My iPad
I purchased my iPad during my first few weeks at university as I saw a lot of people using them during lectures and seminars so I thought an Ipad would also be useful at enhancing my experience at university.
I didn’t use many apps but here are a list of apps I used and what I used them for:
Pages – this is a really great app. It’s basically like Microsoft Word where you can create, edit, documents. I still use this app to type up my lecture notes and do any research to share with the rest of the class. Here is an example of me using this app for my studies:
As you can see from this photo you can change the font, colour of text, underline, bold etc etc just like you can in microsoft word, it’s very east to use and I would recommend it to any student.
Safari/google chrome - Safari comes with the Ipad initially, chrome doesn’t. I use these apps a lot in order to quickly look up something, access my lecture/seminar slides which then allows me to go through them at my own pace.- Calendar – This again comes with the Ipad. It doesn’t sound very amazing but it helps to organise myself. It updates me on any meetings i have, i can set reminders about work deadlines etc. It’s just a great organiser.
I also use my Ipad for social reasons such as Twitter/Facebook and emailing in order to keep in contact with friends and tutors at university.
I have found the Ipad incredibly useful. It is so quick and efficient, I carry it everywhere with me and I would be completely lost without it! Before I started this project I didn’t really know the extent to which the Ipad can enhance learning for students and teachers, I keep learning about new apps and it really is amazing the potential and Ipad has for students and teachers. Here are some apps that I think are particularly useful for students/teachers:
- This is
called ‘Socrative’ and it really is an amazing app. Teachers can log on to this app and create multiple choice questions, quizes, short answer questions and then students will have to enter the room number for the test that the teacher has set up and then they will be able to have a go at answering. This is great for instant feedback to see whether students understand the work that has been covered and its just a really fun and interactive way of enhancing learning within the classroom. No one likes to just sit and listen to a tutor for a long time, having to engage in something always helps to enhance ones learning. I therefore rate this my number 1 app for students and teachers! - This
is ‘eClicker’ it is much like Socrative. eClicker is a personal response system that allows teachers to poll their class during a lesson. It provides teachers with the real-time feedback they need to be sure their messages are being received. Developed for smartphones and laptops, eClicker leverages the hardware already in the hands of many students providing a low cost polling solution for the classroom. - This is
‘skitch’. It’s a very good app for annotating presentations, posters, notes and whatever you like. Here is a youtube video which shows skitch in use:
I think it is important to show other students how they can make the most out of their Ipad – there is much more to it than just playing games! I personally think Ipads are a great way to interact with students, I think it would bring a bit more excitement to learning.
During the past week I have being preparing for future iPad sessions with the students and tutors from Initial Teacher Education. This has involved looking at Socrative as an alternative application to e-Clicker for providing instant feedback on formative assessment activities (student led teaching sessions and assemblies).
