Wednesday, March 21, 2012

iPads in the classroom: Videos from three perspectives

You're an educator, perhaps a language teacher, and have an interest in how iPads can improve your teaching practice. But maybe you're not super confident about your tech skills and definitely don't consider yourself to be on the bleeding edge of technology. With the release of the new iPad, you're feeling excited to give this device a try, but you also may be feeling a bit overwhelmed by the possibilities. If so, then welcome to the club! You're definitely not alone. This is how many educators are feeling with regards to using technology in their classrooms.

The hype is all well and good, but when it comes time to actually use a new device, things aren't so simple. Take the iPad, for example. It's big in the news right now, and the thing is undeniably cool. But there is a bridge of questions that needs to be crossed before you can turn exciting potential into concrete reality within your teaching situation. For now, however, it can be helpful to simply view how other educators are making use of iPads. What are teachers slightly ahead of you on the technology adoption curve doing? So that's what we'll focus on here: three case scenarios of iPads in the classroom. Not all of these are focused on language learning, but the aim here is to simply give interested yet overwhelmed teachers a chance to see some examples of how it's being done. I invite you to take a few minutes and check out the videos below. Hopefully after you've done so, you'll have a wider view of what's possible for you and your students.


Case 1: Archbishop Mitty HS iPad pilot program (San Jose, California)
This article over at Siliconvally.com chronicles how the entire school is jumping in head first into using iPads with their students. Basic issues are addressed, such as who controls the iPads, how many are currently being used, how the school is managing the costs involved, and some of the main apps and accessories that teachers are making use of. For now, just watch:

A few things stand out for me when I watch this video, mostly how cool it must be when an entire school district gets behind this sort of technology use. It's amazing to see what is possible when everyone, from teachers to students to administrators, moves together. I also feel a bit envious and depressed because in my teaching situation we are nowhere near such a level! It's basically just me and a few like-minded colleagues interested in doing something with iPads up against a slow-moving bureaucracy. [Sigh] Still, it's good to see how things could be. Although this clip doesn't get into anything specific, I can take away a few things, such as the way students are collaborating in groups with their iPads. Perhaps I could do something like that, but how?

Case 2: The iPad for building literacy
Here is a totally cute and well-produced little clip featuring elementary school children in the States. They talk about how they are using iPads in their class for learning how to read. This one is good for language teachers, as the activities and apps they feature are easily transferable to an ELT setting. Check it out:
Overall, I like how this clip features students working in pairs; this means you don't need to have an iPad for every student. In fact, even if you only had a few, they could be used if you set up your class in a kind of "station" arrangement: students, in pairs, could rotate around to different stations in the room, doing different sorts of language practice at each one- speaking practice here, reading Graded Readers there, and reviewing vocab or some other activity with an iPad over here.


Case 3: How one teacher personally uses his iPad
Whereas the first case modeled program-wide iPad implementation and the second looked at specific usage examples, this final case showcases one teacher's perspective. Bob Smith's presentation runs about 14 minutes and introduces the iPad in an accessible way to educators who are just beginning to think about using this technology. Issues covered include the iPad's form factor and cost, student uses, the advantages of e-textbooks, faculty uses, classroom management (via the app Teacher's Attaché), and giving traditional presentations (via Keynote). The app Sadun's Whiteboard, an app that turns your iPad into an electronic smart board, is also demonstrated.
So there you have it: a brief look at how iPads are being used in the classroom, from three different perspectives. Again, my aim here was to give teachers just staring out with iPads some visual models and ideas of what's possible. Although these clips do not all directly relate to language teaching, I hope that seeing how this device is being used has been helpful. If so, then we'd love to hear from you.

From watching these clips, what has stood out for you?

Note: the photo above was taken from this page.

Wednesday, March 14, 2012

The NEW iPad: What's in it for language teachers?

As you may well know by now, Apple has announced the release of a new iPad. And in case you missed last week's keynote presentation, here are 90 seconds of mind-blowing, amazing, and incredible highlights :-)

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Okay, there you go. Looks great! But what's in it for language teachers? In what ways will this new iPad be an even more effective tool for enhancing language learning? Let's break it down by looking at what benefits the new hardware and software improvements may bring.


New hardware
While this year's iPad looks almost identical to the iPad 2, the under-the-hood technical improvements promise to make significant enhancements to the overall user experience, thus making this machine a more effect learning tool. First off is the killer new Retina display. In short, it's going to be gorgeous to look at. Photos and video will look even better than they do now, and text will be easier to read. While this does not directly impact its efficacy as a language learning tool, the new display will have a subtle yet powerful overall effect. The "wow factor" of the device should continue, making it even more exciting to use for students and teachers alike. The faster processor and ability to use more advanced data networks (such as 4G) will also help improve usability in practical ways. For example, look forward to not having to wait so long for a Google Map to render or for a video to start running. For sure, a faster, zippier machine will be a big plus. Next, the new iSight camera promises to improve the quality of projects involving photos or video. The five mega-pixel camera will take better photos and be able to shoot full high definition (1080p) video. It will now be possible to create more ambitious projects with the device, a theme we'll be revisiting frequently in future posts on this blog. Finally, in addition to the new iPad, Apple announced a new version of the Apple TV, that little back box you attach to a big-screen TV. The Apple TV offers teachers the ability to stream video at full HD resolution and wirelessly mirror your iPads display on your classroom's big-screen TV. This will open up some powerful capabilities, again something we'll be writing more about on this blog. Finally, if you're happy with the current iPad 2 and money is an issue, then you'll be glad to note that Apple will continue to sell the 2nd generation device at a reduced price (US$399).

New software
While the new iPad's hardware is exciting enough, the real benefits of the device manifest through the software. Most exciting were the updates to iLife apps GarageBand and iMovie, and the introduction of iPhoto. All of the iLife apps are now available for the iPad. Let's take a look at what's new in each one. First up, GarageBand. As before, this is a powerful and fun tool for creating music. It can also be used as an audio editor for recording and editing spoken interaction, creating podcasts, or just for mucking about and having fun. The new key improvement is Jam Session, the capability of recording up to four people playing at the same time. Check it out:

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Jam Session looks really exciting and will be a boon for students and teachers who wish to make music with their iPads. How such a project can help improve language education is a topic worthy of exploration.

Next up is the refresh to iMovie, the video editing app. Combined with the new and improved camera and display, this update promises to make video editing projects easier and more fun to create. I'm especially looking forward to the new "movie trailer" feature, which will help students new to video editing create high quality video clips right off the bat. Check out this product run through to see what the new iMovie can do:

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Finally, iPhoto. This app looks simply spectacular and will greatly improve the ability to edit and share photos. As with iMovie, this app will really take advantage of the improved display, processor, and camera. I expect iPhoto will be a cornerstone for photo-based projects on the new iPad, enabling students to create and share some stunning work. Take a look at this product run-through and imagine the possibilities.

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So there you have it- the new iPad. The combination of new hardware and software offers lots of promise for making this an even more effective tool for enhancing language learning in numerous creative ways. I hope you found this overview helpful. As I mentioned, in future posts we'll be exploring more in depth what can be done with this amazing device. If you have any questions or feedback, we'd love to hear it. This blog, after all, is for you- the working language teacher interested in enhancing your teaching practice with powerful new technology.