusiasm for technology, and a passion for developing the minds of their students, can easily discover creative ways to incorporate the iPad into the daily routine. The challenge is to find ways to apply them to the learning process. Applications, better known as "apps," automate current processes and present new ways to learn that were previously unexplored.

Here is a list of sites that provide educational app downloads for free, or for a small cost, that you may find helpful.

APPitic
This site has over 1800 educational apps that have been reviewed by Apple Distinguished Educators. The apps have been evaluated and tested in different grades, classroom setting, and instructional strategies. Apps can be found according to themes, teachers, multiple intelligences, and Blooms' Taxonomy to name a few.

Mind Leap
This site is provides reviews of educational apps based on a five star scale. Educational quality, engagement factor, and shelf life are used to evaluate a wide range of subject apps for pre-school through middle school.

Fun Educational Apps
This site provides reviews of educational apps by real trials; searching out those apps that are educational and catch a child’s attention. Reviews are in-depth and provide lots of pictures of the app.

Best Apps for Kids
This site provides a great breakdown of educational apps by sharing the good, the bad, and the bottom line of apps for pre-school through high school. The site is easy to navigate with a menu that allows you to search by device, rating, category, or subject matter.

Teachers with Apps
This site provides extensive reviews by two educators who have included videos and images. The lengthy reviews are ideal for teachers who may be looking for the perfect classroom app.

Kathy Schrock's Guide to Everything
This page on Kathy Schrock's Guide to Everything website has it all – tutorials, apps, evaluation tools for educational apps, lesson plans, and iPad classroom uses to name a few. This is one of those one-stop sites for iPads in an educational setting.

If you are ready to head into the iPad classroom experience, here is a link to a wiki that will prepare you for that:

Teach With Your iPad Wiki
This is a wiki that provides phenomenal resources, questions and answers, and ideas about using an iPad in your classroom.

Concluding Remarks

People continue to make arguments for and against the use of technology in the classroom. I am of the opinion that there is no way technology should be left out of our classrooms. There is no going back to not using technology. As educators, we must be prepared to use technology that measurably improves student learning. Twenty first century computing is now mainstream and jargon such as BYOD (bring your own device) is the wave of the future in education.

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