My students need 18 styluses to use with the 18 iPads in the classroom so the students can work directly on the iPads and the classroom can become paperless.
Students are thrilled to use the iPads that the school has purchased, but find it very difficult to use the apps with their fingers. Using a stylus allows the students to easily write, click, etc. on the iPads. Games and worksheets can be completed more efficiently using the stylus.
My students are 10th, 11th, and 12th graders who are taking Chemistry to meet a graduation requirement.
The school is a public high school in an urban area of Texas. The students are evenly mixed between, African-Americans, Hispanic, and White. The school has 57% of the students on free and reduced lunch. Most of the students don't have access to computers and the internet at home, so they are thrilled to use such a new technology as the iPad.
Chemistry is a hard class for many students because they have to understand the macroscopic, mathematical, and molecular information. Using the iPads students will be able to see both the macroscopic and molecular information for chemistry. They will be able to do calculations and practice worksheets directly on the iPads so that the classroom can become totally paperless. Students will feel empowered by the school to learn difficult material on the iPad.
My Project
Having 18 iPads for student use is truly amazing. There are many free apps that I have downloaded onto the iPads so that students can learn chemistry. The scientific calculator app is great, but without a stylus it is easy to make mistakes when typing in the numbers. The free formula game is great but it is very hard to scroll in the right numbers without a stylus. Mahjong chemistry game is a fun way to learn the solubility rules, but it is hard to hit the right square without a stylus. Using screen chomp, pictures of the worksheets can be directly loaded onto the iPads for students to complete, but without the stylus the finger writing will be difficult. The eclicker program will allow quick assessments to be done each class using the stylus. The stylus will become the writing utensil for the students. Chemistry is such a "hard" class and many students give up so easily. By using the iPad with a stylus more students will be encouraged to continue to try.
Chemistry is such a hard class.
By using the iPads with the stylus, students will stay engaged and learning about chemistry in their lives. Most students don't even realize the touchscreen glass interacting with the stylus involved chemistry to design. Batteries are designed by chemists and allow the iPads to run all day on one charge. Students will be able to discover all the recent advancements in chemistry using the iPads with the donated styluses.
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