iPad Apps 4 Schools - great site with info and resources for iPads in Education

iPad Apps for School is another site from Richard Byrne, author of Free Technology for Teachers and Android 4 Schools. In this site, Richard and his guest authors will be sharing resources and reviews of apps (mostly free) that can be used in K-12 schools, along with ways that those apps can be used in the educational setting by teachers, students, and administrators.


If you use iPads as an educator, administrator, or student, or your school is looking at using them, you should check out this site.


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Interesting idea - Chromebook + Nexus 7 instead of just an iPad

At EdcampCT this past week, I was chatting with Greg McVerry (@jgmac1106) about devices, 1-1 and BYOD and he made an interesting comment. Instead of a school purchasing an iPad and keyboard for all the students, what about a Chromebook and Nexus 7 for each student?

I like this idea for a lot of reasons. An iPad starts at $500 and then add the case for $50 and keyboard for around $50 and you are at $600 for one device. Then add in any apps that are not free. A Chromebook starts at $300 and the Nexus 7 starts at $200. Add in a case for the Nexus 7 at $20 and you get two devices for just over $500. That's a great deal.

Account management is very easy with the Chromebooks and Nexus 7 using Google accounts for each student. Google Apps for Education would also be a great way to utilize these devices and provide excellent resources for the students and faculty and staff.

I would have the Chromebooks stay at school. Less for students to carry, less risk of damage or theft. Their data and files are all online so they can still access them anywhere. The Nexus 7 tablets could go home with the students. They are small, light, easy to use, and can be used at home for assignments, research, communications, and more. By having the two devices, students have backup. If they forget the Nexus 7 at home, it doesn't matter because they have the Chromebook at school.

One of the big concerns I have for 1-1 programs is that if students have one device, what happens when they lose it, have it damaged or stolen, or forget it somewhere?

Google apps and these two devices also making it easy, and very inexpensive, to do all the things students need to do. There is minimal support needed for the Nexus 7 from school staff and practically no support needed for the Chromebooks.

I'm a big fan of this idea and will be sharing it with my district.

What do you think?


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NearPod - create and share lessons on iPads in classroom - free

NearPod is a free service/app that allows you to create interactive lessons and then share them across iPads in your classroom. Teachers create interactive presentations and then share them with the class.

Here's how it works. The teacher uses the Content Tool to create multimedia presentations and then share the content with the students. The Teacher app allows the teacher to control the activity also. Students receive content and assessments on their device and then can submit answers and responses. The teacher can use the Reporting tool to monitor what the students are doing and collect their responses, assess their learning and gather data.

The multimedia presentations start with a PDF file and then quizzes, polls, videos, activities and more can be added.

It's free, easy to use, and a great resource to use with iPads in the classroom.


Get it from the App Store: http://itunes.com/apps/panarea

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My thoughts on the iPad2 after using it for a while

(note - I'm guessing that I'm going to get hammered by some Apple fans here, but this is my honest opinion).

So, most who know me know I'm not a fan of Apple. I think they are the biggest monopoly in the world with their closed system and need to have everything through them. I hate iTunes. Some say that's a benefit. I also think that their products are over hyped and over priced for what they do. I've used many an iPhone and iPad in the past and been underwhelmed. I wonder if it's because I used a webOS phone (and still use a webOS tablet)? webOS is the slickest mobile OS in terms of user interface and multi-tasking. I also used a PDA and smart phone long before the iPhone came out, so it wasn't as big a thing to me.

Many people asked me if I owned an iPhone or iPad and I had not. I've used friends' iPhones or iPads a lot, but didn't own one. That recently changed, sort of. I was given a loaner iPad2 to review the PhotoShop Touch app (I do have to return it soon). I used the iPad for about 2 weeks straight to test it out also and came up with some thoughts and issues I list below. The funny thing is that I stopped using it after that and it has sat on my shelf for the last 3 weeks. I have no need or desire to use it.

For mobile use, I use my Android smartphone, an HTC Droid Incredible 2, most of the time and then use my TouchPad for some things. I also use my CR-48 Chromebook. At home I have a Dell Laptop and use an HP Desktop at school. I have yet to have an app I want that isn't available on either Android or as a web app.


Points of Contention:

• I was very underwhelmed by it. I really don't see what makes it so special. I have an HP TouchPad running webOS and find it much more useful, even with out having 3 gazillion apps. It multi-tasks like a champ with the card view, and I need that if I am using a tablet.
• I really don't like the keyboard. The letters stay capitals even when typing lower case and the number keys require a shift. On the TouchPad, the letters change to match the case you are typing and the number row is always visible.
• Lack of native Google apps is a major issue for someone like me. Even the TouchPad has more. 
• Email is ok, but I don't like how it tries to put everything on one screen. 
• Safari works well, but the tab close "x" is on the opposite side of the tab from every other browser out there. I also don't like that it doesn't resize pages to fit well. 
• It was not as responsive or as fast as I thought it would be and there were only a couple of apps loaded on top of the factory setup. 
• Very hard to find settings for many apps (where's the menu button?). Android and webOS have menu buttons for every app.
• Multi-tasking isn't. A double tap on button just brings you to a list of recently used apps like in Android. Both Apple and Android need to look at webOS cards for the way to truly multi-task.
• Lack of Flash is still an issue as I can't access some web sites I use in my Physics classes. Luckily, Discovery Education has an app so I can access their stuff. 
• The button. I really miss the back button from Android and the back gesture from webOS. It makes things work so much better. 
• Sharing features missing. Android has easy, one-click sharing from almost any app to almost any app. This is a very useful feature. 

Positives:

• Hardware is solid and well built, as well as light
• Battery life is excellent
• Apps and UI are elegant, gorgeous to look at
• Apps - lots of them. Many companies make iOS apps 1st (and sometimes only for iOS)
• Easy to use (although not any easier than any other device I've used)
• Widely used in education, so lots of resources on using them available. 

There was no "wow" for me like so many people get. Maybe I'm missing something? Maybe I just don't understand the whole obsession with Apple products? 

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Great resource for using iPads in the classroom

Edudemic, a great resource for educators, is releasing a special mini-issue next week with some great resources. The issue will be available in the Edudemic Magazine iPad app and, best of all, FREE to subscribers! If you’re not (yet) a subscriber, it’ll be just $0.99.

One of the articles in the mini-issue is about iPads in education, including projects, lesson ideas, apps and more. They have already released a great image from the article that has 25 Ways To Use iPads In The Classroom by Degree of Difficulty. You can see it below, or go to their site and download a PDF version. It's got some great ideas and the apps to use to accomplish them.

You can become a subscriber today by downloading the iPad app! If you subscribe this week, you’ll get our April issue free AND the upcoming mini-issue free.

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