Tag Archives: iPads

iPad Scotland Evaluation Study

During 2012, Scottish Government commissioned the University of Hull to evaluate the impact of iPads on learning. The research was undertaken with several schools across Scotland via a number of iPad pilots.

The headlines findings from the study show that:

  • The ownership of a personal mobile device, like the iPad, facilitates many of the pedagogical aspirations set out in Scotland’s Curriculum for Excellence framework.
  • The adoption of mobile technologies on a personal basis significantly increases access to technology for students, both inside and beyond school, with many attendant benefits for learning which include greater motivation, engagement, parental involvement, and understanding of complex ideas.
  • Personal ‘ownership’ of the device is seen as the single most important factor for successful use of this technology
  • Teachers are equally engaged by the use of a device like the iPad which has a low learning curve enabling them to use it immediately as a teaching tool and a learning tool for themselves
  • The use of the device is contributing to significant changes in the way teachers approach their professional role as educators and is changing the way they see themselves and their pedagogy:
  • Parents also appear to become more engaged with the school and their child’s learning when the iPad travels home with the student

The file below is hosted in Dropbox, which is currently blocked by Perth and Kinross web filters. The file itself is too big to add to our site and Our Cloud is working to get these blocks to popular cloud storage such as Dropbox removed. For the moment, please download the file from home/mobile device and bear with us.

iPad apps for Primary

Thanks to: http://www.educatorstechnology.com/

There is an app for everything these days. From health apps to travel apps, iTunes market is teeming with all kinds of apps. It only takes one click in a search engine to find what you want but as we always say not every app can do what its developers preach , you need to have a critical eye to evaluate the apps that will work for you.

As teachers and educators, we are in a constant search for apps to use with our students and this is why we need to make sure we have recourse to checklists such as this one whenever we are to recommend apps. Educational Technology and Mobile Learning has even made it way easier for teachers to pick the apps they want from some pre-made lists of apps organized according to each subject area. You can check them HERE.

In today’s post , we are providing you with a list of great games designed to improve your students critical thinking and creative powers.Check them out below and don’t forget to check the list we have posted before on iPad  Apps to Develop Kids Critical Thinking.

1- Feed the Head

” The iPad adaptation of our classic surrealist toy! Poke the Head. Prod the Head. Tug the Head… but most importantly, Feed the Head. Like a living cartoon, the Head will unfold and transform in surprising, startling, and hilarious ways.”

2-Where’s My Water

“Where’s My Water? is a challenging physics-based puzzler complete with vibrant graphics, intuitive controls, and a sensational soundtrack. To be successful, you need to be clever and keep an eye out for algae, toxic ooze, triggers, and traps. ”

3- RoomBreak

“Room Break is an adventure game about escaping.The purpose of this game is simple.

Users will be detained to certain places and situations and they need to open the door of each room and escape.”

4- Cross Fingers Fee

“Mobigame, the team behind the multiple award winning EDGE for iPhone and iPod touch, returns in full force with Cross Fingers, a unique game which challenges you to combine solid pieces in a gigantic tangram puzzle”

5- Doodle Fit

“The task in Doodle Fit is simple: fit the given sets of blocks into the given shapes. Drag the blocks into positions in search for the layout that covers the whole shape. A level is complete when all blocks have been used and there is no more space free in the shape..”

6- Jelly Car

“JellyCar is a driving/platforming game for both iPhone and iPod touch. The game is about driving a squishy car through squishy worlds, trying to reach the exit. JellyCar features soft body physics for all of the objects in the world. Also your car can transform for a limited time to aid progression through the level “

7- Geared for iPad

“Geared is a radically new and innovative puzzle game; a unique addition to its genre. The first and only Gear-based game with absolutely no snap-grid. Geared delivers complete and total freedom to the player, bestowing every puzzle with a near infinite array of choices. “

8- 7 Little Words

“7 Little Words is FUN, CHALLENGING, and EASY TO LEARN. We guarantee you’ve never played anything like it before. Give 7 Little Words a try today!”

Get started with iPads/tablets

62 ways to use iPads in the classroom

This is a great slideshow presentation called ’62 ways to use ipads in the classroom’ Some super ideas to get started.  Embed wouldn’t work, so click the link to view:

http://www.slideshare.net/deang33/62-interesting-waystouseanipadinthecla

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The iPad user guide

The offical Apple iPad manual might be worth taking a look at.

How to Geek’s Complete list of iPad tips

http://www.howtogeek.com/howto/14529/the-complete-list-of-ipad-tips-tricks-and-tutorials/

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And here’s a great video on a project in the US that found students making great use of iPads for a range of activities:

BYOD

Want to use your iPad in the classroom? We are getting there…

Perth and Kinross is making major inroads into the whole BYOD agenda. Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) refers to people using their own ‘devices’ (iPads and tablets/ smartphones/ laptops) to access the internet at work or school where, typically, this would not have been possible before.

So what are we doing about it?

Well, we are very busy taking this forward. At the moment, we are running pilots at Strathearn campus in Crieff and Fairview school in Perth. The pilot is going well and we hope to have finished the pilot by the end of February. We are also going to be running a pilot with a primary and early years focus at North Inch Community Campus.

So what happens after the pilots?

We are having lots of meetings with ICT people and are working on new policies that will allow us to roll out BYOD across the authority. We know that many of you will have received shiny new tablets for Christmas and we are working very hard to put the necessary legal protection in place to allow you to use these devices in school. We wish we could just make it happen today but there is a good bit of work to do to make this happen safely and effectively.

So will we see BYOD in 2013 in Perth and Kinross’ schools?

Yes! This is very much our intention and Our Cloud will keep you posted on developments and support schools and users as we begin to roll out policy across the authority.

Please add comments below to add your thoughts on BYOD