We have been using Sketchbook Express which is a free drawing app, and is now installed on the iPads which are available for booking out.
When first opened, you can go through a quick tutorial which is very user-friendly.
To access the tutorial at any time, just press the i icon on the top toolbar, then help along the bottom toolbar and it will open up.
One of the best features of this app is the use of layers, which is similar to PhotoShop. You can import a background layer from your photo gallery. We have been taking screenshots of our work and then dropping them in as background layers in the next lesson in order to continue to add detail.
Overall, we have found this app easy to use with a good range of features.
The current list of iPad apps on the student-use bookable iPads is growing by the day!
This list will be kept up-to-date as to what’s installed – don’t forget that if you want a specific app, we can install any free app to the devices, just request it when you book the iPads!
On Thursday I used Ipads with my GCSE PE students for the first time and like Paul Mac has already mentioned, I wasnt sure on how it would go, so I decided to start with a low use, easy to manage activity. With students ranging from year 9-11 I had two options how I could get the students to use the IPads for the RIGHT reasons.I could either go in heavy and start with the students involved in a task or I could give them five minutes to explore (think thats the correct word) to reduce the chance of any potential mis-use.
After they had five minutes to have a play I got all students to watch a YouTube clip I had created through Explain Everything. The clip was designed to help students break down/structure long exam question which they had found to be difficult on their latest mock paper. Students could then sit with more or less an Ipad each, watch the clip and answer the long question , starting and stopping the clip where they needed.This then allowed me the opportunity to work with lower ability students in the class who would perhaps need that extra support with answering the questions.
The students responded really well to this and there was no messing around or incorrect use of the Ipads which was my original concern.In fact it was that good students want to use again next week! Next week im trying Show Me to create adverts on benefits of taking part in physical activity!
Today was a bit of a step into the unknown as I taught a lesson which involved the students using the new ipads. Like many staff I have been impressed by how my own personal ipad has opened up many areas which has helped in my lessons. What I found today was that with a little pre-planning the ipads can be a fantastic aid to learning when the students use them too.
The lesson was based around revising the aerobic energy system with my Yr 13 A2 PE students. Prior to it I had made a short video of what I wanted them to learn in advance. I did this with the explain everything app which then allows you to upload it to Youtube. I shared this over twitter with my students. The video is below:
I then started the lesson with a short quiz to establish understanding using quiz I had made on Socrative app. The students then in pairs started brainstorming on simple facts about aerobic system using the brilliant Ibrainstorm app. As they were doing this I got Socrative to email me the report of the initial quiz and we then as a class reviewed our knoweledge and progress. I then split the class in half and they all produced a presentation using the Showme app on the specific areas that I gave them. With this they could use screen shots from their Ibrainstorm work or screen shots from the notes app & put them in as pictures. Some even revisited my explaineverything video by searching for it on Youtube on their ipads to remind them of certain aspects.
They then presented to their partner on their respective areas. Finally to gauge progress and check understanding, I used the exit ticket on Socrative to get the students to answer an exam question and also tell me what they had learnt, or still found difficult. There was even time for some students to copy their ipad notes and paste them into the google docs that I set up which they can all now share on Realsmart. With the exception of the explain everything app all the apps mentioned here are available to use on the student ipads. Only things is now they want to use the ipads every week!
It’s early days but I really like the look of this free app.
‘Three ring’ let’s you store students work under class,name and tag headings. Today my AS business bunch took a small 18 mark quiz on people in business. The results would usually be thrown away. This app allows you to upload pictures videos, voice recordings and saved images to their host web site for later viewing,assessment,progress tracking,informing planning and parents evenings. I’ll definately be asking Y8 tutors to use it during mentoring so the students can see where they have come from and hopefully where they are now heading.
Its so easy to use after you’ve spent 10 minutes playing around. The functions it performs are very quick and you have all their work one click away (use the search bar to find an individual pupils work and all the work carried out in a particular unit). I just set the class a 2 minute kagan exercise and that bought me the time to take photos. Videos next and I won’t have to go to YouTube to pull them up on screen next time I need them.
If you want any guidance on how to get upto speed with this app then just drop into the Y8 office and I’ll try to help out
iSwifter is a Flash Web Browser that will allow you to view Flash content on websites including realsmart so that your learning portfolio can be accessed on your iPad. It will also allow you to use other websites with Flash content such as Prezi and Popplet.
The app can be downloaded intially as a trial for 10 mins a day for one week!
One app that I have used is cloudon, which allows you to use word, PowerPoint and excel on your iPad. You will need a dropbox app downloaded here too which is basically a free cloud based storage device. Also have a look at explain everything app.
It is great as your own mini whiteboard. You can add photos in, web pages and make video and audio presentations which you can use with students.
Below is a video I made using the explain everything app.
Finally socrative is a great app for gauging students responses. You can set up a quiz, use the true/false section to just verbally ask students to respond and also there is an exit ticket section where students can feedback what they have learnt in the lesson.
You can screen shot an iPad by the Home button and the power button together, the iPad will make a camera shutter noise and add the screen shot to your photos.
RT @ICTRossett: #ScratchDay@Rossett was a full house with some amazing projects made! Hard to drag kids away from Scratch at the end! h ... 4 hours ago
