Technology in Education: IPads

Apple is a household name; most of us own an iPad, iPhone, iPod or a Mac computer or if not we sure know someone who does. Technology is a major part of this era, a part of our future and it’s just getting bigger and better.

Many parents and children see Apple devices just for entertainment but there is more to it than that. Apple is very passionate about education; they believe that technology has the power to transform the classroom and they’re very proud to work alongside educators and students to re-invent what it means to teach and learn.

Schools all over Australia have introduced or are introducing the use of iPads into classrooms. As a parent I believe learning about how they’re being used as a teaching and learning tool will help all of us understand how children are learning and use this information to help our children succeed.

iPads in the classroom have a way to transforming the way teachers teach and children learn

Let’s face it, kids love iPads and teachers can use this for endless opportunities to create hands-on, customisable learning experiences for their students that will keep them focused and enjoy the learning experience.

There are so many apps and iBooks geared at all year levels and subject. Teachers can customise this to their advantage to make the most out of technology to not only streamline learning but to keep everything paper free and easy to access.

When it comes to Apps, iBooks, podcasts and iTunes U: teachers can find content for their lesson plans easily. Apple have made it easy for teachers to source Information, every subject imaginable can be found and used in different interactive ways through apps to make the lesson come to life.

I love that students can go on visual tours all over the world without needing to travel halfway around the world.

There are over 75 thousand education apps designed specifically for iPad and these are just getting better with each update Apple add to help technology in education.

App Store:

The App Store makes it easy for teachers to find apps to enhance their lessons by having apps categorised by subject and year level.

iBooks:

Almost every book from the classic to new releases can be found on iBooks, but most importantly Textbooks from large publishers are seeing that iBooks can make their books come to life with 3D objects, videos, photo galleries and being able to add interactive end of chapter reviews.

iTunes U:

ITunes U is dedicated exclusively to education content, iTunes U is a collection of free learning resources from renowned institutions.

The feature I’m most excited to learn about is the way iPads can be customised for individuals to suit that student’s level and learning style. Some students are visual learners and some are more hands on, iPad makes learning more personalised.

As a student I found sitting there reading a textbook hard and just couldn’t absorb the content, if I had the ability to listen though a podcast downloaded from iTunes U, my experience would have been different, my ability to understand and remember the textbook content would have been much easier for me and enhance my learning experience.

iPad: teach students the same lesson — in different ways

Already downloaded to iPad apps that help students:

Pages:

Pages can be used to create stunning school reports with the ease to add pictures and graphs.

Numbers:

Numbers is a blank canvas that students bring to life, its more than just numbers; it helps to create data with the use of tables, charts and graphs

The other apps that enhance learning which Kidz B kool will be going into more detail in future blog posts are: Keynote, iMovies, Garageband, ibooks Author- these Apps are all free.

Apps have the ability to transform the learning experience for not only students but teachers too

What are your views on technology and use of iPads in the classroom? Comment below