IPad Class

I loved teaching the iPad class last week! We started with the basics and spent an entire day learning about settings and all the features that are on the iPad before you even download your first app. iTechnology is all about exploration and learning, bit by bit, the tricks and shortcuts and all that you can do. And I really enjoyed the group of people who took the class. Everyone who was there chose to be there, no one was forced to be. And of course last Monday was probably one of the most beautiful days of the summer so far, so that was a good thing.

On the second day of the class, we created activities using two apps. First we made two activities as a group, all doing the same thing, then folks created their own activities. The two apps we used were Choice board Creator (by Techno squirrel) and Book Creator (by Red Jumper Studio).  I included the app developer name in case you want to search it/buy it in the App Store. Choice board Creator is free and Book Creator is $4.99. In the afternoon, each participant presented the activity that she had created. And we were able to do it wirelessly using the Reflector app. Reflector was loaded on to my laptop and my laptop was hard wired to the LCD projector, so that the iPad was reflected on to my laptop which then showed up on the screen. Pretty cool. And each participant was able to hook up her iPad when it was her turn to present, so she could do it from her seat! I will include some pictures. 

We had some good discussions about technology, too. We all agreed that as cool as iPads are, they should not replace pencil and paper, books, playtime, and most importantly, human interaction. They are a wonderful supplement, but in no way adequate to meet educational needs all on their own.