Ben Johnson from Edutopia has a few ideas including suggestions on using iPads to meet the needs of different types of learners and connecting with others outside the classroom.

Head over to Edutopia to get all the details.

A recent report from the NAACE suggests that appropriate use of iPads can improve learning and teaching. The results are based on a single school and a small number of participants but it’s still an interesting read. Get the full report here but I’ve pasted a quick summary below.

The report’s Executive Summary concludes, “The outcomes at Longfield clearly demonstrate the value of the iPad as an educational tool.” Among the key findings noted in the Executive Summary:

• The overwhelming majority of teachers regularly use the iPads in their teaching
• There is a high demand from the students for iPad use to be extended further
• Teachers have identified significant benefits for their workload and have also identified cost savings
• Students are more motivated when using iPads
• The quality and standard of pupil work and progress is rising
• Appropriate use of Apps aids learning

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ELL instructors, like those in other disciplines, are discovering the benefits of iPads in the classroom. With some advance planning and appropriate training for teachers, schools can avoid an awkward or stressful deployment.

When iPads suddenly populate English language learner classrooms, teachers often face a steep adoption curve. The reason isn’t the technology itself, but rather because too many districts are “not focused on the professional development piece,” according to Jared Bloom, who serves as supervisor of assessment and technology at South Huntington Union Free School District (NY).

Bloom, who also teaches an iPad training session for ELL teachers, said that even before they begin to use iPads in their classrooms, the first step is to get the devices into the teachers’ hands and then allow a minimum half-day training session.

Bloom’s training regimen starts with an overview of the iPad’s features, then moves on to “everything they needed to know about the device and how to use it.” That encompasses the iPad’s assistive features, potential issues instructors may encounter in an iPad deployment, and a selection of general content and ELL-specific apps. “Then, we gave them time to actually go through and find some free apps that they could transfer to their area,” he said.

Planning is imperative for any technology initiative – iPad or otherwise. You need to ensure that you clearly understand and communicate how the technology integrates with your overall pedagogical objectives. Too many institutions purchase technology and then search for ways to utilize it … or leave it collecting dust on the shelf.

Campus Infrastructure Considerations

• Signal Strength: If you’re using wifi iPads then you’ll need a strong and reliable connection to the web. That relies on two things:
  • Solid incoming bandwidth.
    • Have you thoroughly tested the speed of your internet connection at different times of the day? (a website such as speedtest.net will help test your connection speed)
    • Can teachers connect reliably using a wired connection? If the wired connection isn’t fast and reliable then your wireless network definitely won’t be either.
  • Wireless signal and distribution:
    • Do you have the wireless infrastructure to support a successful implementation? Are you using industrial strength hardware or patching together a cheaper solution with more home oriented access points and hardware?
    • Is the signal being distributed evenly and reliably to different parts of the campus?
    • Have you tested for any dead spots in classes or around campus? Has anyone walked around campus and conducted a thorough signal test?
    • Can you support a large volume of devices connecting at the same time? This is critical. Just because one device can connect with adequate speed doesn’t ensure that a classroom full of devices will be able to connect.

Planning needs to consider both infrastructure needs and the educational applications of the new technology. Without the proper preparation, technology initiatives are liable to become expensive failures.

But how do you find them? Unless you know exactly what you’re looking for, it is usually pretty tough to find the best apps. Heck, once you may come across an app it may prove to not be worth the time it took to download!

The Palm Beach School System has an incredible wiki where members of the community share their favorite apps for specific disciplines. Below I’ve embedded their list for the top middle school apps but they also have a curated list of apps for middle school and high school.Language Arts:

1. iBooks – a ereader book store.
2. Book Creator – Create your own iBooks right on the iPad. (Allows everything except video)
3. Reading Trainer – This app teaches you how to train your eyes and brain to read and comprehend text faster. Think of it as exercise for your reading skills.
4. Free Books – 23,469 Classics to Go
5. Dictionary.com – Dictionary & Thesaurus – A dictionary and a Thesaurus.
6. Literary Analysis Guide – Elements of literature are arranged graphically around three wheels (poetry, prose, and rhetoric).
7. Kindle – Kindle is an eReader from Amazon.com
8. Shakespeare Pro – Complete works of Shakespeare. 41 plays, 154 sonnets, and 6 poems. All works can be cross searched for anything.
9. Jules Verne Collection – Sixteen of Jules Verne’s books
10. MaxJournal – A simple and elegant journal.
11. LitCharts – Link to LitCharts website. Each of the LitCharts are available on the iPad

