Amplifying Learning with the iPad

My Students

There isn't a technology more immersive, flexible and engaging than the iPad 2! This mobile device eliminates barriers to investigating, learning, documenting, & sharing. The iPad has whipped software developers into a frenzy with novel embedded technologies (accelerometer, gyroscope, etc.).

Our students are like most other 7th and 8th graders, we have the continuum of bright inquisitive minds through distracted, unmotivated, and harshly deprived students.

Approximately 60 percent are on free and reduced lunch (a national poverty indicator). And there are huge gaps in technology access between different students. As eager as students are to use technology, very few exhibit or have the opportunity to practice 21st Century skills in a constructive, informed fashion. Unfortunately, money that might helped give more students access to 21st Century tools for learning and communication has been earmarked for assessment (standardized testing). Our school has the leadership & empowered teachers to help students use multimedia and connected learning, but our students have limited access to the technology.

My Project

iPads provide a (lower cost) device that reduces the ratio of computers to students. Since the iPad cannot be used yet for 'testing stations', we are assured that when our iPads are available, students will be using them for the process of inquiry (research), collection of data, collaboration (both within the school and globally), and communication of what they are learning in a multimedia fashion. iPads give our students a fast, touch driven, intuitive, focused, differentiated way to locate, filter, capture, edit, share, and publish information that is colorful, audible, animated, and synthesized from many sources. We have (some) of the iPads we need–though we really could use more iPads and some funding for Apps–a greater priority is to get covers for the iPads we have to protect them from being dropped, slide, or bumped. We need iPad cases that provide screen and back protection, edge and corner protection, and also hold the iPads in various orientations while they are being used.

iPads will give my students access to all of the amazing resources of the internet.

Students will learn how to use technology to access more choices, then filter & narrow down those choices intelligently. Science research students will be able to collect real data, analyze it, & publish it. Video productions students will be able to use still, video cameras & microphones to create digital story telling assets. They'll learn to craft impactful messages while experimenting w/light & composition.