SlideShark App

As part of assignment # 3 I had to do a PowerPoint presentation on creative and effective iPad usage in educational settings. After I was done with the PowerPoint I decided to display my PP slides to iPad via SlideShark, a free app that Dr. Sotillo recommended on her blog. I hit the App Store on the iPad, searched for SlideShark and then tapped the install button. As the install progressed, I then registered an account which was easy and straightforward process. I returned my focus to my PP file on my Drop Box account and opened if with SlideShark. Now I can view and share PowerPoint presentations on the iPad the way they were meant to be seen. It works great, and there are no problems. Highly recommended!

Disadvantages of the iPad in Education

Although the iPad has many advantages in the classroom, it also has disadvantages and it important that we are aware of them. While the iPad brings new opportunities, I agree that it is not a replacement for the laptop. They lack the memory and the operating system of a traditional laptop, resulting in fewer features and the lack of ability to multitask. In addition, the price of the iPad is a primary concern since many school districts are facing current budget cuts and they cannot afford to supply iPads to every student? The absence of the USB port also makes it difficult to transfer materials from one device to another. Other than these I believe that iPads are great, and I believe that each generation of the iPad will resolve these issues and will make it more appealing to include the device in the educational curriculum.

Will iPad change education?

If every student in a classroom had a tablet the publisher/textbook industry would change. We will all “go green” because the textbooks would no longer be printed on paper, instead the publishers could then charge a “Rental” fee, subscription or we would just buy eBooks. When the rental time expires there is nothing to throw away or take up space. I would definitely like this change and I could see it happen in every school in a decade or two. Imagine the learning that could occur when students and teachers are connected in a way that desktops and even laptops cannot provide. Imagine a student reading about a concept or topic, and being able to click on a link that brings up any manner of related items (video, interactive exercises, web links, sound for pronunciations, etc.). Students not only would be motivated to learn what you want them to, they might even be interested to dig deeper into any subject.

iAnnotate App

Thank you Dr. Sotillo for suggesting iAnnotate. I wish I had known earlier about this wonderful app so that I could have used it when assessing the student read. It has extremely powerful annotation features: Highlighting, Underlining, Crossing out, Comments, and more. I just searched about this app today and it seems that each of these features is done really well, and is fun to use. What I liked the most is that iAnnotate allow you to create pencil annotations, free drawings, notes, highlighter pens and many others which makes it similar to the actual paper reading experience.

iPad has helped me not only for this class but for my other classes as well. For a school assignment I am currently working with a student and assessing his reading skills. I met with him 5 times throughout the semester in order to help him improve his literacy skills. On the first meeting I found out that he reads only material that is required in school but he was interested in reading “the Blue Portal” by Eric Brown. The student already had this book available on iPhone but to make it easier for him I downloaded it on my iPad because since the screen is bigger it is easier for him to read it. If I didn’t have the iPad I wouldn’t have been able to assess the student reading what he would enjoy, being that the book is only available on iPhone, iPad, or Kindle. Thanks to iPad I had a really fun experience on this assignment.

Research Project

The iPad has helped me a lot this week with my project. I am working on my research project in which I am conducting a study on how blogs are used as a technological tool in education. The purpose of this study is to find out the benefits of blogs as an educational tool. The research will examine how the rise of online communication through blogs has affected the way students are taught. Recently I posted a survey on this blog and I also sent it to my classmates’ email to gather their opinions and information on how blogs are used. I was happy to find out that many of my classmates took the survey through their iPads. The use of iPads made it easier for my classmates and for me as well because I was able to get the feedback faster. Instead of waiting for them to go home and take the survey, thanks to iPad most of them took it in class.  

Survey

The following URL will link you to my online survey:

https://surveys.montclair.edu/survey/entry.jsp?id=1334272809650

Your participation is greatly appreciated!!!!!

Thank you

Luljana

What is your online personality? You are what you post!

My professor brought up an interesting topic the other day when she asked us to discuss how we present ourselves on blogs.

To be honest, my online personality is pretty much me. The things I say online are what I truly believe in real life. I've known people who were outgoing and confident online but extremely shy in real life. I'd love to know how they manage that disconnection from their real self. To me, my online identity is part of me and I can't separate it too far from how I really am.

AnyMeeting

            Idea Flight is great but another similar way to meet online is through www.anymeeting.com. To sign up for AnyMeeting, all you need to do is access its website, then provide your e-mail address, a password, your name and a timezone. Once that information is given, you will receive an e-mail from AnyMeeting confirming your e-mail address. When your address is confirmed, you are ready to begin your first online meeting. As with other live conferencing tools, you will have the option to start a meeting immediately, or schedule it for some time in the future. At the time of the meeting, you can choose to use your USB microphone or the telephone in order to conference. When choosing your computer microphone, you start a process of one-way broadcasting so only one speaker is allowed at a time. If your webinar has multiple speakers, all of them will be able to broadcast by pressing the button that shows that it’s their turn to speak.

