Apparently, I started this post months ago and then never published it. Gives me some time to reflect a bit on it – especially since I am posting this from my iPad while on the train to Boston to go to an Apple iPad deployment institute….
I admitted, quite publicly, that I was initially highly skeptical of the iPad craze. However, after 2 years of experimentation, it really may be the next great device for education. What’s difficult, though, is figuring out the not just the millions of apps, but what to actually do with them in order to revolutionize the classroom experience.
Kathy Schrock, author of iPads in the Classroom, recently posted a great App Evaluation Form. It has a great checklist to help determine if an app has true educational value, or is just flash.
We have a list of other app evaluation resources available at EdTechTeacher – http://edtechteacher.org/index.php/teaching-technology/mobile-technology-apps. Because, as explained in the Sesame Street video below, for almost every challenge, there’s an app for that.
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EhkxDIr0y2U]
However, what has really been lacking is examples of best practices in the classroom. For that reason, Greg Kulowiec – also at EdTechTeacher– and I are trying to collect blog posts and case studies to add to the EdTechTeacher blog. If you are a classroom teacher with a story to tell, please contact me.