The focus for our first day back at school this year was ICT and specifically e-safety for kids and the use of iPads in the classroom. I've been using an iPad professionally for 3 years and every year it becomes more and more indispensable for pupil and lesson organisation, creativity and inspiration. This year, we will have class sets of iPads available which will open even more doors with regards to the number of apps that are useful and effective.
So I thought I would share my top iPad apps for teaching because I found similar blog posts by fellow teachers really useful when I started out with my iPad. And I would love to hear any of your recommendations in the comments below.
1. iDoceo
I absolutely love this app. I use it for everything...planning, seating arrangements, to-do lists and recording attendance, progress and achievements. I'm able to back it up to google drive everyday so I don't lose anything and it keeps everything portable which is useful for events like parent consultations or working from home. It takes a little time getting used to navigating the app and setting things up at the beginning of the school year but it is more than worth it.
2. Google Drive
At the beginning of last year, my external hard-drive broke and any young professional, especially teachers who spend the start of their careers in many different schools, will know that the number of digital resources stored on our hard drives is significant. Thankfully, I was able to recover the contents and they were saved and backed up onto google drive. And instead of buying a new hard-drive, I now access everything on Google Drive and it's brilliant. Again, it's the portability of my resources that is so appealing.
3. Pinterest
Pinterest has got to be one of my favorite means of social networking in the last few years. I set up a professional account on my iPad and have hundreds of ideas and images saved to refer to in my lesson planning. Pinterest is such a source of inspiration and has led me to blogs and sites that I bookmark and use on a regular basis.
4. Class Dojo
I first used this when I was focusing on using ICT in assessment as part of my induction program. It is more useful with younger audiences, although with the right GCSE or A-level class it can be very fun too. You input your class list, the app assigns each pupil to a unique avatar and during your lesson you can reward pupils for certain behaviours or efforts or sanction pupils if that's the case. What I love about this app is that it's 100% customisable and with the use of private, unique student codes you can offer great feedback to pupils and parents.
5. Sand Timer
Exactly what it says on the tin. I like to promote time management skills in my lessons, especially during practical lessons. This is a cool visual indicator for pupils to refer to when they have been asked to complete a task in a given time frame.
6. Skitch
This app allows you to take a photo and annotate it. For practical apparatus and experimental observations this has been really useful. The photo's are easily saved and embedded in class presentations which helps with consistency of resources. I prefer to use this app than search on google images for diagrams or pictures.
7. Quizlet
This is a great app for kids to use when studying at home and effective for teachers to use in the classroom too. At first, it looks like a basic flashcard app (boring!). But you can then turn this into a time trial mix and match card game, which is how I like to use it as a plenary activity in a junior lesson. It also generates a link that, when clicked from an email and opened in a browser, opens a test filled with questions on your specific flashcards. Every time you click the link, a new test is generated and pupils are able to assess themselves over and over again. The reason I love this app is it's simplicity and how quickly you can set it up.
8. Padlet
This is still a relatively new one for me but I'm excited to use it more when there is more than one iPad available in the classroom. It is essentially a digital notice board with a unique, secure code. Pupils in your classroom can open a private board on any iPad (or smart phone?) and contribute pictures, comments, ideas or video's which I can then display at the front. It improves pupil enjoyment of the brain storming process and extends the possibilities as pupils have access to the internet whilst posting ideas.
9. Gojimo
Pupils told me about this app and I have to say, in terms of subject specific apps, this is the best one. I find the problem with subject specific apps is that the difficulty level isn't usually right and there is always some content which isn't relevant. Gojimo allows you to select the qualification you're studying for e.g. GCSE and the specific exam e.g. Chemistry Unit 1 and it generates multiple choice questions which are challenging for all pupils. Worthwhile for fast finishers, revision sessions or a good recommendation for your pupils revising at home.
I also have a few apps I've downloaded to use in the next few weeks that you may be interested in.
10. Plickers
A digital alternative to mini white boards in the classroom. Each pupil gets a unique 'plicker' and the teacher writes a multiple choice quiz. Pupils hold up their 'plicker' in the correct orientation according to the question, the teacher scans the classroom with the iPad and it shows how many pupils were right!
11. Decide Now
This is a wheel of fortune style selector. You do have to pay 79p to be able to customise the wheel but once you can, I have lots of ideas for the classroom and it will take no time to set up and use. E.g. Homework choices, Friday afternoon activities with 6th year, revision sessions
12. Explain Everything
This won't be a new app for many teachers but, for some reason, I have never got to grips with or used Explain Everything to it's full potential. This year I'm aiming to make more of it and 'flip the classroom' by sending pupils home to watch and learn then using class time to consolidate.
So that's my iPad round-up for now. I have a huge appreciation for ICT in teaching and believe that all teachers need to stay on top of what's new in an attempt to appeal to younger, tech-savvy audiences but I also believe that ICT for the sake of it is a waste of teacher and pupil time and can sometimes over-complicate lessons. Only use ICT to enhance a lesson, never to tick a box. And don't forget to let me know your ideas.
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