Can Apple Save Education?

Peter sent me a link to this infographic which was created by the hype generated around Apple's re-entry into education last month with the introduction of their interactive text books.

Via: OnlineEducation.net

Great Art & Craft ideas for Teachers and Students

Scribbled.com.au is a highly creative site for those who want to learn about innovative art and craft ideas.   

Scribbled is packed with activities to suit all abilities but best of all everything is laid in in step-by-step directions with photographs to support them.  There are a number of themed ideas for all major events of the year with new crafts and activities being added each week.

Teachers will also love the video tutorials and printables to jazz up their classrooms.  There are also  activities and games particularly aimed at younger children.

Take a look at scribbled today and release some of your creative energy.

Free Printable Graphic Organizers

This collection of ready-to-use graphic organizers will help children classify ideas and communicate more effectively. All of our printable graphic organizers are designed to facilitate understanding of key concepts by allowing students to visually identify key points and ideas. By using graphic organizers across all subject areas, you will be empowering your students to master subject-matter faster and more efficiently. We have graphic organizers for reading, science, writing, math, and for general use. You'll also find blank printable templates like graph paper, dot arrays, and other useful tools. Access them here.

Cnet: Why iPad's and iBooks are not a viable solution for schools.

I am big fan of the iPad and can see a lot of potential for it in education even if it is a little hard to define still after nearly three years on the market. 

In the past I have identified some of the short fallings in using iPad's as a mainstream educational computer but today Cnet published an intersting article about why Apple's latest innovation and reworking of the textbook may be just too much for schools to adopt in a financial and logistical sense. 

The article is here and I'd love to hear your thoughts on it as I know many schools have had mixed reviews of iPad's thus far.

Apple unveil their vision of Education

With the iPad out now for nearly three years now and already in the hands of millions of teachers and students around the globe their seemed to be a clear void in the purpose for bringing them into a classroom.  This was of course beyond a range of useful apps targeted at specific areas of the curriculum such as some of the ones we have identified in the past.

There was no real connection between the teacher, student and the iPad that was intended by apple to actually enhance teaching and learning. 

Today in New York, Apple went some way to addressing that and will surely start a frenzy of digital publishing to meet their vision as outlined below by introducing three new and / or improved products for the iPad. 

Here is the official and quite corny promo video for all of these products fro Apple with a breakdown of each below it.

iBooks 2

Beyond being that annoying icon on your iPad that you could never put into another folder and iBooks had never really been a great success for Apple who had dominated music and apps because most people who wanted to read an e-book would do so on a kindle which had a monstrous catalogue, much cheaper price point and genuine battery life.

Apple's solution to this was quite innovative as per usual and that is to reinvent the e-book for today's students.  An e-book will look a text book from the 1950's up against some of the example texts Apple have created which you can see below.

This was probably what every company in the world wanted to do with e-books already but didn't already have hundreds of millions of devices in users hands and billions in the bank to develop and refince e-books. 

iBooks 2 looks amazing is packed with multilayered, text images and data which is always up to date with the press of a button and offers students the ability to take notes, images and information and use it as they desire.

Take a look at it here.

iTunes U

iTunes U builds on iBooks but also incorporates Apples own learning management system where teachers, professors, publishers can not only publish great content but also set tasks, projects, lectures and link to any area of the web to develop a purpose for the iPad. 

iTunes U now offers a syllabus, teacher bio and a course description and overview. You can get assignments here, bringing you to specific parts of your textbook. you can also keep tabs on homework and course material, and highlight and take notes on texts.

iBooks Authoring Tool

This is the kicker from Apple that will really accelerate the growth of this platform and make paper and pulp publishers totally rethink what they are doing.  iBooks Author looks to be ( As I have not yet trialled it - I will access it shortly and let you know my thoughts ) a beautiful drop and drag, WYSIWYG publishing tool to turn that 5 kg door stop book on human anatomy into a 21st century text book kids will be excited to open again.  Once again it simplifies the publishing process in the same manner Garageband and iMovie did ten years ago with audio and video.  Take a look below.

Obviously there are many questions still to be answered in the real world about iPad's and education and their worthiness on a book list which we will explore in greater detail in future but there is now after three years a clear commitment, business plan and opportunity for Educational publishers to deliver curriculum like never before.

I'd love to hear your thoughts on Apple's latest keynote and quest for world domination.

Using iPads in Education

Here are a couple of great documents about using ipads in the classroom.  They have some great ideas for maths and numeracy.

iPads for Learning Getting Started

Slide to Learn - Educators Guide to the iPad, iPod and iPhone

iPhone & iPad Apps for Teachers: Today in History

Today in history is a dead simple way to get historical information instantly regarding events, births, deaths and special customs and events associated to the day. 

As a bit of history Buff it caught my attention because it is full of facts linked to Wikipedia and lets me find both nibbles and in depth information on thousands of topics ranging from the strange through to bizarre.

However as a literacy who is always looking for fresh and relevant ideas Today in History offers a wealth of writing prompt materials. 

For instance today November 22 is the anniversary of JFK's assassination in Dallas 1963.  This was a great discussion topic for my class to explore the notion of 'conspiracy theories and cover ups' that led my students to research why people go to such great lengths to cover up the truth? 

We discussed JFK and then the kids brought up Roswell...  We ended up writing a short essay on "Does society sometimes need protection from the truth?"

Anyhow.. If this sort of thing is your cup of tea then take a look at Today in History here. and let me know if you know of any other great History / Writing apps

3 Great iPad apps for Teachers and Students

Here are a few more apps you might want to give youself or students a chance to explore on as they offer some great learning opportunities.

Caster Free:  This great free app lets you create, edit  and publish podcasts in the simplest manner. Great app for students in the classroom.

Idea Sketch:  Idea Sketch lets you easily draw a diagram - mind map, concept map, or flow chart - and convert it to a text outline, and vice versa. You can use Idea Sketch for anything, such as brainstorming new ideas, illustrating concepts, making lists and outlines, planning presentations, creating organizational charts, and more!

Paperdesk Lite:  Leave behind your paper notebook for your next class lecture or meeting. PaperDesk is a simple, easy-to-use notebook replacement made specifically for the iPad. The entire design goal behind PaperDesk was to mimic, as closely as possible, a simple pad of paper with no unnecessary frills. Yet it still boasts features that enable quick and responsive note taking.
PaperDesk allows you to keep a "Desk" full of your notebooks.