Setting Up Your iPad(s) for Success in the Classroom

If you are new to the iPad, then setting up one or more for use by students can be a daunting task.  The iPad is clearly a window into the entire world...and with that comes amazing benefits, and other things that should likely be left outside of the classroom.  Here's how I set up a set of iPads in my own classroom to ensure that students were set up for success.

The Settings app the comes on your iPad is easily one of the simplest ways to make quick, customizable adjustments to your iPad.  From hiding un-needed Apps, to blocking R-rated video- this App alone has most of the answers.  Adjusting your iPad's settings and adding restrictions should be the very last step to finalizing your set-up, so I will get into the nitty-gritty later on! 

Start by naming each iPad.  This will help you keep track of each device and the data it holds.  To name your devices, enter the Settings App and click on the left hand folder "General".  At the top, open the "About" tab.  You can be as simple or as extravagant as you want with this! I went the simple route and used my last name and numbers to identify each iPad.  If you lean towards the more creative side you might instead choose to name each iPad after something related to your content area.  As a science teacher I could name each iPad after a famous scientist: Einstein, Newton... you get the point!  Your students will always appreciate some creative flare.

Make each iPad accessible to other devices by setting up its own personal email.  Any of the free email platforms will provide dozens of free email addresses.  Keep things consistent by making the email addresses similar to the iPad's name.  E-mail can be useful in the classroom for a variety of reasons.  I use it to have students submit work, and also to deliver links and other material.  Recently I created a ShowMe presentation and had it directly sent to each iPad using it's email.  Email can connect each iPad to an unlimited amount of other devices and apps.  Add your own name and email into each iPad's Contacts app- making it even easier for students to deliver info back to you via email. 

There are a multitude of must-have apps I would highly suggest adding to your collection immediately.  DropBox, iBooks, and iTunes U are 3 of them, for obvious reasons. I would also recommend getting a QR Code reader.  There are dozens of free apps available through the App Store, but I would highly suggest the $1.99 model- QRafter.  QR codes have an infinite number of uses in the classroom- so investing in one that is easy to use is important!  Your school likely has an Apple iTunes purchase account set up through your district.  Ask your principal how to use your school's account to purchase apps for your classroom.

Once you have downloaded a variety of apps, organize them on the Home screen by creating "buckets".  Buckets allow you to group 2 or more similar apps, helping to keep your Home Screen clean and organized.  To create a bucket, "grab" one app by holding your finger on it until it starts to shake.  Drag it over a second app and the bucket will appear.  Name the bucket, or keep the one your iPad suggests; then freeze the screen again by clicking the Home button. 

Creating buckets not only keeps your Home Screen organized- it can also inconspicuously hide Apps you might not want attention drawn to during class time.  Uninstalling and reinstalling can take alot of time- so sometimes moving a popular app to an unpopular bucket can prevent students from being side tracked. 

When you are satisfied with the Apps you have (for now), open the Settings App to finalize your iPad set up.  Again, find the General tab, but this time look for "Restrictions". 

Click "Enable Restrictions" at the top and immediately it will prompt you for a 4 number pin.  I use the same number for all iPads but change them all up every couple months or so.  From here you can customize the restrictions on your iPads.  Turning off Installing Apps and Deleting Apps is a must.  This will remove the App Store from your Home Screen- and prevents students from buying Apps on the registered iTunes account.  The camera can also be a huge distraction during day to day class time use and I tend to hide it unless we are using QR codes or completing a special assignment.  You can also use restrictions to censor music and videos, including YouTube (another student favorite).  Customize your setting based on your needs- and feel free to change it up as necessary!  I adapt my settings to the lesson at hand quite often! 

Last but not least, protect your iPads by purchasing a security app like GadgetTrak.  Apps like this one will let you register multiple devices that can easily be tracked if they get lost or stolen.  GadgetTrak will even take a photograph of the perpetrator and allow you to submit police reports.  If you are worried about theft (and you probably should be!), it's better safe than sorry. GadgetTrak is a steal for only $4.99 and offers a variety of features. 

Experiment with the settings of your iPad(s) and adjust them as necessary to meet the needs of your classroom!  Most of an iPad's functions- including the ones that can cause distractions to students- can be used in a productive, highly engaging and upper level thinking kind of way.  Have fun!

Using QR Codes in the Classroom

Thanks to the world's obsession with smartphones, QR codes are becoming more and more popular.  QR codes, which stands for Quick Response codes, are trending because of their ability to read quickly and hold large capacities of information.  Anyone with a smart phone, iPod, or tablet device can scan the funny little square barcode. Afterwards a number of things may happen- an email may open, a photograph may appear, or most commonly, a webpage will pop up.  The number of things you can do with a QR code is actually quite incredible!  With the best generator applications, you can create QR codes that link to a facebook page, send contact information and calendar events, pull up a location in Google Maps, or even start a transaction to purchase something using PayPal. 

