A Paperless Paper Entry 2

Today I introduced the students to their iPads!  Their little faces were literally aglow with excitement.  First I had them “name” their iPads using photo booth and photos.  They simply took their own picture and then saved it to their home and lock screen.  That way, each student will be able to use the same iPad day after day.
 
We made sure we allowed them to spend time playing with photo booth.  Giving kids time to play with new stuff is essential to avoid distraction later when we want them to really dig in and work.  Demystifying apps and tools is key in making room for the real learning.  

We had 2 ipad1's without cameras. In that case we took some screen shots of things that the students identified with. You can take a screen shot by holding down the home button and the power button at the same time. For example, one student enjoyed a certain reading series, so she took a shot of a book cover and made that her home screen.  

Next, I showed them some very basic features of the app, Notability.  After about 15 minutes of doodling time with the app I paused and showed them some more tools in Notability like the filing system, web clips, and drawing tools.  It will probably take a few more sessions with the app before we begin any serious writing.  

Classroom management is key in a successful project. So for this project we assigned 2 trustworthy little 4th graders to be the ones to pass out the iPads and check for charging needs after each session.
We also used Apple TV to model some iPad basics. Apple TV requires users to be on the same network and have the same apple ID entered on their device. So here is a little tip for those of you interested in using Apple TV in your class.  Create a class Apple ID so that you can have your classroom devices using the same ID and then they can jump on the Apple TV without having to touch the devices that want to share.  

Written By:  Jennifer Krzystowczyk

@jennykbps