A number of teachers have asked me for recommendations about Applications for iPad use in school. The short answer is that it is early days yet and the key will be which applications remain once the initial novelty of the iPad wears off.I have been checking a number of reports from the early adopters in schools around the world. Almost without exception they report the wonderful student engagement with the iPad. My response to that is - what did you expect? Its a wonderful piece of tech that is eye-catching and attentions-grabbing. But that alone does not make it an ideal tool for teachers and students. We must look beyond the excitement of new technology and ask ourselves how it will contribute to our educational goals and outcomes.
We have all seen the use of desktop computers and laptops as baby-sitting tools designed to keep the children quiet for a few minutes at a time. How great that we have passed that point and we are now seeing how well they can enhance a child's creativity under the guidance of an inspirational teacher. Lets not repeat the mistakes of the past but lets look for the gems that will make this new technology a great tool to produce great examples of creativity, collaboration and thinking in our classrooms.
This list of iPad Apps is in no particular order, and I can't even claim to have tried them all. But at some stage somebody has recommended them to me in my visits to schools so they should be worth a try.
Great list of apps here. More than people usually put together and some interesting choices.
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