Apps and Tech

I plan to share all that I learn and discover as I bring iPads and iPod Touches into the classroom.  I received an amazing treasure this summer of 6 new iPod Touches and 1 iPad mini to use in my 4th grade classroom.  Of course I couldn't wait to get started, but I had no idea to the extent my world would change!  First, I have discovered so much just about setting them up so that they are all synced to receive the same apps, save to the same cloud, ensure kid appropriate settings and safety of the content I have on them, and of course about all of the amazing things we can do and apps out there. This page will take you through our journey as I share all the amazing things I discover and hopefully save you some time and headache in your own technology pursuits.

Create iBooks with Videos,
Music, Charts, Drawings,
Photos, Audio Recorded
Messages or Readings. . .
Save to iBooks, Dropbox, and
Other Clouds -- Crazy Good!

#1  Creative Book Builder App  Most apps I'm using are free, but this one is worth the $4.99 - trust me! This app can be used professionally and by the students.  I plan to use it with my 4th grade class.  It does everything! I created a template of a book I want students to work on in small groups for our matter unit.  I did this by setting up the chapter titles specific to the content we will be learning and making a glossary of words for students to define (I like to have students rewrite meanings and include examples by "writing it for a first grader to understand").  The app will allow students to do pretty much anything and then save it as an EPUB or PDF format.  The app will upload it to Dropbox or other cloud drives, email it, and even send a copy to your iBooks app so that their book truly becomes an e-book.  As I said, students will be able to include all types of content.  Text, pictures, videos (they run within the book), even record their voice (they can make it highlight words in their story as they read it or have the page automatically say a message about a page when the reader turns to it.  Students can draw pictures, make charts and graphs within the app, make actual interactive quizzes that give the reader the answers upon completion, and include music or sounds saved on the device to play as background during the book or upon a given page.  And that's after I just used it a few days! A great web page I found that offers pictures, a video, and great detail about how to use is called "Using Creative Book Builder at Every Level of Bloom's" at http://www.appsinclass.com/creative-book-builder.html. My goal this year is to get an Apple TV so that everything we do on any device can be viewed wirelessly on the Smart Board.  I plan to go to our PTO and beg for their assistance!