Everyone Has to Start Somewhere: Part I

It's all about personal style. Do you stick your toe in to test the water? Do you dangle your feet in, acclimating yourself to the temperature? Do you cannonball? 

I grew up diving off a dock into a cow pond filled with muddy water. This pretty clearly describes how I integrated iPads into my classroom. Head first, no lifejacket.  

There's no wrong way to get started. In fact, this was the right way for me. Everyone has to start somewhere. It's all about personal style. Because I dove in, I learned a lot of things the hard, messy way. I'm passing on my cow pies of wisdom to you.

Rule Number 1: Ask the question, "Do we have the network infrastructure to support this?" I'm serious. Ask the question. Ask the question until everyone is mad at you. Ask the question again. Have a professional answer the question for you. If you don't have the network infrastructure you will be pulling your hair out because the iPads won't connect. We had Ovation Networks improve our infrastructure over a couple years, one step at a time. If you are looking for a great company to work with, I HIGHLY recommend them. 

Rule Number 2: TAKE THE iPADS OFF THE CART! 

There's two ways to get tech started in your school.  Give one teacher all of it and let her lead with her taillights.  Choose someone that has interest, motivation, and the ability/time to share what she has learned. OR, split the tech equally among the teachers to keep in their classrooms. This will help the staff get comfortable and gain confidence in their ability to handle the technology. 

When you put iPads on a cart, you take them out of the hands of the kids. An iPad that is readily available to a student in the classroom becomes a tool. Even if it is only one, two, three iPads, they still can be used for creation. Apps have improved so much over the last few years that now you can save work and come back to it. That didn't used to be the case. Students can work on projects as a class or individually. Teachers can choose apps that work best for their classroom and storage is less of an issue. 

An iPad that is checked out for an hour once a week is a gaming device. There's not a lot that can be accomplished in an hour once a week. Students might not be allowed to save work for a variety of reasons. Students need the ability to research, plan, troubleshoot, collaborate, create, reevaluate, revise, and present. Can they do that in an hour? Doubt it. I could go on and on about this, but will quit while I'm ahead.

Rule Number 3: Be choosy with your apps. I made a lot of mistakes when I started app shopping. The problem was I didn't know what I was looking for. I started by looking for apps that my students would think were fun and were practicing skills. But as we started using the iPads and I was walking around the room I recognized that my students were very engaged...but engaged in the tech...not one another.  FAIL.  I started to dig deeper and realized that I wanted my students to use the tech to show me what they knew and collaborate with one another. I looked into more presentation apps and over the years have compiled a list of these great apps.

Shadow Puppet (slideshow with link) https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/shadow-puppet/id700902833?mt=8

Skitch (annotate a picture) https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/skitch-snap.-mark-up.-share./id425955336?mt=12

Educreations (record whiteboard) https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/educreations-interactive-whiteboard/id478617061?mt=8

Toontastic* (story)  https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/toontastic/id404693282?mt=8

Chatterpix* (talking pictures) https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/chatterpix-kids-by-duck-duck/id734046126?mt=8

iMovie (use video, photos or work saved from other apps)

Pic Collage* https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/pic-collage-add-photo-video/id448639966?mt=8

Prezi: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/prezi/id407759942?mt=8 or http://prezi.com

And they are all FREE.

Rule Number 4: Download Smart.
We are lucky to have a technology leader that did a lot of research and self-educating about the right way to supervise and purchase the technology. I am not an expert in this area. However, I do know enough to advise you to look into Apple Configurator and the Volume Purchase Program for Education. This website will get you started.  http://www.apple.com/education/it/vpp/  If you need more advice in this area, post your question in the comments and I should be able to get you an answer.

I am working with a school that will soon be implementing iPads into each classroom.  The teachers listed things they would like to learn more about.  I have created a folder of the links and documents that might be helpful to those of you just getting started. After all, you have to start somewhere. goo.gl/tY7WI8

Swim on,

Mindy

#leadwithtaillights

#proveemwrong

#indeed

QR Code Listening to Reading Library

QR Codes have completely changed my classroom in ways I never saw coming.  Once I started using them I couldn't stop.  Being in a combination classroom, differentiation is essential and QR codes leveled the playing field.  More on that some other time. (Gotta keep you coming back, right?)

Last year we came across this brilliant idea to use QR Codes for a Listening Library for Listening to Reading for D5.  I wish I could give credit to someone for this idea but I have no idea the source. Like pirates, we saw it, stole it, and ran with it.

Here's what we did:
1.) We used http://recordmp3.org to record our voices.  This website is phenomenal for quick voice recordings.  QUICK.  Not for recording the length of a book.  Use it for another purpose and you will love it.

2.) Failing forward, we tried again (the simpler, the better) and used our video option on our iPad, put it face down so the screen was black, and recorded ourselves reading the books.  We didn't show pictures because we wanted the students to follow along in the book. (If you are worried about making mistakes and not being able to edit the recording, the YouTube Capture app works well.)

3.) Then, we uploaded the finished video to YouTube.

4.) Copy the YouTube link and paste in ViewPure to get rid of advertisements and junk.

5.) Copy that link from ViewPure into this QR Code creation website. I know there are a bunch of places to create a QR code.  I found one I liked and stuck with it.  *Use the static option.*

5.) The QR Code automatically generates. Save it.

6.) Click on the QR code and drag it to a document.  LABEL it.  Begin again.

7.) When finished, cut around QR code and use clear book tape to tape it to the book.

I know there are new options to record voice out there.  Truth be told, I spent so many years hopping from next best thing to next best thing that I got burned out on 'the next best thing'.  This is quick and fast for me.  Takes about 4-5 minutes per book.  Unless I find something that drastically cuts that time down, I'm sticking with it.

Some great ideas to use for your Listening Library:

*Ask parents to record their voice while reading a book.  It is priceless to watch students' faces as they hear their mom reading from the iPad.

*Have advanced students record their voice, practicing fluency (rate AND expression).

*Ask older students to record their voices.  Our fourth and fifth graders completed the whole process for us and started bringing down books that were ready to toss in the bucket.  I heart free child
labor.

*Ask specials teachers or the principal to read.  It's always fun to 'guess the voice'!

*Share with your team.  Choose books that are common in a classroom library.

*If your school does Accelerated Reader testing, record LOTS of those books for your younger readers.

Here are some created QR Codes to get your Listening Library started! Happy listening!


March on,

Mindy
#leadwithtaillights
#proveemwrong
#indeed