Comparison of screencasting apps

If you are using (or you're interested in using) your iPad to record and/or post lessons for your students, this is a very helpful comparison of the various apps out there.

http://www.technologywithintention.com/2011/09/screencasting-apps-for-the-ipad/

iPads in the Classroom on MSNBC

We thought you might be interested in seeing this piece that was featured on MSNBC. Thanks to Tony for sending it to us!

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Paideia iPad Grant

There is not a new blog assignment this week in order to give everyone a chance to work on their grant applications.
All participants of our teacher pilot program are eligible to apply for our iPad grant.  A limited number of iPads will be awarded. An application was emailed to you.  If you have any questions, please see Amy.  All applications are due by Monday, November 7th at 3pm. 

Assignment #8: What Every Student Should Know

For this assignment, we would like you to do what you do best...teach our students something.  Please go to the student pipad blog and add a comment under the section called "Teachers' Lounge."  Give the JH and HS students in our pilot group advice on using their iPads. 
This assignment is due Monday, October 24th.

Assignment #7: App Shopping

One of the greatest benefits of the iPad over the laptop is all of the apps it offers. We want to know what resources you use to find new apps...a website, an app, the appstore itunes genius feature... 
Please comment to this post by Monday, October 10th.

iPad Checkout

The Technology Department now has 5 iPads for teacher checkout.  If there is an activity that you would like to do with a group of students on the iPad, you can come down and check out up to five iPads from us.

Save the Date: iPad Lunch and Learns

We will be holding two iPad Lunch and Learns over the next few weeks. Both sessions will be held in the meeting room inside the high school library 12:40-1:30. These meetings are not mandatory.  If you would like to join us for either, please bring your lunch and iPad.
Wednesday, September 21st: Pages and Keynote on the iPad
Wednesday, October 5th: iMovie on the iPad

Assignment#6: Class Researchers

Sandy Jordan recently sent the following note to the technology department:
"Today was my first day with JH math students, and rather than dive right into the boring organizational stuff with the kids, I decided to start off with a discussion about what math is, how it has developed, why it has developed - the more philosophical side of it.  In each class, the discussions have been great, but an interesting thing happened last period.  This group (Jennifer and Tony's class) all showed up with their iPads.  As different questions came up I realized the kids were looking up information to add to the discussion as fast as they could.  From "when did zero first appear" to "what were African cultures doing mathematically hundreds of years ago," they were generating and trying to answer questions in an incredibly engaged and active way.  It was fabulous.  That immediate access to information kept the conversation going, made them more involved in the lesson, and helped them dig deeper faster.  They were looking for facts, but that opened the door for ruminations and discussion about the "whys" behind the "whats."  It was a great experience for me (and I hope for them!), and really illustrated some of the many, many ways this kind of technology is going to change how we teach."

For assignment #6, we would like you to assign a class researcher each day for a week in at least one of your classes.  Let the Daily Researcher(s) use the iPad and be in charge of answering any questions that arise in your class. Write about your experience in your comment.

Open Thread

 Comment on this post when you:

• have information to share
• want to ask a question of the whole group
• have an "Aha!" moment
• find a fabulous App that everyone should know about
• anything else pertaining to the ipad that doesn't fit into the other posts

(Summer) Assignment #5: One Transformed Classroom

Everyone found some really useful articles and blogs for Assignment #3.  We highly recommend that you go back and check some of them out.  Brian E. found the video below that features a classroom that uses the iPads from opening to closing bell.  Watch the video and then think about what it would be like if you had more than one iPad in your classroom.  In your comment to this post, write up a daily schedule (or weekly schedule if you are in HS and teach the same course throughout the day) for your classroom and describe how you would incorporate the iPads in each activity.

(Summer) Assignment #4: This would be great if....

All of us have found apps that are great, but don't quite fit into our curriculum.  For this post, please share an app for a subject that you don't teach, but you would definitely use if you did. In your comment, please put the name of the app, the cost, a brief description, and how you think you would use it. 

Reminder: summer assignments are due on August 16th.

