4 ways Apple may soon solve the iPad deployment headache

It’s no secret iPad deployments are a slog for schools. But all that may be changing

ipad-deploymentThe ultimate goal of technology deployment is for device use to become “invisible,” where students create and communicate with their devices as easily as they might pick up a pen.

That goal unfortunately remains a distant vision for most schools regardless of the technology students are using. Device deployment has been a particular challenge for schools with iPads. In fact it’s been such a headache that iPad sales into schools have started to lose momentum over the last year. Apple has taken steps recently to make device management somewhat simpler and rumors are circulating that significant changes might be on the way in the next year.

The iPad is built upon the same building blocks that made the iPhone so successful. It’s a personal device that requires an Apple ID for access to iTunes, apps, and eBooks. I’m not sure that anyone anticipated the enormous success iPads would have in schools. Educators viewed them as devices that were mobile, could deliver eBooks, manage online course content, and had powerful built-in media tools for creative inspiration. However, from a management perspective, they were designed for individual use and didn’t come with a simple, effective strategy for institutional deployment.…Read More

6 reasons it’s important to create your own online assessments

Homegrown online assessments prove invaluable to one district

online-assessmentsAssessments are critical to our efforts to improve instruction in K-12 education. Yet, in an age when students are accessing a vast array of resources on computers, tablets, and mobile devices, some school districts are still hesitant to take their assessments online.

At Hopewell Valley Regional School District (HVRSD), we began the transition to online assessment more than three years ago. Across the district, our teachers have created a number of online assessments—individually and through their work in professional learning communities—for use in our district. Since then, we’ve found that online assessments offer several distinct advantages over paper-and-pencil assessments.

1. Online assessment saves teachers’ time.…Read More

This app is designed to reduce job burnout—and it’s free for educators

An app that focuses on wellbeing exercises to reduce stress is being offered free

burnout-appApp maker Stress Refuge is launching DeStressify, an app that helps people with overwhelmed, busy lives achieve “mental, emotional, and physical wellbeing,” free for anyone employed by a school district, school, or other educational organization.

“Teachers play an enormous role in shaping our future generations, and it’s a stressful job,” said Theresa Fox, president and CEO of DeStressify. “That’s why we decided to give this app to educators at no charge; to help them better manage their stress, and in turn, their classrooms.”

In its promotional materials, the company references a Gallup State of America’s Schools report that found nearly half of all K-12 teachers reported daily stress.…Read More

Are cables in the classroom a thing of the past? Maybe

HDMI over wi-fi is ready to obsolete cables and transform the classroom—almost

cables-wifiWires in classrooms are an inconvenience, yet they have been an inescapable fact of life for over a decade. With the advent of mobile technologies, things haven’t changed quite as much as one might expect.

Many traditional classrooms and learning spaces have a data projector or TV screen that is used by the teacher or students to present information. They usually connect to a computer via HDMI cable or similar that is placed in a “convenient” location.

However, a convenient location for one person may not be the best location for another person. Cables force the teacher to stay at that location while navigating the materials on the computer.…Read More

28 apps for challenge-based learning projects

Encourage innovative challenge-based learning projects with these hand-selected apps

challenge-basedChallenge-based learning lets students locate a problem and then unleash their creativity in search of a solution. By nature, these projects are collaborative, multi-disciplinary, and hands-on. And what better tool to use to help encourage community fitness or reduce environmental impact than the possibility-rich mobile device?

The website APPitic.com, an app resource site with more than 6,000 apps in more than 300 subcategories, breaks down challenge-based learning projects into four steps: Finding & launching a challenge, moving from challenge to solution, implementing a solution, and sharing findings.

Here, we’ve gathered a handful of apps for each of those stages, broken down further into substeps. You find the full range of suggested apps online.…Read More

Pearson unveils tablet ELL assessment system

The new ELL assessment system targets speaking, reading, writing, and listening

ELL-tabletA new tablet-based assessment developed by Pearson will specifically target English Language Learners (ELLs) in order to help them build English language skills and succeed on summative assessments.

With the assessment system, called TELL (Test of English Language Learning), students watch video clips and interact with pictures and words, then answer questions out loud. They listen, write, read and speak—all with no mark-ups or grading by teachers. TELL screens, diagnoses and monitors each ELL student’s progress throughout the school year. Responses—written and spoken—are automatically scored by Pearson’s automated scoring technologies

Fully scalable, TELL can be used with just one student at a time, a small to large group, or for whole-class administration at the school or district level. The assessment covers all four foundational language skills—listening, speaking, reading and writing and is aligned to standards, such as Common Core.…Read More

Are digital textbooks worth it?

