Student Apps

Welcome back to my blog about the IPad. Today we will talk about software for the IPad. These are commonly called apps, which is short for applications. These are small programs designed to perform a few small tasks onthe IPad for you. For the purposes of this blog, we will not count things like games and home use apps. We are only going to concentrate on apps for the classroom.

 

Now these apps we will subdivide into apps for students and apps for teachers, which we will address in the next chapter of my blog.

For students, there are apps for just about anything for the school.  But how do we choose which ones to use?  We need to look first at the needs of the students.

There are some basic needs that the students will require filled for the IPad.  These may be available to them at home on their home computer.  But if they do not have one, then they will be covered by these apps so they can participate and learn at school and at home.  Now this list may be a bit long, so we will only list a few things they need, such as:

Internet browser

Word Processor

Video viewer, to watch video files

Audio player, to listen to audio files

The ability to chat in the school chat forum, if a separate app is required for this

Ability to download images for research for class

Etc.

I know that I am missing a few things (or a lot of things) off of this list, but this is not meant to be all inclusive, just a small example list.

Second, we will look at the needs in the classroom.  These all depend on the student and the class they are taking.  This is to be decided by the teacher on an individual basis.

Of course, the IPad will act as an eReader, so the student will be able to read their books for school and be able to take them all home.  These include textbooks, novels, and any other reading they will need to do.

Next the teacher must look at the individual student for extra apps.  Do they need extra help in math?  Then provide an app for helping them learn math.  How about their reading?  Then give them an app for reading and comprehension skills.  What about an app to help them understand science, or social studies?  Then yes, it will be provided.  How about apps to help those in special education, such as a magnifier for those who need help seeing the text, or an app for volume so the student can hear the audio without blasting their ears out with headphones?  These can be brought into play, too.

The big issue is to only provide apps that the students will actually use and learn with in the classroom, and this is the tricky part.  There is a desire to add apps just for the sake of having them available to everyone, but too many apps will mean that the student will not be using some of them, or the student may become overwhelmed and not use it at all.  We must keep this in mind when choosing apps for the student.

The IPad in the classroom

Since we are allowed to choose our own subject, I will start with the IPad in the classroom.  This will be a multi-part blog, where each week I will explore different aspects of this subject.  Enjoy!!

IPad – Hardware considerations

Unless you live in a cave, you know what an IPad is.  If you need a refresher, just pop over to the IPad site at http://www.apple.com/ipad/ and it will help you.

Since schools are moving towards using the IPad in schools, let’s see if this will be a wise choice in using it on a day to day basis.  There are many things to consider in choosing the IPad, and we will start with the hardware.

The IPad does have a nice touch screen, at a size of 9.7 inches; it makes for a clear viewing experience.  The processor and memory contained within are adequate for the job of helping the students learn.  They allow for video watching, audio listening, and power point viewing without interruption.  There are a couple of storage memory choices for the IPad, and in my book it is always good to get as much storage  memory as you can afford, to help it keep up with demands that will be placed on it.  It also possesses wireless technology, so the student will be able to connect not just at school but also at home, the library, the bookstore, or even McDonalds.  This will also allow them to download and upload assignments that the teacher gives them.  A keyboard can also be added to allow another input choice instead of the touch screen.

For another use of the above hardware, there is also the application for use in Special Education.  The touch screen allows those who have motor skill issues to use the IPad easier.  The headphone jack allows those with hearing impairment to adjust the volume so they can hear the audio.  There are a ton of uses for this device with Special Education classes.

The only issue that I can see is damage to the device. “Therein lies the problem with iPads in high school: devices break.” (Turrentine, 1)  Dropping it repeatedly, for example, will eventually damage it beyond use.  The best way to fix this is to get an impact resistant case cover, similar to the one for the IPhone.  As of yet, Apple does not sell such a thing.  They sell a cover that folds back to allow it to sit upright on a desk, but not to protect it from being dropped repeatedly.

All in all, the IPad will revolutionize education, if proper precautions and planning are taken.  In the next Blog, we will look at software and apps for the IPad.

 

References

Turrentine L.. (January 19, 2012). Apple iBooks in schools: Devil is in the hardware. Retrieved September 12, 2012, http://news.cnet.com/8301-30677_3-57361919-244/apple-ibooks-in-schools-devil-is-in-the-hardware/