            When you choose to share your screen, you can choose to either share the full screen, or to share a single application that is running on your computer. AnyMeeting offers several options for presenters to engage with their audience. They include status updates, chats, polls and the ability to send links which will pop up on each individual screen. Chats can be private, public or only between presenters and it is easy to see which option has been chosen, avoiding any potential problems with sharing information that is not public.

Idea Flight App

A couple of days ago, we were trying to use this app in the classroom with Stephanie being the pilot and others passengers but unfortunately were unable to connect as a whole class. Dennise and I were the only ones that were able to join and it seemed really fun. I like the fact that there is a notes section to the app that allows pilots to read saved notes and passengers to take notes. I would love to put this app on a class set of iPads and really give it a test run. I could see a group of students giving presentations in small groups during a class period. Quick presentations on various topics and then rotating with each group being a pilot then a passenger. I could be a very exciting presentation style to work with students.

How to learn a new language in 10 days

I received this video on my email as an advertisement and I found it really interesting. It says that if you use the Pimsleur Method you will be able to speak a new language in only 10 days!

My Personal Mobile Network

21st Century Learners

           Learning is now a life-long process of coping with change. This video shows us that learning how to learn is the basis of education today. 21st Century Learners prefer to learn by working in teams in pear to pear situations within an environment that affords a fair amount of flexibility. They prefer to “be engaged”, as stated in the video, in their learning and be able to experience learning first hand through exploration. Today’s students also prefer visual and kinesthetic activities over reading and listening activities.  Finally, they want to be challenged to reach their own conclusions and find their own results.
          I believe that iPads are giving us the opportunity to experience learning in the 21st century. Using iPad in the classroom is important and leads us to be creative. It gives us the opportunity to work in a team, to be responsible for our own learning, to work independently from the teacher, to express ourselves and to feel part of the learning process by actively participating in it.

Games for iPad

     Temple Run, is a really fun game as Dr. Sotillo suggested. My brother downloaded this app for me on my iPhone, but when I got my iPad I started playing it there, and it is so much fun because the screen is bigger. Another game that I would suggest playing is Draw Something. With this game you choose to play with friends in Facebook. I am able to see which of my friends are playing and also invite others.

      Draw Something is neither a challenge nor a competition. It's a social game in its purest form. Whether you're playing with a close friend or a complete stranger, you learn about who they are. How somebody approaches Draw Something tells a lot about them. Perhaps they have an eye for detail, maybe they enjoy a good joke, or maybe they play in a way that’s completely unique. There are some bad eggs that try to earn a quick coin by simply writing their word. Like the rest, that action alone gives us an insight as to what kind of person we're playing with. And again it is really fun to play with the iPad because the screen is bigger. iPads are not only educational but fun as well.

App for Homeschooling

           App For Homeschooling, which was created by a family who is homeschooling their four daughters, is a useful website that recommends practical educational apps for homeschoolers. They decided to build this site because they were overwhelmed with finding good apps and poor reviews. Therefore, they have put their time and money on this web site for every homeschooling family. 

           So, thanks to this family, we can find guaranteed instructive apps with less effort. On this website, homeschooled kids can find various apps, depending on your grade and age. Also, you can choose your favorite or weakest subjects. Therefore, I recommend everyone to check out what they have, and try their selected apps. Enjoy!

Following Blogs with my iPad

I enjoy using my iPad to follow my classmate’s blogs, as well as other blogs. One blog that I really enjoy reading on my free time is LarryFerlazzo’s English Website. His website is oriented more towards native English speakers or advanced English Language Learners. However, many of these sections also have links accessible to Intermediate English Language Learners. These sections are science, math, social studies and academic reading and writing. I use this website very frequently since it offers many valuable materials. One of professors suggested me to visit this blog one year ago and since then visit it and enjoy reading his blogs because it always has such interesting topics and tips for teachers. Teaching ESL to kids can be a very draining work, but using the right techniques makes teaching ESL a rewarding work. The way Mr. Ferlazzo categorizes different websites makes it really easy to follow and understand. I consider that this blog is very nice and helps teachers in the learning process and the student’s interaction in the class. Overall iPad has made it easier for me to follow these blogs because it is really convenient to just hold my iPad than my laptop everywhere I go.   

iPad in the Classroom

75 Interesting Ways to use an iPad in the Classroom

The website above is really interesting and it shows many useful ways of using iPad in the classroom. As a future teacher I think incorporating technology into the classroom is essential because today's learners live in a world of digital, audio and text, and they expect a similar approach in classroom as well. I found number 32 very interesting because it is a great way to share stories that children make up themselves. This also makes me realize that iPad can be very useful for all ages.