Over the past few months I've spent a lot of time discussing some great iPad implementation ideas and apps that I have been fortunate enough to have been exposed to! Many of the resources and activities I've shared are working wonderfully in my class and students are continuing to become more independent and responsible in their learning. But some times those seemingly great ideas or creative solutions don't translate into the wonderful lesson or activity we had envisioned or even an efficient use of classroom time. You may even be wondering: How is she implementing this stuff into her classroom routine?, or What does it look like in the iPad classroom? For these reasons this week, I am going to try to give you a glimpse into my 4th grade classroom at Blue Ridge Elementary, in Seneca, South Carolina - to share some of the daily successes and ways we have been able to work the iPad into our day.
A day in the life . . . students arrive in the iPad classroom and do all the normal stuff - turn in papers, order lunch, etc. We start our day with independent reading. Students with up-to-date reading response journals now have the option of reading from our classroom library in the iBooks app. We have a collection of chapter and non-fiction readers from which students can choose. Students reading from the iBooks collection get the benefit of the speak feature for unfamiliar words and text, bookmarks, notes, and more! As our morning continues, we move into our ELA mini-lessons and readers/writers workshop. Each week during workshop, students are required to complete two fluency practice sessions using the Voice Recorder app on the iPad. They also have individual word work practice three times a week. For this, students use the Spelling Test app where they enter and record their own individual spelling lists. They are then able to take their spelling tests during the week, during their independent work time.
One of the major ways we have implemented the iPad each day is for research and creative writing projects during the ELA block. Once students have completed the daily practice assignments on the iPad, there is typically another creative project, where the students have to produce something on the iPad that shows understanding related to the current topic or subject. These projects are based on ELA, Science, or Social Studies curriculum and are introduced and created during our ELA work time. Almost every week we have worked on some sort of research or literature based writing project using the iPad. The first week of school we explored using QR codes for the first time and did a scavenger hunt for random information facts via the web. During the next few weeks we learned how to use the Photo Wall app for a story elements project and learned how to present our work using the Apple TV Airplay system. From there we have been able to take literature elements and create a few word processing documents using pages. Recently the students completed research of Native Americans using QR codes. They then created some impressive posters about Native American tribes in Pages - all on the iPad. We are currently implementing the new Smart Board Notebook app into small groups and independent learning time. Students access the assigned Smart Notebook lesson via my Wiki Space page. On the Wiki, I have uploaded various Smart Board lessons. Students download the lessons on to their iPads and then open each lesson with the Smart Notebook app. I am very excited about the Smart Notebook app because it allows for easy grouping and differentiation within the classroom!
During our Math block, we use the iPads to reinforce and teach skills through educational apps, or in small group lessons using the Smart Notebook app. Typically, we will complete our traditional whole group or small group lesson and then students are assigned a particular skill and app to work on for the day. My favorite Math app is - Splash Math! You can get a free version, but the paid version is wonderful! It contains practice and feedback on all the grade level Math strands. Teachers can assign "homework" on the iPad and receive weekly reports. It is great for progress monitoring - each student's work is tracked and graphed within the app. The iPads are used at the end of the day for Math enrichment time, and also used throughout the day for practice - as needed - depending on the subject, skill, and content. On special days, indoor recess, and Friday afternoons students are given free choice on the iPads. This is the time to explore all the cool features the device has to offer - it is also a time that the kids get to learn and share with each other!
As I continue through my iPad journey, I often times get frustrated at all the things I still want to do with the students! But, as I sit here and reflect on our classroom use of the iPad as a learning tool, we are not doing so bad!
Because things don't always go as planned . . . next week I will also share some of the headaches or annoyances of having an iPad classroom and how to handle it without going crazy!
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