Wednesday, April 30, 2014

 IPads in Education Class participants,

I have received in the past 2 months 16 IPAD minis.  I was very busy with them when they first arrived in the library and excited as well.  Attempting to gain some direction I began using the app store.  I enjoyed looking at and interacting with many creative apps.  Getting them organized was a priority.  I learned how to put them into folders.  After creating a stockpile of apps I wondered how  I would get them onto the other 15 minis.  Hannah Baker from the IT office was able to push them out to all of the minis.  She asked if I wanted them pushed out by grade level.  I discovered that that would help me keep them more organized.  

As I began using the apps, I discovered some were more useful for big groups and some were more useful for small groups . One of the apps I'm using with a small group is called Doodle Buddy.  It's not an educational app.  I have been using it with some RTI behavior challenged students.  They love "doodling" with this app.  It's been fun to watch them use the tools on it to create a fun product.

This past week I challenged this small group to create a project based on a recent bullying assembly the whole school had attended.   Many of these same small group participants also heard a story in the library that was related to the assembly. The story is called "You Are Special" by Max  Lucado.
One of the RTI students had the idea to take  a selfie with the camera which then became the new background in their doodle buddy project.  With the built in text feature on doodle buddy, I had students type "You Are Special."  Then the students decorated their project. This week I will use the "reflector" app to show off their completed project on the promethean board.  

When we connected the fun doodle buddy app with an all school assembly and a related book from the library, the doodle buddy app and it's usefulness took on a whole new meaning.

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