QR codes can serve several puposes in the classroom!   Every teacher has experienced what notoriously happens in a classroom when you ask your students to visit a particular website and the URL is a mile long.  Students can spend alot of time typing in the URL, only to have one letter wrong and the entire process stalled  QR codes eliminate that part of the process, especially when using iPods or iPads as instructional tools.  Print out the QR code and make copies. Teach your students how to use the scanner by modeling it with a VGA cord (from the iPad to your computer/projector).  After my students practiced it a few times, it became 2nd nature.  They are even downloading QR scanners on their own personal devices! 

QR codes can also be amazing communication tools.  If you have your own personal wiki or classroom blog generate a QR code for the URL using a free online application like Kaywa's.  When you send home a permission slip, progress report, or letter home, add the QR code and remind parents of your classroom website and the information they can find there. 

In order to continue to develop skills necessary for the 21st century- much of the work we do with students these days is digital.  For this reason it is sometimes challenging to display our student work.  If your students create an outstanding piece of digital work- whether its a wikipage, well-written essay, or an animation- have them create a QR code that can then be posted in the room.  It may not have the same effect as having something nice to decorate the walls but at least anyone interested in viewing it can see it in its digital format.

There are several great QR code scanners out on the App market- and a few of them also serve as QR generators.  If you are looking to stay strictly free, try Scan App or Easy QR.  Both are scan-only, but you can generate a code for free online using Kaywa's generating application.  They suggest a small donation if you are a frequenter, but it is not required. If you prefer an app that does both reading and creating, Qrafter is the way to go.  It is initially free, but a $2.99 upgrade is required if you are looking for both features. 

Try QR codes and be creative!  If you are unsure of ways to utilize QR codes in your class, search the web to read about what other educators are doing.  Here are some of my favorites:

http://www.edutopia.org/blog/qr-codes-education-mary-beth-hertz

http://www.edutopia.org/blog/QR-codes-teaching-andrew-miller

Starting a Classroom Blog

Blogging has made it big in the world of education- and this article is designed for newbies who need some tips on how to start up their own classroom blog. 

Choosing a Platform

There are a multitude of free blog hosts out there on the web- and based on my experience, anyone is as good as the other.  Wordpress and Blogger are amongst the biggest names.  Both offer free blogging and a variety of templates and widgets to dress up your blog.  If you already have a Google account then getting started is a piece of cake (it is a Google application).  I prefer both of these for personal/professional blogging- but use a different platform for my classroom blog.

Edublogs hosts my classroom blog.  Like Wordpress and Blogger, it offers free blogging, but also has optional upgrades for special features that may benefit your classroom.  One thing that I like about Edublogs is the fact that you can keep it secure from the public:should you want your classroom blog and the postings made by your student to remain private, you have that option and it is easy to initiate.  The simple interface makes it really easy for students to comment and post- and I like that as a whole the plat form has an educational theme- it helps set the tone for your classroom blog.  Also with an educational theme is Edmodo, which students enjoy for it's clear resemblance to Facebook.  If your future blog is going to serve as more of a classroom website- this might be a good option for you. 

Setting Expectations

Like any new technology you introduce to your classroom, students need to be taught how to properly use it.  Blogging is easy for students- and it doesn't take long before their are proficient commenters and posters.  Clear classroom expectations need to be set in advance- and I like to have students become part of the process.  As a class we create a list of blogging expections, and I help my students come up with some "big hitters" I know we can miss.  Create a poster of these expectations and don't forget to review them with your students the first few times you blog in class. 

Teach your students how to demonstrate "digital citizenship" and make sure to review your students postings and check for any bullying or inappropriate commentary.  Tell students that they are responsible for anything they post- and remind them that their postings can be seen by all because a blog is traditionally a public forum (unless you've opted for private settings).

Uses

The best part about starting a classroom blog is the number of purposes it can serve in your classroom.  Many teachers use blogs as an extension of learning.  Linking photos, video, articles, and other online sources connected to your classroom content can help students make connections and establish relevance to their everyday lives.  This is how I started blogging in my own classroom.  The blog provided an extension to our daily curriculum, and my students were practicing higher-level thinking skills, like questioning.  My students have enjoyed using a classrom blog- it is a forum for them to communicate with one another and form an opinion.  In one activity around the blog and some commenting or posting they are writing, questioning, and developing key 21st century skills all while being highly engaged. 

If students are new to blogs they will likely need you to model high quality blog commenting.  I like to share other high-quality educational blogs with my students and go through examples of good commenting.  I also provide my middle school students with blogging sentence starters.  This provides scaffolding by starting out their first sentence and opening up the door for a higher-quality, detailed response. 

