10 things ESL students can do with Evernote on their tablets

OUPELTGlobal

Mohamed El-Ashiry takes a look at how Evernote can be used in the classroom

Portfolio assessment in the ESL classroom offers many benefits. On the Prince George’s County Public Schools’ website, a portfolio is defined as ‘a purposeful collection of student work that exhibits the student’s efforts, progress, and achievements in one or more areas of the curriculum’. Brown & Hudson (1998) have also described portfolios as a ‘family of assessments’. Some of the benefits of using portfolios, as described by Brown & Hudson (1998) include: (1) focusing student attention on learning processes; and (2) increasing student involvement in the learning processes. I have always been a fan of such ‘alternatives in assessment‘ because of the fact that they focus a lot more on the ‘process of learning’ as opposed to the ‘product of learning’ (Brown & Hudson, 1998).

Now that iPads and tablets are spreading into many…

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iPad Apps and Primary Mathematics

I received a great resource outlining iPad apps for mathematics aligned to the Australian Curriculum content. Although this documented is aimed at primary school level secondary teachers may find some of the apps dealing with statistics and algebra helpful, as well as some of the general cross curricula apps.

Numbers for iPad

If your using iPads in the classroom and you or your students are working with data then Numbers is a must have app. Below is an intro clip showing all the great things you can create using numbers. I find using the formulas feature is really handy in science for performing a range of calculations. So I’ve put together a quick presentation below explaining how to use the formulas feature in numbers.

Intro to Numbers App:

How to perform calculations using the formulas feature:

Why podcasts are valuable for teaching key concepts in Chemistry and Biology.

Understanding key concepts in science sets students up for success. However many students don’t always get it the first time. This is why I believe podcasts can be such a valuable teaching tool. In order for a podcast to be successful as a teaching tool I believe it should be no more than 5 to 15 minutes in length. Secondly it should cover no more than three key ideas. Finally ideas should be presented in a way that is simple and easy to understand while maintaining a high level of academic rigour.

In many schools students now have a take home device whether it be a laptop or tablet. Especially in the senior years. I sometimes use podcasts as a homework activity. So students come to my lesson with some prior knowledge and we can spend more time clarifying misconceptions and working through problems and activities. The additional benefit of podcasts is that once you give students access they can revisit that lesson again and again to initially learn a concept or for revision. They also have the ability to fast forward and rewind so they can concentrate on their area of need.

So how does a busy educator find the time to create these podcasts? There are two options find another educator who is already creating quality podcasts in your teaching area and use their database. Secondly create your own, but don’t start from scratch. You could set up your laptop camera to record yourself teaching in your classroom. Or you could spend 10 minutes after you have presented a lesson in class recording your voice to your powerpoint, prezi or electronic whiteboard notes. Educreations is a fast and easy way to create podcasts if you have an iPad and doesn’t require an technical know how.

I have been using Paul Andersen’s “Bozeman Biology” podcast in Biology for some time now. Today I discovered Paul Groves chemistry podcasts. His gas laws lesson really simplifies the problem solving procedure for students. I’m looking forward to checking out the rest of his educreations.

Paul Groves “The Gas Laws” podcast.

Why I love to have students using Educreations in an iPad classroom and how to walk through.

I was first introduced to the powerful simplicity of Educreations last year when I was working with Paul Andersen. Educreations is a free app that allows students and teachers to create a presentation that they can annotate and record their voice to. I love that it’s free, easy to use, but most of all I love the instant feedback students get through self assessment when using this app and the quality of work and thinking that my students produce.

Here I walk you through how to create an Educreation presentation
(apologies for the background noise) http://www.educreations.com/lesson/view/how-to-make-an-educreation/6933060/?ref=app

In my science classroom I use this app to have students explain a key concept they have studied in class or to present the findings of an investigation they have undertaken. Give students a time limit for the length of their presentation for example they could work in pairs to create a 1 minute presentation. Be firm about your time limits, students may need to re-record to get within your time limit. Remember you have to watch them all and 15 pairs going 1 minute over the limit means an extra 15 minutes of your time. I have found short time limits produce high quality work as it forces students to synthesis their thinking. You could pick the best presentations and share them with the class or school and this is another incentive for producing quality work. Ensure students have a quiet place to record. This may mean allowing students to go outside into the hallway etc. in small groups to record their presentation once they have put it together. I haven’t had any issues with this just remind them if your expectations before they go out.

You will be amazed at what your students create.

iClassroom iManagement – tips for managing an iPad classroom

Reflections of a Passionate Educator

So, every school now is rolling out their own BYOD and 1-to-1 programs. Mobile learning (mLearning) is the new black! Whether it is just a fad or not, mobile devices change the way the class runs, and they change the way students learn. Many teachers, from my experience, cite too many problems with using iPads in their classroom, most of them related to classroom management. As an eLearning leader, I get a lot of questions like ‘how do I guarantee the students are on-task?’, or ‘how do I make sure they don’t play games?’, or ‘how do I make sure I can maintain their attention when I need it?’. Reality is, these devices can be very distracting to adults even, let alone school-aged kids and teens. I have gathered a bunch of tricks throughout my teaching experience that I would like to share:

1- Set clear expectations: a lot…

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Teach with your iPad – plus Science Apps

Are you a secondary teacher who has just been given a iPad? Are you equal parts excited yet anxious as to how to use it in the classroom? Grab a cuppa and head over to teach with your ipad