Using iPads and Apps in the School Library – Internet @ Schools

Ipad apps in the School Library:   Mary Catherine Coleman;  Librarian, St. Stephens and St. Agnes School; Alexandria, VA School has cart of 18 iPads in library and mobile carts elsewhere in building.  Each student assigned the same iPad everytime they are in the library. Popplet–graphic organizing app (this is one we use at my school as well).  Creates bubbles where you can put in brainstorming.   Coleman created a lesson around research unit.  Students given five questions to answer about their research and then […]

Five tips for starting an iPad pilot

Recently, David Jakes asked me to Google Hangout with a group of his teachers and librarians preparing for a 1:1 pilot. He asked me to share five tips for starting a pilot , so I thought I’d expand upon these “lessons learned” here. After 1 1/2 years of 1:1 iPads on our campus, these are some things I”ve learned that seem integral to our success. 1. Try to create a collaborative environment and encourage a spirit of experimentation. One of the best things about our […]

iPad pilot: Year Two

In their most recent issue, School Library Journal featured our iPad pilot in the article, iPads for Everyone.   As we are entering year two of a 1:1 deployment, I notice interesting changes, (which I’ve also written about in Internet @ Schools).  Most significantly, I see iPads becoming just another tool in our students backpacks.   Chris Lehmann often comments that technology should be “ubiquitous and invisible”–just a part of student learning.  More and more, instead of focusing on the “iPads” and apps, I see teachers […]

Upcoming workshops at TCEA conference

I’ll be presenting all this week at the Texas Computer Educator Association conference in Austin (as well as learning at Tuesday’s Edubloggercon and other sessions!) If you are interested in following along here are the presentation topics and times: Tuesday, 1:30 – 2:14   Twitterlution:  Changing Advocacy I’ll be talking Twitter, and its role in revolutions, and as Diane Cordell says, contributions and evolutions, as well, and how we can apply lessons learned to education. Wednesday 5:00 – 6:30 p.m.   How To:  live blogging class discussions […]

Anatomy of an iPad implementation

One-to-one technology implementations often receive bad press in the media.  So it’s been fascinating to be part of a 1:1 iPad implementation at my own school and observe and participate in the process first hand and see the impacts. My recent article in Internet @ Schools summarizes some of my observations.  But I will add that what has transformed is how we work — how students work and learn, how teachers work and learn.   And I do think there is something different about using a […]

iPads in the elementary library

One way to use iPads in the elementary library is as part of “stations.”   The touch screen and variety of available apps make it a natural for learning stations. One of our elementary librarians and I spent time recently exploring apps for her students, and found some excellent apps that would work well for reading/learning stations in the library.  She envisions setting up stations where younger elementary students could record themselves reading,  read an audiobook and follow along, or learn the alphabet, among other […]

The nitty gritty details–Implementing iPads

After meeting with my district librarians this week, I realized that perhaps it would be helpful to spell out some details of our iPad implementation (my previous posts about the results of our pilot study and teacher responses are here and here) for both our own staff, but perhaps it will be of interest to others as well. So here’s our story.   We purchased six iPads (16 Gig, no 3G), but if you purchase ten via Apple’s education package, there is a discount of about […]

Piloting iPads in library settings

After I saw our students playing chess on their iPads in our library cafe area last spring, I knew that it was time that we get on board and look at the role iPads could play in our technology/e-book offerings on campus.   Watching students using iPads, I could see the engagement and enthusiasm and interactivity that a larger but portable device had to offer. It’s large enough so students can gather around it, sit with their heads over it watching or reading the same thing, […]