What the
resource is and how it works
An iPAD is a
tablet computer. It´s small and weigh very little so it´s easy to bring
wherever you´re going. You can use the iPAD as a camera, taking pictures or
making movies. You can also use it as a recorder, or play music on it. Or just
as a computer, surfing on internet, checking your e-mail or using different
apps. It has a multi-touch screen that reacts as soon as you touch it. You can
easily add different apps to the iPAD which makes it very suitable for
school-activities.
One thing to
consider when you´re thinking about getting iPADs as a tool in your school is
that you need to have some place where you easily can charge the batteries.
Either in a small room or in some kind of a locker. Because it´s very annoying
if you´re working with your iPADs and the battery runs out. Another thing you
have to fix before using them is that you have to have an apple-account so that
you can download different apps to your iPADs.
If you are using
the iPADs for surfing on the internet you need to have wireless internet in
your school (something I believe most of the schools have nowadays).
How the resource
can be used by teachers and by pupils
As I wrote
earlier the iPAD can be used as a computer, but you can do so much more than
that. As a teacher the iPAD is a good resource because of its small size. You
can always bring it wherever you´re going, home, to a meeting, to a class etc.
You can write your notes on it, and therefore you know where you have your
notes, and you don´t have to spend a hole afternoon looking for them. You can
always check your e-mail. You can tell your pupils to send their homework or
assignments to your e-mail. Once again you know where you have all the
paperwork and you can bring the work home without having to carry a huge bag.
After you have correct the works you can easily send them back to the pupils by
e-mail.
Since you always
have the internet with you in class, you and your pupils can without any
problem use the iPADs to search for information about subjects that you´re
wondering about. By doing that it´s easy as a teacher to capture the pupils
interest instantly.
There are a lot
of apps to use in school, in every subject. Of course there are both good and
bad apps. It´s important to try the app yourself before letting the students try
it. A good tip is to have a cooperation with the other teacher at your school,
talk with each other and give each other tips on good apps. Maybe you can have
a board in the staffroom or a site on the internet where you can write down
which apps you have been using and what the app trains.
During class you
can use the iPAD in many different ways. If you´re using it in an English
lesson one good thing to do is to record the students, when they are talking or
maybe playing an act or something like that. By doing that the pupils can hear
themselves afterwards, which is very good when you´re training on the
pronunciation.
On big win with
the iPAD is that the pupils often finds it fun to work with them, and we all
know that if something is fun its more likely that more will be done. And for
those pupils that have a hard time with their handwriting the iPAD is a good
tool. By writing on the iPAD each pupils work will look just as good, which is
a boost for the self-confidence.
Other considerations
when you´re using iPADs.
One thing to
consider when you are using iPADs in school is to have rules on how to use it.
To make clear for the students that it´s no toy, and that they have to use the
apps that the teacher says, and if they are surfing on the internet they should
follow the instructions from the teacher. But my experience says that it´s no
big problem. The children of today is used to handle these kind of tools, and
knows how to use them. They know that when I´m in school the iPad (or computer
or other ICT tools) are for my knowledge, and when I´m home I can use it as a
toy.
Of course the
iPads cost a lot of money, and they will break, and they needs updates
sometimes. Therefore it´s a good thing to have someone at your school who can
handle all of these things. Because otherwise it will take too much of your precious
time, and the risk is that you won´t be able to fix the problems, and therefore
you won´t be using them anymore, which is a shame since it´s a very helpful
tool in school when it´s working!
/Malin Silén
