Learning with iPads in Room 4 2017/05/22

Learning with iPads 

in Room 4 

I was very excited to give my children the experience to use an iPad in Room 4, and am so glad I have had this opportunity. They were engaged and learning . . . 

One of the first ways I introduce and used the iPads was for whole group Maths activities. I started off with 'Slider' - Math Slide is a multiplayer game helping children understand tens and ones; numbers up to 100. Players learn by sliding tiles into the center to match an answer, equation or image. The player who slides their tiles first wins. 'Slider' is a great way for all students to be engaged in and learning, recognising and understanding numbers up to 100.  

Students were able to use the iPads for writing in lots of ways.  For our first writing samples, students integrated our trip to Ferrymead Heritage Park in their writing through projects using Tellagami, Write NZ or StoryKit.  Once students had a final draft they chose one of the apps to publish their writing.  We had a variety of samples that I e-mailed to my school email account, and then printed.  Some students worked to create their own “Gami” with Tellagami and recorded themselves reading their final project, while others made their own designs to present their writing.  Still, other students enjoyed taking pictures to add to the pages of their books about the trip.  These writing samples were great.

In literacy stations, students used the iPads to record themselves reading and then listened for accuracy and fluency with a partner.  They also listen back to reading or listening to reading and gave each other tips on how to improve their reading.

During reading groups, we would always keep an iPad or 2 on hand to look up vocabulary and science or social studies information for topics we were reading about. 

For Topic, we scan QR codes to go on some of our Save Websites to do research and to get some information on our topic.  Students were so excited about getting to use the iPads throughout the lessons.

I have highlighted some of the ways we used the iPads this year.  I know this is only the tip of the iceberg for the ways to use iPads in the classroom and I hope to have the opportunity to do so much more this year!  This has been great working together as a class to integrate iPads into our daily activities.