iPad as a Portable Whiteboard

A point that I have tried to make before is going to be made again, we have to look at ways of using technology beyond the basics.  There are ways that we can use the technology to really help the learning in the classroom but it helps to not just look at a device being used in a single way.  

If a teacher has an iPad and either an Apple TV or their laptop connected to the project, they have a portable digital whiteboard.  Using an app like Educreations or ShowMe, an iPad can be used to allow students to share their ideas and answers with the rest of the class quickly.  

(I previously wrote how an Apple TV and a Macbook Air laptop can do a similar thing, allowing the students to share and help guide the learning.)

Connect the iPad to the Apple TV using AirPlay, or you can install a program like Reflector onto your computer so the screen of the iPad is shown on the computer, and using the apps you now have a portable whiteboard for the students so they can show their work.

You could have students work out math or physics problems, solve chemical equations, write out or correct written text and even manipulate any program on the iPad.  This engages the student who is using the iPad and allows others to compare their learning to each other.  This can create a more reflective learning environment because the students will be more involved in the learning process.  The mobility factor also means that students will feel less nervous since they won't have to stand in front of the class, they can stay in their seats.  

This is a simple way to both increase engagement and reflection in the classroom.  The video below contains a quick how-to with the iPad apps.  For more information on how to connect an iPad to an Apple TV, check out my other site which is listed on the side.  Reflector is not the only program that allows you to mirror an iPad to a computer, there are others but Reflector has a free version that works for 10 minutes at a time.  

YOUTUBE VIDEO

Snow Day = Learning Day

As a student I would view snow days as a time to forget about school.  As a teacher I would view them as a big disruptor that would cause me to lose the flow of learning and would delay the next activity, whether it was a test or a project.  While students easily can see if school is cancelled or not, it used to be very hard to get information out to them about how class would be affected.  That has changed thanks to 1:1 programs and various tools that can increase communication between teachers and students.

Email
If your school is a GAFE school, like Ames is, then all of your students already have email addresses that you have access to.  It becomes easy to set up a Google Group for your class so you can send out a quick email to everyone at once.  The only issue becomes if the student checks their email or not which could easily be avoided if there is a class norm about checking emails on snow days.  You could tell students how the schedule would be affected and even give them resources to work on.

Class Website
A class website becomes a great tool to communicate with students and even parents.  While this is mostly a 1 way communication, it can be a tool that allows you to easily show the schedule changes, embed a Google Calendar, and post resources, such as a Google Doc or link to an outside site.  The key is to make sure the class website is used regularly in your class, the regular use will increase the effectiveness of the tool.

Twitter
I used to tell my students to check my Twitter feed for updates to class, either by following me on Twitter or by going to my site where I embedded a Twitter feed.  This allowed me to send updates no matter where I was and the 140 characters was all I needed for most days.  This also allowed for 2 way communication if the student was also on Twitter and conversations could happen even if we were not in school.

Remind101
This is a tool that I wish I had known more about when I had students.  https://www.remind101.com/ allows you to easily send text messages to students and/or parents without having to know their phone numbers.  A teacher sets up their account and the students or parents will sign in and submit their number to the system, not to the teacher.  A group is created and the teacher can easily send out updates to everyone that needs it.  With a very large number of students having cell phones, this can allow you to easily connect with them in an instant.  There will be no lost time in class if updates are sent out on time.

No matter what tool you use, you can easily keep the learning on track and avoid disruptions by using a tool to communicate with students when the schedule changes.  These tools can also be useful for extending the learning beyond the 45 minutes, or so, that you get each day.  Communication is key for effective learning and we have so many tools available to us today to ensure that we are communicating effectively and efficiently.

Using Padlet in Class

I am a big proponent of collaboration and any digital tool that allows collaboration to take place regardless of where or when everyone can use that tool.  Using Google Docs with group projects seems like a no brainer and it has allowed me to let my students work with students who are not in the same period as they are.  Padlet (http://padlet.com/) is another tool that can allow easy collaboration to take place asynchronously.

You do not even need an account to work on a Padlet wall but it does help if you want to save it for future use.  To start, go to http://padlet.com/ and click "Build a Wall".

You will now have a wall that you can post notes to.  This is like a digital bulletin board but one that can be used by almost anyone at any time.  You can set the privacy settings how you like but this could easily be used by groups in a class or even by the whole class itself.

Modify your wall to make it look and work how you like.  You can make it look like a bulletin board or you can choose any background you like.

Make sure to set your privacy settings to fit the need that you have and the situation you are in.  You can share it out with people a lot of different ways even by using a URL shortener like the goo.gl Chrome extension.

Ideas for Padlet

• Pose a open ended question for your students to answer, can include links to their resources.
• Have a group use this to help organize their ideas and share it with the teacher for feedback.
• Use this with other teachers to help plan a unit or design essential questions or standards for that unit.
• Give the link at a meeting to get feedback or to see what questions people still have.
• Use this as an exit ticket with students to see where they are at in their learning for the day.

There are a lot of ways to use this, make sure you use it in a way that fits you and your situation best.