Month: September 2010

If the twitter stream and blog posts over the past week or so are an accurate representation, it seems that iPads and other tablet devices have really started to solidify their roles in and out of the classroom.

In fact, I should disclose, this post comes at the conclusion of my first week with an iPad. Would you believe that this entire post (with the exception of adding the tweet images down below) was composed from the couch using this free blogging app here?

Really, it isn’t the fastest way to compose blog posts on a regular basis, but it certainly is fun and convenient. :)

Most reviews and experiences seem to be positive about the use of iPads in the classroom. And as announced this week with Google Apps coming to iPad and Android, the number of tools and uses are still multiplying.

So how do you sift through all of these classroom apps?

Luckily, edubloggers are making this easy.

Here are our favorite five blog posts and resources from just this week related to iPad and tablet use in the classroom:

1. iPads in Education – Around the Corner-MGuhlin.org
2. The Essential iPad Guide for Principals – eduleadership.org
3. Education departments go wild for the iPad – delimiter.com.au
4. Top 200 Education Apps -appannie.com
5. The E-Textbook Experiment Turns A Page – NPR.org

What about personal and productivity apps too?

It’s only been a week, and the truth is, the iPad can be a great productivity tool useful to teachers, administrators, and edubloggers alike.

Here are a few must-have apps to download on your first day with an iPad:

• Reeder – Integrates with your Google Reader.  Can make catching up on all the great blogs you read a bit more interactive and fun!
• IM+ for Gtalk and IM – will run in the background and has been known to wake up our resident blogger and support hero, Sue Waters, in the middle of the night when the sound is left on. (Sorry, Sue!)
• Skype – Turns your iPad into a massive iPhone for messaging and free calls around the world. Not a bad speaker phone too for meetings or group conversations.
• MaxiVista iPad – For Windows machines, will turn your iPad into a second monitor for your computer. This is good for keeping email or chat open on the iPad while working in other windows.
• AirDisplay – The same as MaxiVista above, but for Macs.  AirDisplay has a Windows Beta version, but there seemed to be some bugs when testing it out.
• Mobile Mouse – Makes it easy to turn your iPad into a giant wireless mouse touch pad for your computer.  This would be useful when doing presentations or teaching a lesson and wanting to control a computer from a distance.  What is different about this than other wireless mouse technologies is that the iPad allows you to type on the keyboard as well!

Top #ebshare tweets from the week:

Just blogged: What does the ideal elementary report card look like? Comments appreciated! http://bit.ly/cxS8tl #elemchat #edchat #ebshareMon Sep 20 12:01:33 via Tweetie for MacTania Ash tcash Want to learn more about edu-blogging? Why not visit some student blogs & leave comments. Here’s how: http://tinyurl.com/368qbdrWed Sep 22 15:55:13 via webBill Genereux billgx Gr8 posts on homework -> http://bit.ly/cHQ8n3 by @TeachPaperless; http://bit.ly/cDO4XT by @ShellTerrell; http://bit.ly/c6SkeS by mccallumThu Sep 23 09:53:17 via HootSuitemari yamauchi m_yam

Want to share a post, ask others to visit a blog for comments, or show off cool student work? Use the hashtag #ebshare to let us know so we can re-tweet it for you!

Featured Edublog of the Week

Kids in the Mid Using technology in Middle School. Tasmania, Australia

Find more great blogs like this one in our International Edublogs Directory.

Summing it up

Getting to see more examples of iPads in the hands of students will be interesting over the coming months.

Let us know if we missed a great resource or app so we can share with the community!

One of the things that we pride ourselves the most on here at Edublogs is the support we provide for our users.

In fact, over the past few weeks, you may have noticed an overhaul of our help.edublogs.org support site.  Our team has been hard at work re-organizing and adding more information to the site so that everything is easier to find.

Here are just a few of the new and improved features of our help site:

1. An updated ‘Frequently Asked Questions‘ – with the 20 most commonly questions answered in detail, all in one place.
2. A simplified ‘New User Guide‘ which helps our newest users get started with blogging quickly and easily.
3. An overhaul of our ‘Complete User Guide‘ with videos (more to come soon!), handouts, and step-by-step instructions of just about anything you would want to do on Edublogs.
4. A brand new ‘Handouts, Worksheets, and Professional Development‘ page which we hope will be the hub for many new resources that will help make integrating Edublogs into the classroom an even more powerful experience for learners.
5. Information on our free ‘Webinars and Live Trainings‘ – which we would like to do even more of.  Let us know if you have any ideas for webinars or would even be interested in co-hosting one.  Our edublogging community has so much to share!

Getting help when you need it:

In addition to the loads of guides and support documents we offer, we know that occasionally there comes a time when a specific question might come up.

To get your questions answered, see the information on support for our Campus users and support for our Pro users.

And anyone can search through or throw out a question to the community in our forums.

Fast and helpful support is our highest priority so that our users can concentrate on the teaching and learning that takes place through blogging.

As always, we welcome any and all feedback on the new help and support site so that we can make it even better!

This week, Kathleen McGeady wrote an excellent post on student blogging and internet images.

Her experience with grade 2 students and teaching appropriate copyright use is truly inspirational. This one sentence is an excellent reminder to educators and students about the importance of using images from sources that approve the use.

Many students’ first instinct might be to head to Google’s image search and use the first image that they see, but it is important for all of us to make sure we are following all laws and protecting the rights of others. This includes learning about and following through with attributions and acknowledgements of the source of an image when required.

So where do we find free-use images? Here is a list of our 5 favorite sites for images:

1. Edupics.com
2. FindIcons.com
3. Wikimedia Commons
4. FlickrCC
5. Photos8.com

(Edit: More for the list from our readers: compfight.com and www.sxc.hu)

For an exhaustive list of sites like these, visit Larry Ferlazzo’s post, The Best Online Sources for Images – updated this week!

Top #ebshare tweets from the week:

Today’s blog post: A subtle epiphany – over-planning kills engagement http://bit.ly/9HMoTn #ebshareMon Sep 13 22:25:50 via Chromed BirdTyler Rice MrTRice_Science Do you think research shows that computer use is good or bad for kids? Find results here: http://bit.ly/9VpoG6 #ebshareWed Sep 15 18:13:19 via TweetDeckedublogs edublogs From @ddeubel – Have you made a doodle video before? http://bit.ly/dgI0nd #ebshareTue Sep 14 15:20:29 via TweetDeckedublogs edublogs

Want to share a post, ask others to visit a blog for comments, or show off cool student work? Use the hashtag #ebshare to let us know so we can re-tweet it for you!

Featured Edublog of the Week

On blogue, on lit, on partage! A French class blog with great resources.

Find more great blogs like this one in our International Edublogs Directory.

Summing it up

With the increased access to different media available on the web, Creative Commons and copyright discussions are important ones to have with students of all ages.

Do you have other great resources to share or ideas on how to teach students about these different laws?