The iPads where in full force this week. This week the expectation was that class work, assignment notebooks and homework would be done on the iPads. With my students, teaching assistants and the iPads ready, (and state testing almost done) we were ready to put the iPads to work!
Monday-
my students were still learning to navigate the Goodreader software. We
continued to focus on teaching them to organize their materials in it
ex. Labeling worksheets and putting them in the right folders. During my
language arts lesson I introduced the drawing tool in Goodreader.
Teaching my students to realize and identify that they do not always
have to type, sometimes using the technology to hand writing is the
better and more efficient choice.
Tuesday- This day brought me the question...What do I want
materials do I want my students to type on the iPad? Do some of their assignments/work have
stay good old paper and pencil? If my students take notes on the iPad for Math and do their Math homework on the iPad how can they can not have their notes right in front of them while doing their homework (something they often have to be able to do to remember the steps/information). I had to seriously think about what would and would not be completed on the iPad and again contemplate... Do some of their assignments/work have
stay good old paper and pencil?
Wednesday- Hump day proved to bring some solutions. First, I decided that notes and information gathering during class would be the primary support the iPad. A decision I was just ok with, but not completely satisfied with. Next, it was time for me to start thinking out of the box...especially if I didn't want to settle on just using the iPad to take notes.
For example...
When completing their Social Studies homework, if a student needed to look at their notes to help recall information they had to close the homework document they were in, open the notes, find the information they needed, remember the information, close the notes, reopen the homework sheet and typed them in their answer...ugggg This many steps proved to be too challenging for students who were using their notes to help support short term memory weaknesses. How could I make it so they did not have to close and open documents and so that I didn't have to cave and have them go back to printing out their notes?
Solution: using adobe I was able to merge (import) both the notes and the homework documents into one file. This will give my students the ability to move between both with just a swipe and not have to close, open, close, and open. I was able to use this same solution with our paragraph organizer. I was able to merge (import) the paragraph organizer with a blank document.
