Choose the most useful I pad apps for learning and teaching!
To choose I pad apps is a challenge for any teachers or students who are just starting their I Pad journey. Thanks to this article you will be provided with a quick tour about effective educational tools that are available for free.
- Web-based applications are programs that are designed to be used entirely within the browser. Using apps, you can do things like create documents, edit photos, and listen to music, without having to install complicated software.
- Apps install in seconds, with one click of a button.
- Your apps are always available. No matter what computer you’re using, you can always access your apps.
- Apps are always up-to-date.
- Apps won’t crash your computer.
Why are I pad apps useful for students and teachers?
I understood better the effectiveness of Apps for assessing students and teachers after referring to three web sites acknowledging and supporting the importance of the I pad and multiple apps as a pedagogical tool.
- I suggest teachers and students to use I pad apps as many of them offer the great opportunity to strengthen your classroom management, that help to increase the students’ collaboration, engagement and motivation to succeed academically, as well as apps that enable teachers to simplify the administrative tasks.
- I believe that I pad, I pods and tablets are effective tools for teacher and students that must be used wisely by choosing apps that support educational, ecological, social and administrative goals.
- I also agree with the article from Ragupathi that suggest to use apps to be better organized; to be prepared for the lessons; and to effectively manage resources.
- I estimate as true Ragupathi’s thoughts, because he explains that free utility and productivity apps are available for planning and preparing lessons, managing classroom and research materials, and communicating with students anytime, anywhere. It is important to choose apps that are compatible with Office PC, home PC, MAC, iPAD and Smartphone, there are a lot that offers such versatility.
- I aggre with Beth Hollands who explains that Apps in the classroom support access and mobility, in other words they reinforce and motivate the access to knowledge and the practical way to access them.
-With respect to the idea of access he I quote Beth Hollands: it is worthy to mention that “students with iPads also possess dictionaries, encyclopedias, calculators, graphing tools and atlases. Beyond print-based materials, they can watch videos, listen to audio, and even manipulate 3-D models. Without iPads, research and learning depend on immediately available resources. With iPads, students can potentially transcend time and space — accessing primary source materials, curating content from their teachers or peers, and connecting with content in the modality that best suits their learning needs”.
-Regarding the aspect of mobility she explains that “Given their size, weight, dimensions, battery life and easy-on-easy-off nature, iPads are true mobile devices to be used anywhere and anytime”.
- In other words, using free Apps in the classroom is giving the chance to your teaching approach and to the student’s learning approach to become more modernly efficient being ecologic and limitless by accessing the infinite world of knowledge and online resources of all types.
- I found an author whose thought resembles mine.
I am now convinced that using apps and I pads are reinforcing teachers’ strategies to teach not only by conveying and share information, but by truly having students becoming explorer. That being said, the I pad is basically a renewal tool in the learning process, because “it transforms the classroom practice” and students approach to research, the information gathering and motivation to start and publish a personalized project.
7 APPS- How would I use them in the classroom
- Team picker: this tool can be used to generate groups , import class files and name list, it is linked to drop box to import url.
-to be fair with students when choosing them randomly
-to have a more efficient administration of the my absences’ docs, student’s special case files and to identify better the students by having creating a profile of him on team picker.
- Stop watch: This apps is a digital timer that all students can see on the white board screen.
-This tool can be used as a “time out” to set boundaries for the use of French and to maximize the use of English.
-It is also a good tool to be used as a timer to challenge the students.
- 3. I leap pick a student: App to create profiles and keep traces
-to take notes on a student profile / it is a simple management tool or a tool
-to keep traces of disturbing behavior.
-to randomly pick students.
- Class Dojo: App to share data, improve behavior and save time. Visit their home page.
– amazing classroom management app that I would use to motivate students to participate, cooperate and use the target language. I would create a fair system points that would allow students to earn point or loose point according to the expected behavior.
- Quizzlet: App to create and share flash card
-I would use it for in class competition as I need beautiful flash card to elicit the student’s answers.
-I would use it in class to have student study in team and have them learn to study with visual aids.
- Pupplet: App for mind mapping. it’s very colourful and simple for oral presentation. You can even export your projects and print them.
-to have my student do text or concept presentations and summary
– to have my beginner students to express ideas with symbols, images and simple English or Spanish words.
Dropbox: eco –conscious App. It is a free file storage app avalaible to you whenever you want from anywhere. As you upload your file you can import them to your iPad folder, (without having to plug in into something). Ragupathi explains that Dropbox offers a free storage space of 2GB for a start, and a 250MB referral bonus up to 18GB. One major advantage is its stability.
-for eco-conscious teachers: Instead of requiring the students to hand in printed handout or projects you can have them send it and “drop” them in drop box.
-to conserve a big amount of information in a safe place, such as my student’s portefolios.
Click here to learn how to set up a Dropbox
In other words, the I pad apps are very useful to immediately get the students involved, to challenge students for creating artistic, musical, visual projects, they are tool that promotes the ecological consciousness, they are simply loved by students who feel engaged and triggered by them, they help them to be a tech leader or explorer, they are helpful for administrative work, they can improve the test scores as the students can work at their own rhythm, watch tutorial video repeatedly to understand a subject, they are time saver for teacher and money saver as a lot of material is free, they are tech tool which make the lesson interesting and consequently, prevent the teacher from losing time with respect to the classroom management.
Miss Marie-Pier's pedagogical tools 