Single iPad use in the classroom ... and a brief vent.

It has been a long time since I have last blogged.  It is that time of the year ... Crunch time.  AKA, have no life, eat junk food/convenient food, get all the homework you can done as well as you can AND STILL HAVE CLASSES!  Yes, yes, a lot of you might be thinking, "Well, how busy can you be?".  WELL, busy enough!  I do not have to justify myself!  If I cannot sleep at night because of my anxieties about assignments, then I think I am pretty busy.  Anyhow, back to my blog (sorry, needed a brief venting moment), while working on my ICT project with my fellow classmates I came across this article about having one iPad for the classroom.

"Only one iPad?" you might be thinking?  In a classroom no less??  How can that be enough?  Well, I hate to break it to you, but a lot of schools do not have the budget to afford more than that.  Although, one iPad can do plenty of good for a classroom:
-There is less hands on distractions with the children.
-There a lot of fun filled education apps that the teacher can benefit from AS WELL AS THE STUDENTS!  (Its not JUST about the teachers you know...)
-The iPad can be plugged into a SMART board for presentaitons/slideshows

This list goes on and on.  Of course, you all might be thinking of cons as well.  Hmm, except cons does not help the teacher that only has one iPad.  SO .... BE POSITIVE!

Can you think of any other uses for a single iPad in the classroom?

Google "single iPad in classroom use" and you will find plenty of articles covering this topic.

YAY!! Technology!  Innovation!

BeeLAMS

iPad Adventure

Throughout the week, I have thoroughly enjoyed playing around with my *temporary* iPad (which I really want one of my own now!!).  I have read a few blogs that talk about the music apps available to the iPad and their true music educational value.  The truth is, there will not be ONE app that will give you everything that you need.  If there was, we would have it.  I have played through a lot of these apps, and there is a lot of pure entertainment value in these apps, but, I  have been able to find little things that students can gain from using these apps.

There is one app in particular called Rhythm Rep.  It is basically an app involving "Simon Says" and music.  To some level, it is not the most logical choice for a education tool, but after playing around with it a lot, I came to the conclusion that it would be a great ear training rhythm app.  Sure, it would not be for marks, but why not improve that for fun?  You could learn whether your kids are struggling with rhythms and what you should do to make it easier.

Games, apps, to some degree have educational value.  I'm not saying teaching is a game, and by no means am I suggesting that students educational experience be turned into a game, but if we are to embrace technology, why not make it enjoyable for the students, and like I have mentioned previously, why not make it effortless to learn?  Why would we not want to make it easier?

A lot of these apps can help to simply inspire students musical creativity.  Again, maybe not the most practical pedagogical approach, but simple things can go a long way.  Do not forget that not all students learn the same way.  Not one student is the same.

BeeLAMS