Content Apps: Extending Student Learning

There are some apps that I classify as content apps. These types of apps tend to be quite specialized and content driven. The beauty of "content apps" is that the very best ones present information in rich multimedia formats. These can be great to use as the basis for small units of work. 

The UNHCR app is one "content app" that I particularly like. It tells the story of three young refugees. Each refugee from a different country. The narrative is told based on the decisions that the reader makes as they are presented with different scenarios in the journey to safety. Combined with a series of other apps it is a fantastic way to to build empathy within your classroom. This provides a focal point for developing cultural understanding and the sharing of cultural traditions. 

This activity will work with small groups of shared iPads. Working in groups, the students are able to select appropriate apps and tools to support their learning. Those suggested are provided as a guide only. This approach allows the students to negotiate learning tasks with their teacher to ensure a student choice and a student voice.

The knowledge captured also facilitates a student centric construct of social, cultural and political knowledge. This is a pertinent exercise in the current political climate. 

The second activity allows teachers to scaffold research tasks for young learners in historical and critical studies. The Vincent Letters App is a fantastic starting point for learning more about Vincent van Gogh. It includes high definition images of his work and numerous informative videos. Students can do all or chose to complete only a couple of these activities.

The historical knowledge also facilitates a student appreciation of the constraints and artistic struggles that van Gogh experienced. This is even better when the students are also attempting to complete a painting using a theme or subject matter that van Gogh explored.

Both of these activities can be easy modified for many different issues, topics or subject areas.

         

                      Researching Refugees                                       Researching Vincent van Gogh

Teacher 101 iPad Sessions

I have recently been asked to provide a number iPad sessions for teachers. I had one school where they had recently bought a large number of iPads and wanted to start from scratch. Another had a 1:1 Program in a particular year group but wanted their colleagues to get an understanding of the potential of iPads in the classroom. I was able to use this Teacher ToolKit idea for both groups.



Another one of the ideas I have been using was one that I borrowed from a talented friend and inspirational teacher in New Zealand - Allanah King @AllanahK. She published her iPad Bingo idea on her blog a couple of months ago. I have used it numerous times since and it has been a success each time. I make sure that every time I use it I credit her with the concept. Here it is in it's latest incarnation updated for iOS 7. Make sure you visit Allanah's blog for a heap of other great stuff.

Make a copy and put your own school name or crest at the top. It is always good for staff to see resources specifically designed for them.

Schools have also used this as part of Bootcamps for iPad Rollouts with students. They love it as well.

Teacher Documented Workflows

Teachers in our system are documenting iPad workflows in an attempt to help clarify the learning process. This has been invaluable for those schools moving to a BYOD model. Many of these workflows also make use of our Google Apps for Education for the sharing of resources and collecting of student work.

These are examples of individual workflows within a set environment. These are often the result of unsuccessful experimentation. The idea is for teachers to take what works for them and modify others to fit their environment and their classroom practice.

Student Documented Workflows for the iPad

Students love to share how they do things. This is especially true when they are working on iPads. I have started to collect and document some of these workflows to share with other classes and other schools. These are all taken directly from my conversations with Yr 4, 5 and 6 kids. All I have done is to put them in a similar format. What is interesting for me is how reflection of both the process and the product is so important for them. The student's talk about moving full circle so if they are not satisfied with the product they can modify or enhance it further.

I see these being used two ways. The first is as a simple visual prompt for students. The top half of the sheet is perfect for this. They get to see a quick process. They get to see how it could work. The best thing about this is that people will see these and go, "That's good but if I was going to do this I would use.......".

If students and or teachers want a more detailed explanation than the step-by-step instructions are available.

Print them off, fold it in half and use as posters in your class. I hope you find these useful.

Mobile Learning and Play for Kids - Fingerprint

There seems to be some excellent apps for the little ones lately. Fingerprint are one lot of developers that seems to have hit the right combination of fun, instruction and cool graphics. I rarely promote individual app publishers on the blog but I have continued to find more and more interesting apps from these guys. Normally I try to give people a series of apps so they can choose one that suits the way they work or the way their students learn but today I have listed a number of apps from the same company. These guys have over 30 apps many of them free.

Scribble My Story:
Scribble My Story is a junior version of the popular Scribble Press App. Scribble My Story is a design collaboration between Fingerprint’s early learning experts and the Scribble Press team to deliver an age appropriate creativity experience. This is a book and art creation platform where kids can imagine, create, and share what they make with their parents.

https://itunes.apple.com/au/app/scribble-my-story-fingerprint/id582092430?mt=8

Step-by-Story:

The sky’s limit when you go camping with Caillou! This Step-by-Story app let’s your child set the scene for a playful camping adventure. Step-by-Story apps engage your child’s imagination while building reading readiness skills. Caillou’s is carefully designed for pre-readers and early readers to combine settings, characters and actions to create brand new stories to read, watch and share.

https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/step-by-story-imagination/id600714124?mt=8

The Veggie Tales:
Every element of this app is designed to keep tyour child focused on the right things. The screens feature large buttons that require press-and-hold, so they can’t be pressed by accident. Stories are deliberately short and easy to create, so that the youngest of children can experience the fulfillment that comes from being able to complete a meaningful task without help from an adult.

https://itunes.apple.com/au/app/step-by-story-veggietales/id582859804?mt=8

Panda Panda:
Panda Panda is an original book character brought into the digital world with an exciting and fun new app that combines great game play and great storytelling for children who love Pandas or who love Vacuuming! This is a good thing, because Panda makes messes everywhere he goes! Help Panda clean up by dragging and dropping toys, blocks, clothes and even snacks into the right toy chests.

https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/panda-panda-no-more-mess!/id583175398?mt=8

Green Streets:
Join the fun in the magical town of Green$treets by rescuing endangered animals! Earn money by planting a beautiful garden, or by tossing items in the treehouse using a catapult and keeping ShmootzTM, the gooey monster who is always making a mess, from ruining all the fun! After the animals are rescued, take care of them by feeding and playing with them until they are ready to go home.

https://itunes.apple.com/au/app/green$treets-unleash-loot!/id564402206?mt=8

Minuscule Private Lives of Insects:
Enter the tiny, but totally exciting world of Minuscule! This racing app follows the story of a mischievous Ladybug, an angry Fly, an army of Red Ants and many more interesting insects. At each level, you must race and dodge to collect coins – and unlock new environments to explore. What tiny wonders will you discover in your travels?

https://itunes.apple.com/au/app/minuscule-private-life-insects/id616285229?mt=8

Whole Wide World:
Whole Wide World takes you on a journey of sight, sound and play. Learn about the monarch butterflies of Mexico and the giant rocks of Iceland. Ride a Kangaroo in Australia or find hidden objects in China! Fill your scrapbook with postcards from around the world and learning fun facts along the way.

https://itunes.apple.com/au/app/fingerprint-whole-wide-world/id502033710?mt=8