Monday after class I was intrigued by the use of iPads in the classroom so after I did my reading and blog post I went out in search of actual teachers who use iPads in their classrooms on the daily basis. I was surprised by what I found!
In my years tutoring and student teaching in Ames I have become familiar with the use of iPods to listen to books on tape. However, I was particularly interested in how lower elementary school teachers used iPads in their classrooms because of the game Chicktionary we played. I went to YouTube and found many, many videos of teachers using iPads, iPods and iPod Touches in the classroom. Students were using iPods to listen to stories (like the students I worked with in Ames), they used iPod Touches to record themselves reading fluently and then listened back to it to evaluate themselves. Students also used iPads to read along as stories were read by a narrator. One video I watched put a spotlight on Echo Reading. The students used a Dr. Seuss application on the iPad to listen to a page being read to them, then were able to repeat it aloud. If the student hadn't quite got the whole page memorized they could listen to the page again or listen to each word individually.
I have a math endorsement so I also searched for ways teachers use technology to help teach math. I saw a video of a teacher using an app with magnetic letters to help students understand the concept of numbers that come before, after and in between other numbers.
I was particularly fond of one teacher's videos on YouTube. Richard Colosi has really innovated technology into his classroom. His students really seem to have an understanding of how the technology in their classroom helps them learn in new, creative ways. I have attached some of the videos here for your to view. They are REALLY CUTE!
I like the topic you researched on. After playing around with the iPads yesterday, I am very interested in how elementary teachers are using them in their classroom. In one of my student teaching placements, I was able to observe a special education classroom using the iPads as a reward for students with behavior goals. I liked this reward because it was educational and using technology at the same time.
ReplyDeleteI watched the Richard Colosi video and he really is doing amazing things in the classroom! The students understand that they are using the technology to help them become better readers and really embrace the opportunities they have to use it.
ReplyDeleteIn my student teaching placement for 3rd grade, they had a set of 4 iPads to use in the classroom. On the iPads they had a TON of great math applications for the students to use! On a certain day during the year the school heard that a lot of the Everyday Math games for the iPad were going to be free on iTunes, so the school downloaded all of them! The math games were great and really enhanced my instruction. I was able to use the iPads as a math center to help students practice the math skill we were going over. If you end up in a classroom with iPads, keep an eye out for when those applications go on sale or even for free!
Thanks for sharing the information you found on iPads! Great resources. I'll share some more with you soon!
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