iPad Pilot

I am currently involved with an iPad Pilot Project, which is why I have been neglecting this blog. We are eagerly awaiting the arrival of twenty iPads for our Primary grades students. For the next couple of months, you can follow our project HERE as we implement iPads in several Kindergarten, Grade 2, and Grade 3 classrooms.

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Apps Cont'd

I am now officially addicted to my iPad!  Here are some more apps for classroom use:

Popplet $8.99/ PoppletLite FREE - This tool is useful for brainstorming, timelines, or as an alternative project or presentation format.  Students can add multiple "popples" containing text or photos or a combination of the two.  Popples can be connected to one another with a line and dragged around on the screen into a formation of your choice.  The free version allows you to email your creation as a jpg.  The paid version allows you to email your creation as a PDF file.  Despite the fact that the price is steep for the full version, there doesn't seem to be much difference between the two versions.  Unless your creation contains multiple Popples (like the photo), you are fine to stick with the Lite version.

Drawing Pad $1.99 -- This is like Kid Pix or Tux Paint for the iPad.  Pictures can be saved to the photo album or emailed as a jpg file directly from the app.  There are free drawing apps available, but this one is worth the cost!

StoryPatch $4.99 - This is a great tool for kids who need to practice their writing, but don't want to draw a picture to go along with it.  Students can choose their own topics or choose from a selection of topics.  Beginning writers can make choices about their story and the app will generate the text.  More advanced writers can type their own text.  Both options allow the writer to import photos from their photo album or design a picture by choosing characters, scenery, and objects.  Stories are saved as PDFs that can be emailed directly from the app.

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More Apps!

I have been on the lookout for education apps and these are a few great ones I have discovered in the past couple of days:

Strip Designer $2.99

Tons of comic style templates to choose from.  Add photos from your library, text in text boxes or speech bubbles, and virtual stickers. Save to your photo library or email as an attachment.

If you're looking for a free equivalent, you can use Pixter to lay out your photo collage and Comic Touch to add speech bubbles.  The results are nowhere near as stunning.  It's worth shelling out the $2.99 for Strip Designer.

PhotoCard  $4.99 / PhotoCard Lite FREE

This app lets you create photo postcards to save in your photo library or email as attachments.  You can use your own photos or choose from a small selection of photos in the Lite version or a large selection in the paid version.  Includes virtual stickers and stamps to adorn your postcard. You can even add voice.

ScrapPad...on sale for 99 cents for the rest of this week.

This app lets you scrapbook on the iPad and save to your photo library.

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Story Kit App

Today, I tried out a free iPad/iPhone app called Story Kit.  Story Kit allows students to create electronic books, using drawings they create on the touch screen or photos from a photo album.  You can also add text and/or narrate the story.  There is no need to upload anything. When you are ready to share the story, click on "Share" and your story gets its own url.  You can even email the story right from the Story Kit program.  I had my students dictate descriptions to go along with photos of treasure maps they created as part of our mapping unit.  The hardest part was waiting patiently for Drop Box to do its thing and load my photos.  After that, it was quick and simple.  I even managed to email the stories to the parents during class time! I can see this app being especially useful for creating field trip albums.

Please post a comment to share how you are using Story Kit in your classroom.

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Must Have iPad Apps

I've had my iPad for close to a month and I am growing to love it more each day!    Yes, it's a giant iPod Touch...but the iPod is way too small to function in place of a laptop.  I've been using the iPad at work and plan to bring it with me to grad classes this semester.  

Here are some of the more useful (free) apps:

Drop Box - This is by far the best app!  You can create a drop box folder on any desktop or laptop computer (or log into your Drop Box account from a shared computer).  All of the documents you drag into the drop box folder are then stored online and accessible from anywhere.  You can even email the link to your document with a single click from your iPad.  There's no uploading involved!

Mail - This one may seem like a no-brainer, but the iPad's close to 10 inch display really is large enough to read emails and the keyboard is large enough for composing full-length responses.  Say good-bye to the text-like messages you send from a cell phone.

Google Calendar - I prefer this app to the calendar app that comes standard on the iPad.  My school uses Google Calendar and I am able to sync the two calendars, so I never have to enter information that already exists on the school's calendar.

Notes - I love sticky notes as much as the next teacher, but I always end up misplacing them, and let's face it, my handwriting just isn't up to par anymore after all these years of typing.  I can quickly jot down a note whenever, wherever and even email it to myself with a single click.

Maps - My own personal built in transit schedule -- and I can even see a photo of my destination (or any address).

iBooks - I can't really see myself using the iPad like a Kindle, but any attachment that is emailed to me or accessed through my Drop Box can be saved and viewed in iBooks.   

Flixster - Movie listings at your local theatre.  Need I say more?

Epicurious - Recipes to your heart's content!

What's missing from the iPad:

By now you have probably heard that the iPad does not support flash.  This is a pain because many websites don't display properly.

You have to pay extra to install a word processing program, otherwise you can't create or edit documents.

You can't edit google docs...but this function is rumoured to be coming soon.

You can't print from the iPad...but a software update in November will allow you to print wirelessly.

Please post a comment to share your favourite apps!

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