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Studies of iPad Use in Education

FreeTech4Teachers is a great resource for teachers and edtechs like me. This post in particular had a number of links to iPad usage studies, something I’m very interested so I’m putting it here for you, too.

  1. The Department of Education and Early Childhood Development for Victoria, Australia iPads for Learning – In Their Hands field trial studied the use of iPads in nine schools
  2. The iPad as a Tool for Education is a study based on iPad use at Longfield Academy, Kent, England . There is strong emphasis on interpreting the data generated by surveying students and faculty.
  3. Reading With iPads – The Difference Makes a Difference studied the impact on the reading comprehension, knowledge of content, and analysis skills of boys aged 11 to 13 who read using iPads.
  4. Promoting Student Engagement by Integrating New Technology into Tertiary Education: The Role of the iPad studied the use of iPads by teachers and students in distance learning and in-person learning environments.
  5. The Impact of the iPad and iPhone on Education was published in 2010 and is speculative in nature as the students surveyed had not yet been given iPads.

Is your name hard for Siri to pronounce and you want her to get it right? Then add a phonetic first or last name to help her out!

Watch the video above or follow these instructions:

  1. Open up your uniquely-named contact and tap the Edit button up top.
  2. Scroll down to the bottom of the contact page and find the area that says “Add New Field.”
  3. From your options, choose “Phonetic First Name” (or “Phonetic Last Name,” depending on which one is the problem).
  4. Enter in the phonetic version of the problematic name and tap Save.

Now when you ask Siri to recognize or say a name, she’ll get it right.

Educational Apps Alone Won’t Teach Your Kid To Read Most of the top-selling reading apps appear to teach only the most basic of literacy skills. They lean toward easy-to-teach tasks, such as identifying the ABCs, but don’t address higher-level competencies that young children also need to become strong readers, such as developing vocabulary and understanding words in a narrative. A snapshot of the iTunes App Store’s most popular paid literacy apps showed that 45 percent targeted letters and sounds and half focused on phonics. Only 5 percent covered vocabulary, and none addressed comprehension or the ability to tell stories. Many “reading” apps are essentially flashy flashcards: Click on a set of letters and the audio kicks on, uttering the letter’s sounds. Move to the next set and repeat. photo via flickr:CC | kenleewrites

Educational Apps Alone Won’t Teach Your Kid To Read

Most of the top-selling reading apps appear to teach only the most basic of literacy skills. They lean toward easy-to-teach tasks, such as identifying the ABCs, but don’t address higher-level competencies that young children also need to become strong readers, such as developing vocabulary and understanding words in a narrative. A snapshot of the iTunes App Store’s most popular paid literacy apps showed that 45 percent targeted letters and sounds and half focused on phonics. Only 5 percent covered vocabulary, and none addressed comprehension or the ability to tell stories. Many “reading” apps are essentially flashy flashcards: Click on a set of letters and the audio kicks on, uttering the letter’s sounds. Move to the next set and repeat.

photo via flickr:CC | kenleewrites

10 Important Questions To Ask Before Using iPads in Class 1.   What are the goals for iPad implementation? Engagement, access to digital textbooks, access to digital environments, primarily media consumption, media production, or a blend of everything? 2.   What can the iPad do that is not possible–or is clunky and cumbersome–without it? That is, what learning problems does the iPad solve? I think these first 2 of the 10 questions are the most important. What can a iPad do that a tablet computer, laptop, or other resource that you may already have can’t? If you have laptops, is there an interactive equivalent? And moreover what can that resource you may already have do better than an iPad? Related to goals, is there a measure of achievement and learning that can be applied? photo via flickr:CC | brainpop_uk

10 Important Questions To Ask Before Using iPads in Class

1.   What are the goals for iPad implementation? Engagement, access to digital textbooks, access to digital environments, primarily media consumption, media production, or a blend of everything?

2.   What can the iPad do that is not possible–or is clunky and cumbersome–without it? That is, what learning problems does the iPad solve?

I think these first 2 of the 10 questions are the most important.

What can a iPad do that a tablet computer, laptop, or other resource that you may already have can’t? If you have laptops, is there an interactive equivalent? And moreover what can that resource you may already have do better than an iPad?

Related to goals, is there a measure of achievement and learning that can be applied?

photo via flickr:CC | brainpop_uk

The new iOS 6 has a very simple and powerful tool called Guided Access that lets you keep students focused on a single app of your choosing. It lets you disable the home button, restrict parts of the screen so they can’t be touched, and even stop responding to being turned over and upside down. It’s easy to implement and a great tool in the teacher’s toolkit. Here’s how to do it:

How To Use Guided Access

  • Go to SETTINGS then tap GENERAL
  • Toward the bottom, tap ACCESSIBILITY and then go to the LEARNING section
  • Now tap on GUIDED ACCESS and switch it to the ON position
  • Want to set up a passcode? You can do that now
  • Now go to the app you want to use. Tap the home button 3 times to launch the Guided Access options
  • Set the options as desired and then tap the home button 3 times again.