I have been asked on several occasions about how I implement tablets effectively in my daily lesson. Therefore, I thought I would shed some insight on the matter. It definitely was not included in a course while I was in school nor did I attend a professional development opportunity. However, mobile devices are becoming a staple in the classroom whether we like it or not. It was honestly trial and error as well as word of mouth that lead me to use certain apps and programs that I implement in my teaching. Some teachers fear the fact of putting a device in the student's hands and I will admit I was skeptical about the idea as well. If you ask any of my students what the iPad does for them I am sure that 90% of them would respond that it gives them access outside of the walls of school! Honestly, I couldn't agree more and we as teachers can use that idea as a driving stake to garner student success in our class! Being able to expose students to the outside world and show them opportunities and advantages that they wouldn't have otherwise can help them realize the concept of wanting to be successful and having a dream. This in turn creates engagement and interaction in our classroom! Below I have listed several of the apps and programs that I use consistently and how I implement them.
Distribution of Information and Note-taking
Edmodo (program/app)
This is a program that allows you to set up a class and have your students join which enables you to send them information during and after school hours. It truly has cut down on my paper usage as I can send students homework, quizzes, reminders, pictures, video links, and even polls. I use this app every day as it allows students to complete work and submit it through the program but it also allows students to work from their home if they are absent. I use the poll function when I want the students to vote on something such as the beat to a new rap we are making! Edmodo is extremely user friendly not only for teachers, but also for students due to the fact that it takes shape of their favorite social media app .... FACEBOOK! Edmodo also prepares students for the next step after their high school careers as most colleges and universities use a type of program (i.e. Blackboard/Canvas) to distribute information to students and have them submit items online.
Edmodo gives students a Facebook feel and ease to work with!
Notability (app)
This program allows students to write or text on any PDF handout or file that is sent to them. They can take notes, highlight, insert pictures, or record information using the app. This app is extremely useful when used in conjunction with Edmodo.
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| Notability gives students the ability to write on handouts to submit. |
Remind (program/app)
This is a messaging service where the teacher can set up a class and have students join using a code. The teacher can send out reminders to groups of students or individual students at any time. From an administrators view it could be an extremely useful tool to use instead of the intercom in certain instances. As an administrator, you can send teachers information about faculty meetings, forms to be turned in, etc. You could also send students reminders about school wide policies that need to be followed!
Classflow (program/app)
Classflow is a cloud based program that allows teachers to display lesson content from the computer, to the projection screen, to EVERY single device in the class! Teachers create a class and have students use a code to sign up. Teachers can also create a roster to allow students to only have to sign in one time on their device and classflow will remember them for the rest of the term. Teachers then create lessons and send them to the students when they are signed in to the class. Each image, slide, quiz, question, website, and video will pop up on each student's iPad individually when the teacher sends it to them! A 'creative' function also allows students to respond back to the teacher by writing on their iPad, taking a picture, or typing and then submitting their work. Teachers can then pull up what the students have done and share with the class or review any misconceptions! This is an excellent tool to keep every child actively engaged in each lesson as well as helping the teacher ensure each child's level of comprehension using formative and summative assessments!
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| Classflow allows teachers to create dynamic lessons and send them to each students iPad. The number in the right hand corner will display how many students are currently logged in to the session. |
Collaboration and Comprehension
KaHOOT (program/app)
This is an unreal app that allows teachers to create review questions and distribute them to students as a trivia game. Students sign in with a name and teachers distribute the questions one at a time with points being distributed each time. The device is strictly used as a remote as the question does not pop up on the device but only on the screen. KaHOOT adds music to create suspense as well as a timer! Teachers can add questions in the form of text and images. The program is extremely user friendly and students absolutely love playing it to compete against other students and groups. After completion of the game, the results can be put into a chart or excel spread sheet that will display the individual average, class average, and even the percentage that was correct on certain questions. This can be used to gauge what concepts students do not quite comprehend and things that may need to be retaught.
Socrative (program/app)
Socrative is a program that allows teachers to gauge student comprehension of content after an individual lesson or after an entire topic is covered. Students enter a class code into their device to join the teacher's class. The teacher has a prepared set of questions for students to complete. Socrative also has a function known as 'Space Race' that is an exciting game that pits different groups in the room against each other by giving the groups separate colors. Groups that answer the most questions correctly in the shortest amount of time win the game! Just like KaHOOT, teachers can put results into charts or spreadsheets to check for student comprehension.
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| Socrative Space Race shows students progress throughout the game |
Review/Study Tools
Quizlet (program/app)
This app allows teachers to create notecards for students to study for comprehension. Quizlet also puts the notecards into different types of games for students to play as well. My students typically will challenge each other to see who can get the fastest times. The app also has a spelling function where students are required to spell the items correctly to get a higher score! Students can also create their own notecards in their account in which they can share with other students to collaborate.
Skype (program/app)
Skype is a world renowned program that allows loved ones to see each other across the country and tell each other " I LOVE YOU" !!! Yes .... we all know that type of Skype .... however it can be used as an awesome way to connect with your students for review sessions after school hours and even meet with parents! Students make an account and add the teacher by searching for their account name. Students and teachers can text chat, video chat, or voice chat! This adds an array of possibilities to help the student review content and help with comprehension as it allows the teacher to connect with the student beyond the class and display information if needed!