Early digital textbook adopters share their pros and cons

discovery-textbookIt has been nearly three years since the FCC and Education Secretary Arne Duncan rolled out the Digital Textbook Playbook and challenged schools to go digital within five years. It’s safe to say schools are not there yet. While going digital looks certain, arrival in two years looks doubtful.

The potential benefits for schools transitioning to digital curriculum—specifically, replacing their print textbooks with digital ones—remain compelling. As schools move to the Common Core, and Pluto shifts in and out of planetary status, information can be updated on the fly. Interactive quizzes, comments, and discussions live within the text itself. The addition of video, audio and interactivity allows for multi-modal, personalized, accessible and interactive learning; it’s lightweight for backpacks; and there are cost savings down the road from not printing.

Of course, widespread adoption relies on a robust infrastructure. Wireless bandwidth must be able to handle the load, and filtering must let advanced material through. Students need reliable devices at school and home, and the content needs to be designed for whatever platform they might have. Importantly, teachers need time to learn a new way of running a classroom.…Read More

3 things great teachers do with technology

3 inspiring examples of how teachers turn technology into relevance and make learning count

teacher-technologyToo often, we see teachers putting the proverbial cart before the horse. They find an app or tool they like, so they introduce it in their classroom. The students might find it cool and engaging—but if the teacher hasn’t defined why they’re using that tool, its integration has no clear, educational purpose.

If, instead, you begin with a learning goal in mind and choose apps and devise activities in support of it, then you’re on a path to meaningful technology integration.

To help educators develop a vision for using technology in their classrooms, here are a few examples of what great teachers do with these tools.…Read More

App of the week: Hooked on Phonics Learn to Read Classroom Edition

Ed. note: App of the Week picks are now being curated with help from Graphite by Common Sense Media. Click here to read the full app review.

 

hooked-phonics-appWhat it’s like: Hooked on Phonics Learn to Read Classroom Edition includes 12 steps; each teaches rimes and letter sounds to help kids build words. Within each step, videos with catchy songs introduce letter sounds and sight words, and games help kids build words using onsets and rimes. Kids practice reading immediately, starting with step one, using the three ebooks that correspond with each step.
Price: $49.99
Grades: Pre-K-1
Pros: Rich resource includes a full phonics curriculum for an entire class of students.
Cons: Hefty price tag could put it out of reach of some teachers.
Bottom line: Thorough, high-quality phonics program offers impressive benefits for emerging readers.
…Read More

7 TED Talks All About Mobile

The psychology of mobile devices, a 12 year-old app developer, how phones make us antisocial, and more

mobile-teensThis month’s TED Talks focuses in on a subject near and dear to our thumbs—our mobile devices.

TED Talks are some of today’s most popular examples of the internet’s power to expand learning opportunities to all. They’re also fun to watch.

I picked this month’s theme because I find the subject endlessly fascinating and the talks listed here, illuminating. For educators juggling using mobile devices in their personal lives and in the classroom, the past, present, and future of the device has a special importance.  There’s plenty to learn about the psychology, anthropology, and future of the mobile device.…Read More

5 apps for creative iPad storytelling

A clutch of tools for writing ebooks, poems, flipbooks, and more

storytelling-ipadNarrative writing and storytelling skills are useful in nearly every discipline, from English language arts to science and history. Students that might not be able to explain their thinking one way, might fare better using audio, visuals, or some combination of the two. The iPad, a recognized content-creation tool, is a natural companion.

Here, we’ve gathered a handful of apps for story creation, in all its forms, that were originally summarized on APPitic.com, an app resource site with more than 6,000 apps in more than 300 subcategories.

[Editor’s note: eSchool News has selected these apps, which were originally curated by Apple Distinguished Educators, that may help you meet your instructional needs.]…Read More

7 free flipped classroom creation apps you might not know

You might not know these apps for creating lessons, video, and more—perfect for the flipped classroom

flipped-appsThe flipped classroom gives students more time in class to do, not just listen,  and gives teachers new opportunities to revamp their lessons in creative, multimedia ways for at-home consumption. But for all that you need the right tools.

Here, we’ve gathered a handful of apps for content creation, from video to podcasting to slideshows, summarized on APPitic.com, an app resource site with more than 6,000 apps in more than 300 subcategories. And this time, we’ve selected apps that don’t typically crop up on flipped classroom lists, so you and your students can try something new.

[Editor’s note: eSchool News has selected these apps, which were originally curated by Apple Distinguished Educators, that may help you meet your instructional needs.]…Read More