Assignment #3: iPads in the News

For this week's assignment, we would like you to search the web to find a relevant news article or blog entry on iPads in Education.  When you find something that would be beneficial to others participating in this pilot, add a comment on this post.  Please put the name of the article, the source of the article (or the blog name), and what you learned.  If you want to include a link, please see the directions under the "Apps, Apps, Everywhere" post).

 

Apple Distinguished Educators will be sharing their experiences integrating different combinations of iPad, iPod touch, and Macbook into their teaching to enrich learning across subject areas and grade levels.  They'll walk you through how they got started, what they have implemented, and the incredible results they have achieved. They'll also share samples of student work and provide demos of technology solutions they are using. Throughout each webcast, you'll have the opportunity to ask questions and interact with the presenters to learn more about incorporating their innovative approaches into your own teaching this fall. Each webcast is 1.25 hours long.

Click here to learn more.

Apple retail stores also offer free weekly classes called Getting Started with iPad2 and Going Further with iPad2.  Click here to learn more.

DropDav going to paid accounts only

If you had set up your apps to share to WebDav using the DropDav service, you probably got the same email I did, informing you that they will now start charging $5/month for the service. Current free users will have a 14-day trial period. If you don't renew, your account will expire.

We are going to look into other options for the WebDav service, but if anyone else has any suggestions, please post them here. Thanks!

Assignment #2: iPads in the Classroom

This week, we'd like you to visit Kathy Schrock's iPads in the Classroom page.  It has loads of great links, but if you don't have much time to explore, please make sure you at least visit "43+ ways to use iPads in the classroom" (it's at the very bottom under Classroom Uses of the iPad).
Once you have completed the 43+ (it's actually up to 55 now) slideshow, think about one or two new ways you have, or thought about, using the iPad in your classroom.  Write about it in the comment section below. Make sure you include which apps would be used.

Assignment #1: First Impressions

While everyone seems to be enjoying the iPad as a new classroom tool, not all teachers have had the same experience.  What has been the hardest/easiest/most surprising part of your experience with using the iPad? Please comment to this post and answer all three parts of the question in as much detail as possible.  Don't forget to enter your name when posting.

Cases

Cases for the iPad 2 are still a little hard to come by. We've had some luck finding good cases at Target. There are many companies working hard out there to release their iPad 2 cases as soon as possible. Here is a good article reviewing the cases that are either currently available or coming soon.
http://reviews.cnet.com/2300-31747_7-10007008.html?s=0&o=10007008&tag=mncol;page

If you've found a case that you love (or hate!), please post a review (and link, if possible) in the comments section of this post.

Apps, Apps, Everywhere

In case you haven't come across your own list of available apps, check out some of the ones below.
If you come across any good compilations, please share them in the comment section.
Note:
To post a link in the comments section, you will need to type some HTML code like this:
"<a href="http.....">displayed text</a>"
Apple Distinguished Educator App Reviews / Lists
Top educational apps
Apple Educational Apps
Educational Apps Review
Apps in Education

Once you have started using some apps yourself, make sure you are adding them to our shared Google Doc so others know what's worth trying and what's not.

iPad tutorials

To learn more about your ipad and some of the apps pre-installed for you, check out the link below:
Apple Video Tutorials

Welcome to our ipad pilot project!

Thank you for participating in our ipad pilot here at Paideia.  We are excited about the introduction of this new tool in our classrooms. 

Here are a few reminders about using the school ipads:
•    do NOT sync apps.  Instead, download apps directly from the ipad. You can sync photos, videos, music, etc. on your computers.
•    We have set a passcode for you.  Unfortunately, you must keep this passcode on and can not change it.  If the ipads should get stolen, it increases the amount of time that we have to locate the missing ipad.
•    We have purchased imovie, pages, garageband, and keynote in volume for you.  If you want numbers installed, let us know.
•     You have received a $15 giftcard to purchase apps to use in the classroom. Please keep track of the apps you try out on the shared Google spreadsheet.
•    We may need these ipads back at some point to do more work - we will let you know. This is a true pilot program for you and us, so we are still learning the best way to manage the apps and syncing.