Math:

1. The Ruler – measure things in inches or centimeters
2. Math Quizzer- Math Quizzer is an interactive and fun way to, not only learn, but also to boost your skills in; Addition, Subtraction, Multiplication, and Division. It offers an easy to understand chalkboard visual, which keeps track of your “score” as you progress.
3. Bloomberg – Bring the power of the most trusted source for financial information to your iPad, along with tools to help you analyze the world’s markets.
4. Fractals – Move and pinch fractals in real time.
5. MASTERING MATHEMATICS GRADE 6 – A mathematics practice book for 6th grade students.
6. MASTERING MATHEMATICS GRADE 7 -A mathematics practice book for 7th grade students.
7. Geometry Stash – Access the most commonly used theorems, postulates, and corollaries.

Calculators

1. Proloquo2Go – full featured alternative communication solution for people who have difficulty speaking
2. Speak it! Text to Speech – A high quality text to speech app.
3. Pocket Picture Planner HD – Use pictures or graphics to create a visual calendar.

All Subjects/General/Productivity:

1. Keynote – A slideshow presentation program
2. Pages- A word processing program
3. Numbers – A spreadsheet application
4. iBooks – a ereader book store.
5. Notability – text to speech or just a note taking app
6. Puppet Pals – Create your own unique shows with animation and audio in real time!
7. Mobile Mouse – Mobile Mouse instantly transforms your iPad into a wireless mouse and trackpad for your computer.
8. Bento – Manage things with 25 ready to use databases.
9. GoodReader – Within moments of downloading GoodReader, you’ll be transferring files from the computer to the iPad. Supports a wide range of files.
10. Note Taker HD – An app for writing handwritten notes, diagrams, etc.
11. Sundry Notes Pro – Sundry Notes is the first social note taking application. Write, draw, record and research right within the app – and then share your notes with others.Take notes right within your application, including: Write text (and change font color, size, etc.), draw anywhere in your notes, search Wikipedia, Google, and Google Books – and grab images from them for your notes using two fingers, Import PDFs from the internet, Import images from your photo library, record sound/voice, Change page background to graph paper, lined paper, legal paper, etc.
12. MindNode – Mind mapping, brainstorming, organization.
13. iThoughtsHD – A mind map tool for the iPad
14. Evernote – Evernote turns the iPad into an extension of your brain, helping you remember anything and everything that happens in your life.
15. Stick It – Sticky Notes with Bump™ – Sticky notes you can share with other iPad Users
16. Educate – The ultimate teacher’s companion providing mobile access to your student’s data, teaching strategies, eLearning tools, and timetable.
17. Cramberry – Create flash cards to study from.
18. Professor Garfield Cyberbullying – Garfield and Friends share information about Cyberbullying
19. Professor Garfield Online Safety – Garfield and Friends share information about Online Safety
20. eClicker and eClicker Host- A personal response system that allows teachers to poll their classes in real time.
21. PDF Reader Pro Edition – PDF reader.
22. Discovery Education – Educational videos

What it is:   Have you ever attempted an app search?  It is a miserable experience, unless you already know what you are looking for, you are out of luck!

Quixey changes all of that by powering app searches across multiple platforms (Android, Bada, BlackBerry, Chrome extensions, Chrome web apps, Facebook, Firefox add-ons, IE add-ons, iPad, iPhone, Mac, Symbian, Web, WebOS, Windows, Windows Mobile and Windows Phone).  Quixey works with manufacturers, carriers, search engines and platforms to create a custom app search solution.  Quixey uses what they call “functional search” just for apps.

When you use Quixey, you don’t have to know the app’s exact name or “official” description to find the app.  Quixey scans blogs, review sites, forums and social media to learn what each app can do and how people are using it.  The Functional app search isn’t dependent on keywords.  When you search an app, you can type in the kind of app you are looking for.  Easily narrow your search by device.  Next to the device, you can see how many apps are related to your search making it simple to see how much digging you will need to do.

