Millions of Apps...

Hundreds of Apps, Thousands of Apps, Millions and Millions of Apps....  Just a little play on words from Wanda Gag's book Millions of Cats.  Searching apps through iTunes can be a tedious and overwhelming process.  Especially when one is looking for just the right app for a certain grade level or subject.  Graphite is a free service for teachers to help them locate just the right app to fit their needs.  Using a simple interface, the teacher can easily evaluate apps without spending time wading through lists of generic apps that may or may not work.

Settings Tip for those of you with new iPads: 
Do you find that your iPad is constantly dropping the network and forcing you to sign-in to the TigerWLAN?  The solution is simple; use AutoJoin.  The infographic below quickly describes how to set the AutoJoin on your iPad.  This can be set for your other networks, as well.

Auto-Join TigerWLAN | Infographics

Changes on many levels

The beginning of a new school year always brings about some type of change.  The teachers in elementary grades K-4 will be experimenting with iPads, Grades 3-12 will be issued school emails, and everywhere digital learning is slowly creeping into our classrooms and curriculum. 

Some people use blogs to share insight and others blog to express themselves, my hope for this blog is to share ideas and communicate resources that will make your digital journey less bumpy. 

Social media is becoming mainstream for digital users.  I have come to LOVE Pinterest and find that it soaks up hours of my time, but there are so many fascinating ideas, projects, and resources for education that its just overwhelming.  For those of you who haven't jumped in, I encourage you to create a Pinterest account. You won't be disappointed.  This week's blog is highlighting an eSchool News article featuring 5 of the top Pinterest boards for education. You may have to join the eSchoolNews site, but its worth it: Pinterest Boards on eSchoolNews  If you are not interested in signing up for eSchoolNews, this site has over 50 boards just focusing on the different aspects of using iPads in education: 50 Boards for iPads in Education
Give yourself a little time and check out Pinterest. 

For those teachers in K-4 who are looking for ideas on how to use their one iPad in the classroom, here are two great websites that I think you'll find interesting:  

Free Books Online shares a few websites that house free online books for students to read. 

Dice Games for the iPad  this website demonstrates how to use a Dice App on the iPad and combine it with worksheets for a great center time activity. 

Feel free to leave comments or suggestions. 

Great Article about iPhone Apps for the Classroom

If you haven't already seen this link on my Pinterest (Vera Weber) or Twitter (@veraweber) network, I'm sharing it with you now  This article lists some great uses for apps in the classroom.  I love the first sentence..."You don't need a class set of netbooks or iPads to integrate technology into your daily instruction."  Which is true, digital learning can occur on many levels and we don't always need to have every student connected. 

iPhone Apps for the Classroom - Edutopia Article   Although it references "iPhone", the same apps will work for those people who have iPads in their classroom, too.

Apps as Tools

So often I hear the phrase "It's not about the apps", however, in some cases it is.  If we are to view apps as tools that help us to teach better, then its important to understand that apps have a purpose.  As a teacher beginning to use the iPad in the classroom, one of the best ways to start is to use some apps designed specifically for the purpose of the lesson.  In this post, I'm sharing a website that has an amazing amount of information about applying apps in the various subject areas.  Not only does the spreadsheet share apps for various subject areas, it also designates grade levels as well.

Link to TCEA iPad Apps Spreadsheet

While some of these iPad Apps may be familiar to you, I think you'll be pleasantly surprised at the organization of these apps and their purpose in the classroom.

Why start now?

This has been an exciting and tumultuous year in a new position within a totally different school district. So, why start blogging during the last week of the school year?  Much of this year's experiences have been a huge learning curve.  From working within a larger school system, my knowledge base about instruction and learning has increased exponentially.  Since most of my previous experience was from working within small school systems or with small groups of individuals, the strategies and tools that were used in the past no longer were as successful in a more diversified setting.  It is time to develop new tactics and create better approaches to reaching out to teachers about the importance of transforming their classrooms with technology.  Therefore, so begins a new blog, a resource, a tool, from which to share information and prepare for a new beginning in 2013-14.

“There can be infinite uses of the computer and of new age technology, but if teachers themselves are not able to bring it into the classroom and make it work, then it fails.” - Nancy Kassebaum