It seems like everyone has an ipad these days. If you’re at a coffee shop, library, or in class chances are many people around you will be tapping away at the Apple creation. ipads can be used for nearly any purpose. I have seen them used as a credit card machine, a paint easel, a word processor, a television, a video camera, you name it. With such a variety of purposes it’s easy to say that using the device within the classroom could be a rewarding experience for students. It even could act as a teacher’s own personal assistant. There has been discussion about the ipad replacing textbooks in the classroom. Since this debate doesn’t have a clear cut right or wrong answer, I’ll just list a few ways using the ipad occasionally could greatly enrich the classroom. First, there are countless games that engage students in learning activities. There are also interactive books that make reading more interesting for disinterested students. Even apps that make class presentations simple and fun for kids are available. For example, animoto may allow students to put a 30 video together summarizing their learnings through pictures. This app can also be beneficial for teachers when introducing new content or even showing how far students have come in their learning. As far as summarizing units, Zapd is a free website creator app that allows teachers and students alike to make simple websites with pictures, links, and text. There are countless ways the ipad can positively impact the classroom, it just takes adventurous teachers to effectively use the resource.