Next to each app that comes up in your search, there are snippets: short pieces of information that help you decide if the app will do what you need it to.  Need to narrow it down even more? No problem, Quixey let’s you organize by paid or free apps, or filter by a custom advanced view.  Very handy!

How to integrate Quixey into the classroom: If you or your students use ANY of the above platforms, Quixey is a must!  Hunt down the exact app you need quickly and easily.  Have a mixed platform classroom? Quixey makes it simple to see where app crossover is possible for the classroom.  This is one handy search engine!

Learn more here.

TRAIN STUDENTS TO USE EMAIL APPROPRIATELY.

Each of our students and staff members has a Google Apps for Education account to create documents, collaborate online, and communicate. Since they submit many projects and lessons through email, they have the ability to email teachers. These are 6th, 7th and 8th graders who have limited or no experience with email. They do know how to text, so the logical step for them was to use their Google Apps for Ed email account just like a giant texting feature. They are emailing constantly with not that much to say.

• Splashtop – remote access to your laptop
• Skype – video conferencing
• Loseit – diet app
• Finger Count – learning numbers
• Talking Lila – repeating avatar
• Appolicious – discover new apps
• Puppet Pals HD – fun digital story telling app
• Sums Stacker – fun early math app
• BrainPop – connects to Brainpop games
• Dropbox – online storage
• Story Kit – Awesome digital story telling
• Showme – create online reviews
• Tiger Woods 2012 – umm . . . golf
• Tower Madness – addictive, time-sucking fun
• Crazy Symon – iPad version of the 1980s Simon game
• Flipboard – magazine style reader for news, Facebook, Twitter
• Evernote – great note taker / saver
• Evernote Peek – based on Evernote, a fun content review app
• Starfall – the great website in app form
• AppAdvice – discover new apps
• iBooks – Apple’s e-book reader
• The Weather Channel – a channel for . . . that’s right, weather
• Shop Style – an app to help my wife spend money
• Angry Birds – perhaps the best app of all time
• Intro to Letters / Intro to Numbers – very cool early childhood learning app
• The Elements – awesome Periodic Table
• Essay Grader – fast way to score writing assignments
• Dragon Dictation – records audio and types it out
• Speak It: Text To Speech – records text and reads it outloud
• Tap to Talk – helpful autism app
• Motion Math – teach fractions
• Comic Life – a great digital story telling app
• Shmoop: Scarlet Letter – just one of the many Shmoop content review apps
• Civil War Today – follow Civil War events / people one day at a time
• Frog Dissection – cut up a frog without the smell
• Shakespeare in Bits: Romeo and Juliet – very cool lit app
• Stack the States – learn the states
• Stack the Countries – learn the countries
• A Christmas Carol – nice interactive book
• Book Creator – very useful ePub / digital story creator
• Common Core – the CC standards in app form
• Jack and the Beanstalk – interactive book
• Pages – Apple’s word processor
• Keynote – Apple’s presentation tool
• Lobster Diver – learn fractions and percents
• Write Essay – plan your writing project
• iTranslate – easy to use translator
• NumberLine – learn fractions, decimals and percentages

Have fun!

How Much Did Steve Jobs Change the World? You might be reading this on your iPhone, iPad or computer, but whether or not you have a Macintosh or a PC, Steve Jobs is responsible for so much of the technology we are using today. Did you know that Windows computers copied the drop-down window interface from Apple computers? Yes, all true. So today, when the power went out in the school and we couldn’t get on the Internet, I noticed what an important part of my life technology has become. Talk about making a dent in the world. Jobs’ legacy will live on in generations to come. Here are 39 sites for using one of Jobs’ greatest innovations: THE iPAD.

5 Great iPad Apps For Early Childhood Teachers

10 iPad Apps Everyone Should Have- from PC Magazine

10 Must Have iPad Apps for Students and Teachers

10 Ways to Use iPads in Your Classroom

40 iPad Apps Librarians Love

40 Most Awesome iPad Apps for Science Students

50+ iPad Apps By a Geography Teacher

62 Interesting Ways to Use an iPad in the Classroom

100 Incredibly Useful and Free iPad Apps

Best Academic Reference Apps for the iPad- some $$, some free

A Day in the Life of the iPad Classroom

The Debate Over iPads in Education

Digital Storytelling with the iPad