Control your iPads with Guided Access

More and more schools are integrating iPads into classrooms. And while there are tons of apps designed for social studies teachers that encourage quality teaching and learning, new tools always create unexpected consequences. One of the things that I constantly hear from teachers is that their students are easily distracted while using iPads.

It’s easy to say that it’s simply a matter of designing engaging lessons to keep kids on task. But we all realize that the iPad, and all of its bells and whistles, can be hard to resist. You might have one or two students who are always off-task no matter what is assigned. So teachers keep asking

Is there some sort of management tool that I can use to keep that one kid where he belongs?

And the answer is

My new fav iPad app – Oyster: “It’s Netflix for books!”

We all know Netflix. Hard copy DVDs delivered to your door and on-demand, online video streaming. Depending on your account type, it’s basically unlimited access to video content, anywhere / anytime. Pretty wesome stuff for minimal amounts of money per month.

Is it possible to do the same thing with books?

Oyster says yes.

The new app lets you “rent” unlimited books for $9.95 per month and access them on your iPhone or iPad anywhere / anytime. Think Netflix for books. Pretty sweet.

The SAMR model of tech integration and mobile apps

Back in the early days of my informal tech integration training, I heard Alan November share his thoughts on how schools could begin the process of embedding technology into instruction.

At that time, he talked about three different levels of integration that seem to make sense to me:

• automate
• informate
• innovate

The goal was to move from using technology to complete tasks we’ve always done to using technology for tasks that have never before been done. From using a computer grading program to speed up the scoring of multiple choice tests to using a mobile app to create an interactive and collaborative e-book.

November suggested that we need to move beyond thinking about the tool and think more about the task. Decide first what we want to accomplish and then select the tool:

No one who ever bought a drill wanted a drill. They wanted a hole.
Perry Marshall

It’s the end result that matters, not the tool.

Learning Together just may be the anti-Khan Academy

One of the problems that I have with the whole Flipped Classroom movement is the idea that we can just give kids videos to watch and expect learning to happen. Many of the videos are simple talking heads or worse (I’m talking to you Khan Academy), simply a disembodied voice talking over slides or a whiteboard.

There’s no interactivity, no discussion. It’s simply a passive video.

Even the very cool TedEd stuff, which is a huge step up from Khan Academy math videos, is basically some kid watching a video alone.

But don’t despair. There may be a solution out there.

History Geek Week Day Four: iPads and the social studies classroom

Just so you know. Best NCSS conference in a long time. It’s been a great week – meeting new people, learning new things, talking about new ideas.

And the Sandra Day O’Connor & Gerda Weissman Klein panel / US naturalization ceremony on Saturday was simply amazing. That session made the trip.

So good luck, Tom Daccord of EdTechTeacher / Teaching History with Technology fame. You’ve got big shoes to fill early on a Sunday morning on the last day of the conference.

Though I’m not really that worried. Tom’s stuff is pretty amazing and this morning’s session is on iPads. So this is probably the best place to finish off what has already been a great four days.

Here’s the problem that Tom sees in education today:

History Geek Week Day Three: Mobile Devices and student voice

After the Beyond the Bubble session, my day is officially over. I really don’t need anything else today because that session was so useful.

But there are still some good sessions being offered today, I suppose. So I’m sitting in on a session about using mobile devices in the classroom and am learning / sharing about what this looks like.

Some cool conversations. The other cool thing? Two Kansas people are part of the panel.