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Posts tagged with digital backpack
by derrickwillard on February 3, 2012 at 2:43 pm · Filed under assessment, digital texts, iPad, paperless classroom and tagged: apps, assessment, digital backpack, iPad, paperless, textbooks
Two recent releases for the iPad2 just shifted my environmental science class a bit more towards being a paperless course. If you are here for the first time, note that I this is the second iPad pilot class I’ve run for my school-a travel-study course in Costa Rica this past summer and my current environmental science class. I had found plenty of apps that replace most tools in a student’s backpack (notebook paper, pens, calculator, etc…). But, the two pieces that were missing were apps to replace our printed texts and printed tests. Two weeks ago, I found those two pieces:
Paperless assessment: Socrative
Socrative is a FREE app that does a nice job allowing teachers to host quizzes or tests using iPads as “smart response systems.” I’ve tried to get eClicker and other “smart response” apps setup, but kept having issues connectivity. Socrative was simply and easy to set up. There is a teacher app (or you can run the assessments from a laptop) and a student response app. Last week I used the app for a preassessment quiz (formative assessment) on toxicity. It was a great tool for figuring out what my students already knew, and it also stimulated great discussion as we took the quiz. It was fabulous-no student could hide or had to wait (with hand raised) to be called on by me. My favorite feature is that Socrative puts the responses by student and question into an excel spreadsheet file and emails the results to you! So, I have yet to use the app for a graded (summative) quiz or test, but I can see the potential.
Paperless texts (digital texts): iBooks 2 for iPad
On January 19th, Apple launched the first interactive digital texts for high school/college students with the release of iBooks version 2.0.1. Until that day, I had issued a printed environmental science text with the iPad2 tablets early in the semester. My goal was to switch to the first truly digital text, Our Choice, for second semester. This innovative app/digital text was first released in April of 2011 and showcased in this 5 minute TedTalk by Mike Matas (Push Pop Press). The only issues I had with Our Choice was that it was not specifically written as a text for students, and that some students might consider it biased due to the book’s publisher, Al Gore. When Apple launched iBooks 2 recently, I decided to go with the environmental science text they offered (see Apple Store for more math and science options). While not as quite as interactive as Our Choice, the book is a decent first cut at a digital text for education. Students can easily manipulate chapters and pages and images. Vocabulary is hyperlinked to definitions. Students can highlight texts, and even type “sticky notes” within the pages. There are even multiple choice questions preloaded at the end of sections and chapters for kids to self-quiz. I can see how the second generation of these texts will quickly come closer to Our Choice (more embedded video content and interactive graphs).
So, what does all this mean for my class, my school, my profession, my planet?
*For my class, we are moving closer to having everything traditionally associated with a backpack inside an iPad2.
*For my school, this is one of several pilot projects at various grades to test the waters of a 1:1 tablet environment that is bound to arrive on our shores in the next few years.
*For my profession, I’m not sure….are we all bound to be slaves of Apple? Will other options appear soon? What do you think? I know there are already critics of the new digital texts. I think many of them are focusing on what the current version is, not what it can be. What is more powerful is that Apple release iBooks Author, and now teachers can become textbook publishers!
*For me, I am excited–particularly for our planet. Trees provide so many critical services for the planet like biodiversity, habitat, oxygen, carbon storage, soil protection, cooling….Why do we want to continue to ruin perfectly good trees by printing paper books?
by derrickwillard on November 11, 2011 at 11:42 am · Filed under blog, failure, Google Tools, iPad, paperless classroom and tagged: apps, blog, digital backpack, iPad, paperless
We are about 12 weeks into the school year, and about 9 weeks into an iPad pilot with my environmental science students. I’ve been trying to shift to a paperless classroom, allowing students to use iPads as “digital backpacks” for all their school needs. Here are some highlights and Apps used thus far:
1. Productivity. The kids have been using GeeWhiz! to mange our suite of Google Docs applications. This seems to be going fairly smooth, but there are a few glitches (see collaboration below also). One glitch is students cannot open attachments from mail in Google Docs, so they have to do that in Apple’s Mail application. This app makes it easy for me to distribute the syllabus, project instructions, and supplemental notes. With the exception of tests, I have pretty much gotten rid of paper in this class for this semester!
2. Presentation. I’ve issued several “mini-projects” where kids have to prepare short presentations to help teach topics or review content. The students have used Keynote, Explain Everything, and Pages with little to no training to prepare 3-5 slide presentations that require some research. Here is a short post showing a student projecting from his iPad2 using an interactive whiteboard (Explain Everything). With a iPad VGA adaptor any student can hook up to the projector and share their work!
3. Publishing. One year-long project for this environmental science class is raised rainbow trout for release in a local stream. Students are taking turns writing updates using the WordPress app at our class blog. The WordPress app has been pretty easy to use, but we have been disappointed to learn that we cannot upload video taken with the iPad2 directly into a blog post authored on the iPad2. Maybe future updates of the apps will allow us to do more than just upload images and text. Since we use the tank to teach a 1st grade class on campus about stages of animal development, the blog is one way for that class to stay abreast of changes between their visits. Please check out the blog and give them a few more hits on their ClustrMap.
