Using the iPad in Maths

I find it extremely fascinating to watch Grade 6 students using their iPads in a maths lesson. At the start of the lesson students use the iPad for a quick quiz or a challenge activity to figure out a problem set by the teacher. They then download from Managebac the teachers Powerpoint in PDF and open it in Notability on their iPad.

They start taking notes simultaneously while the teacher is explaining the Math problem on the whiteboard. Once the problem is understood the students then start solving the questions in Notability and save the work in their Math folder for future reference.

If a student has finished solving a problem the teacher then asks them to reflect their solution through Airplay on the whiteboard and it is really good to see a discussion between students and the teacher. I have found this method of learning to encourage some of the quieter students to participate and reflect their answers on the whiteboard.

Another way students use their iPad in Math is by downloading graph paper from the Internet in a PDF format and open it in Notability. This saves time for the teacher and students in drawing the axis and numbering it. Based on the math question they then plot the points on the graph and draw a straight line in Notability at the bottom of the screen and then cut and place it correctly on the graph.

It is encouraging to see the iPad used differently in a Maths lesson and not just for its use as a calculator.

Use of basic Apple features on the iPad

Two weeks ago, I was asked by the Upper school EAL teacher to come in during one of her lessons and show her students how to use some basic features on the iPad. I spent an hour showing students how to use notes, timer, keyboards in different languages, annotating images, upload work to Google drive, how to use the reader function for their research in safari and enable the speak function in accessibility.

Today in conversation with the EAL teacher it was good to know that the students were actually using some of the features I had gone through with them in their classes. This got me thinking that if students were properly trained in the use of mobile devices even the basic apps on the iPad could make a difference in their learning. 

I am a strong believer that if students are given direction in the use of apps and how to fully utilise its potential in their learning, it not only builds their confidence, but in the long run both students and teachers benefit in a classroom environment.

Animation in an English lesson...really!!!

Two weeks ago I was approached by a very enthusiastic english teacher who wanted to introduce iPads in her grade 6 lesson. The department had just written up a Mythology unit for the new MYP curriculum and one of the tasks was for students to create their own animated Myth video. The students would use their iPad to investigate several different myths and legends from different cultures. Once they understood the idea of a myth they would then have to create their own.

On discussions with the teacher the hardest part was finding an app that would be easy to use but have the features to draw and animate the outcome. Finally after going back and forth we decided to go with the app Animation desk Lite. The app was easy to use but more so gave us the flexibility to take a picture from the camera or an existing one from photos. The app also allowed us to export the final project by email or save it to our camera roll.

The students were working in groups of two and once they decided what myth they were going to create, they had to do hand drawn designs showing the various stages of their story. When we demonstrated the app to the students we were amazed at how quickly they picked it up and started coming up with even more ideas on what to add to their myth.   

We selected two groups of students who were working at a much faster pace and who understood how to use the app to demonstrate to the class their ideas and what they created so far on the app. For me having students explain to their peers how to use an app is very powerful, breaks barriers and encourages collaboration.

By the end of the week students had completed their hand drawn designs and their animation based on their myth idea. Their next stage was to export their animation and pictures of their hand drawn designs into iMovie and do a voiceover explaining their myth. Some of the students even added some background music.

At the end of the assignment it was brilliant to see the range of different ideas and the effort the students had put in without cutting any corners. The other impressive feature was using a range of apps to produce their final piece of work such as Animation desk lite, iMovie, uploading their work to Google drive and sharing it with their teacher.

I believe the next stage for the english department would be to display the students animations showing their various ideas on this topic through QR codes to parents, students and most importantly to existing teachers in the school. As teachers we are not very good at showing off the excellent work of our students but hopefully this is the start of something and will take off in the school. View one of the animations through the QR code below.

Comments in Google docs

During lunch in conversation with a Geography teacher, she mentioned to me how she was becoming increasingly frustrated at not being able to keep her comments in Google docs after the students had resolved them.

With Parent / Teacher / Student conferences coming up she wanted to show parents the comments on the first draft and the work done by students after resolving the comments, which was inadequate. She wanted to highlight to the parents that their child was not adhering to the guidance given in the comments. and there was no way she was going to screenshot each and every students work.

I tried a few things with her docs but the comments would not show even after making a copy of the file on her drive. On researching this further and testing it with various docs the only solution was to download the file in a Microsoft Word format which would show the comments in a Markup format. The other alternative was to download the file in a web page format which would Zip the file and show the comments in the bottom of the screen as a footnote.

On showing the teacher the two different solutions she was thrilled that this was far more simpler than having to screen shot or go back to the paper version, though I did mention to her that doing this for the entire class on a regular basis is impractical. Google docs may not be the answer to everything but it does take the collaboration feature to a whole new level either as a whole class or on a one-to-one level with your student. Try the app, its awesome!

 

A Parent Request

Last evening on my way home I was stopped by a parent in the car park requesting me to repeat one of my iPad sessions to parents on the use of iPad at Home and at School that I had held earlier this year. She mentioned that many new parents had been for the Lower School Internet safety talk and were now concerned about the use of iPads in middle and high school. She said if I organised a session like last year it would elevate their fears and give them confidence in how we were using the iPads in school.

Last year I held a Parent forum on iPads where I showed parents how the iPad was used in a classroom environment, procedures the school have in place such as Internet filtering, our Casper management system and most importantly the use of the iPad at home and dealing with situations such as when your child tells you that they have homework all evening on the iPad.

A big success at the presentation was that I got about 12 students from different grades to demonstrate various apps that they were using and explain to parents how it had transformed their learning, organisation and presentation skills. Parents were amazed to see students using apps such as iMovie, Keynote, Pages, Popplet, Book Creator, Notability, Explain Everything amongst others rather than PowerPoint which was traditionally used.

Students also explained how these apps were being used in different subjects such as Maths, Science, English, Languages, PE and Humanities. It made me very proud at the end of the session to think of the progress we had made in so little time. This would not be possible without the support from staff and the students. A big thank you to you all...