Blogs can also serve as an assessment tool.  If all of your students in your classroom have access to a device (laptop, netbook, iPad, or even and iPod touch) your blog can immediately turn into an individual response system.  At the end of class give students an "exit ticket" and ask them to answer the day's essential question.  When all students have responded, project the thread on the board and reflect on high quality responses with your class.   

Because blogs are easy to construct and modify, they also make for excellent classroom "websites" with links to important documents, homework calendars, and a forum for parent communication.   

Starting a classroom blog can be quick and easy- let your students do the work!  To see what other tech-savvy educators are doing out there, visit Scholastic's list of the Top 20 Teacher Blogs.  Check out the other resources listed below and stay tuned for more ideas from 21st Century Classroom.

Resources

• Visit my wiki at http://libbygraybrien.wikispaces.com/Instructional+Supplements for my instructional supplements on blogging in the classroom including a handout for blogging sentence starters and examples of expectations I set with my students.  Your classroom expectations may change depending on the learning objectives associated with your class' blog. 
• Blogger in the Classroom information manual.
• Bloom's and Blogs
• 33 Ways to Use Blogging in the Classroom

Using Google Docs: Evaluation and Feedback

Google Docs has an infinite way of being useful in the classroom.  Apart from being completely free, Google applications are also available for use from any device with Internet.  While I have infinite ideas for use of Google Docs on the classroom... This post is going to center around using Google Docs for evaluation and feedback.

More than ever before, reflection and self-evaluation are a critical part of the learning that occurs in our classrooms.  When used properly, Google Docs can be an incredible tool for facilitating this process.  One of my favorite ways to use the "forms" feature of Google Docs is for group evaluations.  The "forms" feature allows you to construct a survey or test and then organizes the results in a spreadsheet.  After a group project, use a computer, iPad, or iPod touch to distribute a survey asking kids to reflect on the collaborative process, their effort, and their partner's effort. Students will appreciate the opportunity to have a say in their grade.  If a group member has contributed more than their partners, this is an easy way for them to present the issue without feeling like a tattle-tale. You will find that most of the time students are honest and realistic about their own effort.  Even though we are observant and likely already have an idea about who did what, this can shed light on how students work in collaborative groups.  Make group-evaluations a habit in your classroom and your students will be more accountable.

Creating a survey on Google Docs can also be an easy way to better understand student perceptions.  A completely transparent teacher will ask her students to evaluate her teaching methods. What does Ms. Brien do well? What helps you learn best?  When students feel like they have a say, they buy-in.  Next time you get a chance, ask your students what would make you a better teacher- their insight will surprise you.   Anonymous surveys can also be good way to dig deeper into personal issues.  In attempt to learn more about my students true college-going perceptions, I gave them a survey.  The response I need got told me more about the truth than I had ever learned in front of our whole class.  

Within your school, use Google for teacher to teacher or admin to teacher evaluations. Build a school wide template emphasizing school-wide goals and professional development initiatives. The form will provide structured look-fors for the evaluator, and instant feedback for the teacher being observed. 

Despite your use for it, Google Docs provides a free domain to save all the data that you gather in its use.  When you are done distributing a survey or evaluating peer teachers, find the "form" tab and go to "show summary of responses". You will find an item by item analysis of your results that makes defining the next steps simple and clear. 

Need more guidance on setting up first Google Docs survey? Check out my Teacher Quick Guide on Surveys and Tests available @ My Wiki

Hints and Tips

• Unless your survey or evaluation is anonymous, make sure to start out your survey asking for the student's first and last name.  Make this a "required field" to ensure a name on each response! 
• Be transparent! Show your student the results of the survey and follow through with any changes it may request. 
• Embed the survey into an email or on your class webpage for easy access.  You can also use TinyUrl http://tinyurl.com/ to shorten the web address and post on your board if necessary. This will ease the process of students typing a long URL into a browser.
• Want to use Google Docs from your iPad or iPhone?  Download the App GoDocs from the App Store for $4.99. 

Welcome to 21st Century Classroom

This blog is written by a tech-savvy classroom teacher hoping to use this information as a platform to inspire other teachers.  Regardless of the age, proficiency, and content area, technology is an engaging classroom tool that our students love to use!  When used properly, it can inspire creativity and help students reach higher levels of thinking.  The power of technology is at our fingertips- yet most teachers are confused on how to best use it.  This blog will document the experiences of one teacher, and hopefully inspire you to use some of her instructional methods in your own classroom!

Stay tuned for upcoming blog postings on the iPad and how it can be used for: professional development, productivity, progress monitoring, project-based learning, and content support.