3. Collaboration. We’ve been using collaborative spreadsheets in Google Docs (via G-Whizz!) to enter water quality data and observations during a ten-week artificial ecosystem experiment. Unfortunately, the mobile version of the Google Spreadsheet is limited in that it only allows one member (has to designed “owner”) of the team to enter data from an iPad. Occasionally, for no obvious reason, the owner of the spreadsheet gets locked out on the iPad also! This does not seem to be an issue with the desktop version.
4. Science Stuff. I have been researching science apps all fall, and have amassed quite a list. Several folks have Google Docs lists going out there and are soliciting app recommendations via Twitter. I’ve only used a few thus far. First, we used the Owl Pellet Activity app from Carolina Biological Supply Company for background info/videos on the owl pellets were were dissecting. After the dissection activity, students used the iAnnotate PDF app to write up their lab findings and analysis questions. Second, we used the Google Earth app to examine the concept of “ecological islands” (fragmented and isolated habitats) within our school grounds and surrounding area. Third, we used the LeafSnap app to attempt to identify some native tree species on campus. This app uses facial recognition software to compare pictures of leaves taken by students to a known database (see below). Neat idea, but students really need some basic training on tree identification and leaf anatomy before using the app. Just like with a Google search, students are apt to go with the first few search results!
Student using LeafSnap to ID a tree
5. Assessment. Thus far, this is a fail for me. I’ve found eClicker and Clicker School apps that could give me the ability to use the iPads as interactive response devices and perhaps for formal assessment. I tried eClicker, but realized too late all iPads needed to be on the same wifi network. Since faculty have a separate wifi network from students, I need to drop to the student mobile network and try again. More on that subject later. If I can find a solid assessment app that lets me have individual student accounts, I might yet eliminate paper from my class.
Of course, I would love to hear from other teachers (esp. science types) on useful apps…
by derrickwillard on August 11, 2011 at 2:13 pm · Filed under iPad, paperless classroom and tagged: apps, digital backpack, iPad
I just spent the morning with our IT Head, Matt Scully, picking apps to load into iPad2 tablets for my environmental science class for this school year. In a previous post, I likened this to packing a digital backpack. The iPad (and other tablets) provide so much functionality that you don’t just replace a notebook by using it, you replace what might have filled a backpack–pencils, markers, highlighters, erasers, notebooks, dictionary, calculator, textbooks…
We spent a lot of time talking about student workflow, and the tools that would help facilitate that workflow best. So, here is a list of tasks and apps we selected thus far (too many for me to link to each app, but you can find them all at iTunes):
Reading-iBooks, Diigo, Our Choice (digital text)
Writing-Notes, Noteshelf, iAnnotate PDF, Evernote
Publish-Wordpress, Pages, Keynote, iMovie
Watch/Listen-Videos, iTunes
Photograph-Photo, Flickr
Reference-WordWeb, Wikipanion, Wolfram Alpha
News-BBC, NPR
Calculate-Calucator3D
Map/Atlas-Maps, WorldHD
Satellite Imagery-Google Earth, Earth Observer
Field Guides-Weaterbug, LeafSnap HD, iYard Bird HD, Audubon Insect & Spider Guide
Productivity-G-Whizz (to manage our Google App suite of tools)
Will that cover everything my students need to do? We’ll see. I bet they find more as the year progresses.
So, what’s in your backpack?
by derrickwillard on May 31, 2011 at 7:25 pm · Filed under blended classroom, iPad, paperless classroom and tagged: digital backpack, iPad, students
In my last post, I told you I’m heading to Costa Rica June 6th-17th with a colleague and six students for a summer school travel course in tropical ecology. Today, Matt Scully (our IT guru) started “packing” our “digital backpacks,” what I’ve decided to call our iPads. I’m trying to meld an intense 11 day Life 1.0 field trip with the latest in Web 2.0 digital tools to shape a unique learning experience for our students. Part of what I’m doing here is laying out the logistics and reflecting on what transpires. So, how does “packing” work?
Well, first I created an “image” of a student “digital backpack” on my iPad (most of the apps are listed in my previous post) I also added course related videos, TEDTalks, podcasts, and ITunes U lectures and some related reading via Diigo. Then, I synched it with my computer. Then, I synched each student iPad with my computer. Now, I didn’t give them access to my entire library or all my apps. The beauty of the synch system Apple created is that I select and upload (synch) just what they need. Tomorrow is our trial run. The kids are coming in to learn how to use the iPads, as well as some basics on how to use a wiki and how to post on a blog. Stay tuned…
by derrickwillard on May 25, 2011 at 7:19 pm · Filed under iPad, paperless classroom and tagged: digital backpack, iPad, paperless
So, I’ve managed to get my hands on six iPads (1st generation) for my students in a summer school course. As I mentioned in a previous post, I’m trying to get my head around how to use the tool to accomplish learning tasks or student skills. I’m trying to think of the device as a “backpack,” and now I’m trying to fill it with things my students will need to in order to read, write, calculate, capture, create, share, and publish without paper. So far, I think I’ve identified some good apps to use:
Reading via iBooks, Google Books, Diigo
Writing via Penultimate, Noteshelf, or Evernote
Draw/create via SketchbookX
Calculate via Graphing Calculator 3D
Share pictures/video via Flickr
Create/publish via WordPress
The course is about tropical ecology of Costa Rica (yes, we are going there too) and runs June 6-17, 2011. You can find our class wiki here. You can find our class bog here. This will be a pilot for a year-long class next school year…stay tuned.
