Mr.+O'Neal

=Mr. O'Neal's iPad Page=

**Wow! I don't know who's more excited to use iPads: me or my students. Over the past few weeks, I've been quite impressed with my classroom iPad. It's fast, user friendly, and just plain fun to use. I can't wait to explore all the learning opportunities they present. With so much information at their fingertip, I'm positive my students will enjoy learning even more. It will be exciting to see my students easily access information and share their newly acquired knowledge. Stay tuned... **

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==**Sep & Oct**: Wow! My students are so excited to use the iPads. I demonstrated how to turn them on and off, navigate the screens, and use them safely. Then I turned them loose to explore! Some loved to use the Rocket Math app. Others were exploring with Photo Booth and Camera. Still others were "Searching the World" with Google Earth. == == We used the iPads to practice multiplication facts and place value using Rocket Math, Math Lite, and Pearl Diver. Of course this generated some competition to build the fastest rocket. Students needed to solve more difficult problems to make their rockets faster. Several students used Grammar Dragon to refresh their grammar skills. Another app they enjoy using is Stack the States. Stack the States helps students discover locations of states, as well as state capitals. == ==**Oct**: Now that students have figured out Google Earth is not a web browser, they are using Mobicip to research. They are accessing background information on the non-fiction texts we're reading in class: stars and planets, medicines that come from plants, pioneers in medicines, and our federal government. Since students lack background in these topics, the iPad makes an excellent tool for students to use to gain some background information. == ==**Oct & Nov**: Some students are practicing their reading fluency using the iPad. I partnered students and had them video each other using the iPad. Then they could play back the video and critique themselves reading aloud. They had fun, and became more self-aware of their oral fluency. I also had a few students start to build presentations on Earth's landforms, a topic we're studying in science and social studies right now. Students used the Apple equivalent of Powerpoint: Keynote. The graphics were awesome and students were begging to do more! == == We have some new apps on our iPads, so I let students explore the apps and tell the class about them. Students are still using the iPads daily for math practice, grammar practice, and researching to gain background information for the non-fiction texts we read in small groups. Some of the reserach topics were the Galapagos Islands, our Constitution, cooking, and the Battle of Saratoga. I've noticed that students that seem disinterested in the topics, become interested when they can research the topic on the iPad. Yay iPad! == == **Nov & Dec** : Several students have used Screen Chomp, as well as a few new apps. We've learned how to save pictures into the camera roll, access the pictures, and use the pictures in a few of the presentation apps. Students have also explored using the iPad to video or record themselves. This is fun for them and it helps with their reading fluency. We may even use it to explain what we accomplished during the day so students that are absent can access missing information or assignments. == == Our next endeavor is creating a postcard for a social studies project. Thanks for the idea Cami! We are also using the iPads daily for more routine applications: taking AR quizzes, answering great discussions that pop up in discussions, and gaining background information on the many non-fiction stories we're reading in small groups. I'm amazed at some of the information students are accessing on subjects such as the following: ancient Egypt, Transcontinental Railroad, our solar system, South America, early America, animal habitats, and so much more. We are accessing, sharing, and learning much more about our world thanks to the iPad! == ==**Dec & Jan**: Our class created postcards based on the mini books we're reading in language arts. Students needed to imagine they were in the setting of the book they were reading. Then students learned how to access and save pictures, use their G mail accounts, and e-mail their teachers a postcard. The project took about two hours, but the results were fantastic. This particular app allowed students lots of freedom and creativity, and many students really enjoyed this project. == == We are continuing to use the iPads for math. We use the iPad for IXL, as well as several fractions apps: Pizza 1, Coop Fractions, and Math Fractions Lite. Fractions are a difficult concept for many students, but the iPads make learning fun and interactive. == == Jan & Feb: To learn more about African American women, our class researched 22 different women. Students researched their person, completed a graphic organizer, wrote a two paragraph biography, and printed out a picture. Students had to research and use e-mail to print out pictures. The iPad is a great tool for researching, and students are getting better at this skill. This project also incorporated several language arts skills: main ideas and details, summarizing, inferring, and comparing and contrasting. Later, students will orally present their biographies and we'll use the iPad to video their presentations. ==