App store redesign for education

I have just noticed that Apple have redesigned the Education category of the App store. It no longer is simply a list educate related apps but a sensible set of links to different types of apps.

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Apps for teachers

I have just been shown by someone in Apple Education that the App store has a hidden gem for teachers using iPads. Follow this link and you will be taken to a page on the app store that has apps categorised by: Classroom tasks, Curricula support, Instructional tools and personal organisation.

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iPad Lesson Ideas Videos

You can access 5 iPad lesson idea videos here

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20 iPad Lesson ideas

Syncing iPads for the classroom

I read an article on Edudemic last night entitled A Quick Guide To Managing A Classroom Full Of iPads and I thought it would be interesting to see what it had to offer. From the outset this post states that it is sponsored so take the equipment recommendations with a pinch of salt but the advice is sound.

Basically we have two options for syncing:

Wired via a sync station such as the Bretford cart or tray or from another provider such as Lapsafe’s Unocart or Parat’s Sync case. There are other companies that offer these solutions as well from companies such as Leba and Griffin. All these solutions are quite expensive costing between £700 and £3000. You will require a Mac or PC to do the syncing.

Wireless using your existing network to sync the iPads back to a computer. This has the drawback of using your bandwidth and the associated unreliability or wireless connections. Having said this there are schools successfully using this technique. You will still need to charge the iPads and again you can buy solutions from the manufacturers mentioned above but I have seen schools use their own ingenuity to create their own charging cabinets. Below is one from Gaviburn Primary School sources from Ikea and Maplins fer less than £100.

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Is One Laptop Per Child Working?

With more and more iPad 1:1 projects going into schools it is interesting to see how other projects with other devices are progressing. A 15 month study of over 300 schools in Peru by the Inter-American Development bank has concluded that the One Laptop per Child project is not enough on its own to improve educational outcomes

I’m not surprised really as we know that if there is no attempt to integrate the laptops into the curriculum there will be no gains. This was exacerbated by the fact that the laptops had no software for maths or languages included on the build.

So how are the iPad 1:1 projects different? What we are seeing is that iPads are not about technology or learning about using software but all about the curriculum. With over 50,000 education iPad apps on the app store and over 600,000 education resources on iTunes U the iPad is a different beast to a computer and one that is really suited to the classroom. The other factor to consider is professional development. What needs to given to teachers to help them integrate iPads into the curriculum? This is why Apple Professional Development has come to the fore in recent months.

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Real time collaboration with Primary Pad

Some time ago I posted about Primary Wall which is a sticky post it collaborative environment I have used quite a bit with classes. It is not perfect but is useful. However it seems that the same organisation have started developing a collaborative writing environment called Primary Pad. Primary Pad is based on the Open Source Etherpad project. This is well worth looking at for collaborative writing projects.

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Are Netbooks an iPad alternative?

When working with teachers they often say that they have Netbooks in school but they don’t work properly and I am intrigued why. Tis came to the surface again when I read an article about a school district in San Diego that has switched to iPads after an investment in 75,000 Netbooks.

So why the switch?

iPads are instant on and the Netbooks took an age to log onto the network
The battery life was longer on the iPads
The screen is actually bigger on the iPad
The choice of apps on the iPad
The emergence of iPad textbooks

When talking to some teachers last week who were at the same stage in switching they had independently come to the same conclusions.

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iPad Keyboards

As I migrate to an iPad only existence I have realised that at my age that if I need to write large documents such as the course I am writing at present I do like to see more of the page as I write. This made me look at alternatives to the iPad’s virtual keyboard. Actually I do use the virtual keyboard to do a lot of tasks but writing is one I do struggle with – it is an age thing I iknow.

The Apple Bluetooth keyboard is a great keyboard and I have tried that but found that it was just too big to take around with me. Also costing £50 is another reason to think of alternatives.

I have had a Teknet case and keyboard for some time and really have got used to using the keyboard and do like it a lot. It has a good feel to it and works well for me. It might just be that I have got used to it. The downside is that it makes the iPad look pretty chunky and a little awkward to use as a normal iPad due to its size and attached keyboard.

I then looked for a suitable small stand alone keyboard that I could slip into my bag along with my iPad for use on the go. I came across the Sharon keyboard which has a charging function on it too. This is a great size if a little heavy but ill also charge my iPad about 2 times whilst I am on the move. It is a little cramped as you would expect for the size but useable. I have writtenthe 2000 word course using it. It is very similar to a normal keyboard in terms of function and feel. I has some great iPad only features that make working on your iPad really quite quick.

Update. I have discovered that this keyboard slides around quite a bit on some surfaces so stuck a couple of rubber pads on the bottom.

Lastly I wanted to try something lightweight and as impressed with the look of the Chin Fai silicon Keyboard as it rolled up. In use it is bigger than you think but light. The feel is still quite cramped which is strange as it is bigger than the Sharon and Teknet. I think it will take some getting used to but I will persevere.

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Going Without a Mac

For some time now I have been working using a combination of a MacBook Air 11″ and an iPad. This resulted in my travelling about with both in my bag but as time has gone on I have realised that my Mac is only used to do very specific things:

My accounts
Edit video projects
Use iBooks Author
Use iTunes U manager

I became aware that when I was visiting schools, running courses or travelling that my Mac stayed in my bag begging the question why was it there? So with some trepidation I decided to ditch it and only operate with my iPad. So how has it been?

Pros
Lighter and smaller bag
Finding ways of doing more stuff on iPad
Less rubbish in my bag such as cables, power adapters, USB drives
Less confusion about where I have done things – is it on my iPad or on my mac
Actually being able to do some things quicker such as research
Connectivity – as I have a 3G iPad I am online most of the time

Cons
All my stuff is not available to me. I need to invest in a bigger DropBox or alternative. A subject for a future post I think.
Typing large documents is not that easy – see followup post on keyboards
Historic mail not being instantly accessible

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