Classroom Ipad Rules

I was thrilled last year to be given a class set of ipads!! I can't believe what a difference they've made for my teaching!  However, I knew that before I could hand them out to my high-school students I'd have to develop a list of rules about their use and a system to keep track of them.

My new students are very excited about using the ipads and can't wait to get their hands on one next week.  However, before I let them loose I need to go over some of the basic rules for their use.  I spend some time talking about how lucky we are to have them (one of only 2 classrooms at my school with access to ipads) and that using them is a privilege.  Luckily the students really seem to pick up on this and respond well to the rules that I've established for their use.

The first day I allow the students on the ipads I go over the rules that I have posted in the classroom. (Click the image below to get a copy of the ones I have posted.)  We spend some time talking about why the rules are in place and the importance of following them. And we talk about consequences... which are really very simple in my class... you break a rule, you lose the ipad for the day.  You break a rule twice and you lose the right to an ipad for a month.  Last year... I only had one student break a rule twice. (He somehow managed to put a lock on the ipad that only he could undo. Sooo frustrating!!)

After talking about the rules... I let the students just play!  They love it! They take pictures, they distort the pictures, they watch videos, they web surf and they giggle! I let them get the giggly "oh my goodness these ipads are soo cool, I can't believe we get to use them"... giggles out of their system. It seems to work!  The second time we use them... it's all business.

Luckily, the settings on an ipad can be locked down very well. My students cannot download programs, change settings, add / delete an app or do anything too terrible to them.  Frustratingly, they can change the language (I once opened an ipad to see Japanese!) and change the wallpaper settings.  Minor inconveniences that I can ask the students to fix... they do it once, get caught and never do it again!  (Having a good sign-out system means I know who changed things!)

What are some systems you have in place for using ipads or technology in your classroom?? Have I missed something hugely important?? Would love to hear what some of you do? 

To read more about why I love my ipads check out this previous blog post.  Stay tuned for more posts this year too!  I plan to write about some of my favorite apps and uses for the ipads.

Thanks!
Addie

Classroom i-pads

I'm in love... in love with my i-pad!  AND... I'm lucky enough to have a set of i-pads in my classroom and I have to say they've transformed the way I teach and how my classroom operates... we've hardly used a textbook since we got them!  The i-pads are a powerful tool and means students literally have the world at their fingertips! 

Here are some of my favorite things about having i-pads in my science classroom.

1. Because of their portability, there's much, much more collaboration and sharing between students.  I love nothing more than seeing students showing each other what they're learning.
2. Because we're in our classroom using them, we're closer together physically then we would be in the computer lab.  Students can work together in small groups and easily discuss ideas and still have room to write something down / create a project / type something out etc.  It's also much easier for me to keep an eye on what they're up to and monitor their use. (Although I have to say the kids have been awesome about staying on-task!)
3. Kids can work at their own pace - they can flip through a video and pause and play it as they need to. Or work through an activity / app at their own pace rather than watching me do it on a projector.
4. The apps are amazing!! Where else can students zoom in on the surface of Mars? or the Moon? Interact with molecules and see them from all angles? Build and create 3-D models? Make a video? Watch a video? Take a photo of something related to our subject and then write about it? Research just about anything their minds can think of?
5. Science is so visual - what better way to learn about glaciers than to take a virtual cruise up Glacier Bay?  We "virtually visited" a local glacier on Google Earth and students were able to zoom in and out how and when they want to?  My students didn't even know there were glaciers practically in their backyard and were blown away by what was on the other side of the local mountains! And... they can see how glaciers have changed the landscape... locally! My students were so engaged as they virtually zoomed around our area looking for evidence of glaciation that glaciers suddenly became relevant and no longer just big chunks of ice that they had to learn about just because it's part of the curriculum.
6. i-pads are just plain FUN!! The novelty hasn't worn off yet! My students LOVE to use them and we are all constantly amazed at what we have access to and what we can do with them.  Because they're enjoying the i-pads and what we're able to do with them, the students have shown great respect in how they use and handle them... I've had no issues with misuse (yet!).

I'm just touching the tip of the iceberg with my classroom i-pads and I can't wait to spend some time exploring more possibilities with them this summer. 

Stay tuned for more blog posts ahead with my favorite apps, tips for setting up i-pads in your own classroom and more of the pros (and some cons) of having them. 

 

Have you got access to i-pads in your classroom? What do you think?

Addie