Khan Academy App for supplemental or Flipped Classroom

KHAN Academy App offers thousand of videos with the goal of providing complete mastery, filling in any gaps in knowledge.  There are categories of instructional videos for Math, Science, Economics, Humanities. Students can pause and repeat as often as needed. Plus the absence of a face is actually helpful to autistic students, since it avoids sensory overload that can interfere with their learning.   Khan videos can be used as a supplemental resource or for flipping the classroom. Has anyone used them in their classes?

iPAD Innovation and challenges changes the college

Bloomfield College currently has a 30 student iPAD pilot for Journalism classes.   The cost of the  iPad is charged as a fee, just like a book fee.  According to Prof. Nutter, "innovation changes the college".

Her students use the  iPad to access News sources.  News APPs included CNN, NPR, CBS, MSNBS, NYTimes, and 60 Minutes.  I will definitely be downloading the 60 Minutes App into my Flipboard . Now I don't have to worry about missing my Sunday episode.  The Merriam-Webster Dictionary App provides pronunciation of words and was helpful for her ESL students. They also used the  Voice Recorder HD App to practice giving interviews and Teleprompter App to practice delivering the news. 

There was alot of administrative management involved initially to setup this new technology and track the APPs. As long as they purchased APPs  in quantities greater than 20, they earned the 50% discount.  They had to create a volume purchase administrative Apple account to buy the Apps.  Then they had to track the codes for each App for each individual student. They also had to create a separate Wifi network to allow the student to print using the Wifi printer. 

iPAD Connect or AirServer - & the Camera APP

Has anyone heard of iPAD Connect or AirServer?  

This client-server technology is currently being used at Bergen Arts & Science Charter High School.   The scenario is a bit different there. All students and Instructors are issued an iPAD with the AIRServer client APP pre-installed.   This APP gives the Instructor the freedom to walk around the classroom with their iPAD and display any student’s work on a Smart Board or projector.  With AirServer  Instructors can project images without using a VGA cable.

 Science Instructors also use the CAMERA App to show any hands-on demos: such as  creating atoms with skittles. It makes it easier to see even from the back of the room; better than having everyone gather around.

High School Science APPs

I recently attended an Educational Technology Conference held at William Paterson University. The morning session was presented by an AP Biology teacher from Bergen Arts and Science Charter. She recommended the following Science Apps, that I think could be relevant for our students. Most are free or small fee.

• BrainPop - when I commented that this interface appeared juvenile, the instructor said that her Senior students love it. & it's free.
• BLAUSEN Medical - College Level APP $14 
• Nova Elements – periodic table 
• Coaster Physics App
• FROG Dissection – simulation $3.99 
• Molecule 
• 3D cell stain 
• iBOOKS – video embedded textbooks Has anyone used any of these in their classes?

How to Use the Ipad in Class

I have been using the Ipad in my classes for the last year and now can not live without it. Here are some ways to use the Ipad in class:

1. For your lecture notes: you can download Dropbox or use the Apple Cloud to upload all of the notes you need for class. What is great about this is you can also easily share the notes with students via email.
2. For grading and attendance: download Engrade, a free classroom management system. I use it for grading and attendance. You will have to input your students by name and ID but once that's done it is easy to use.
3. For networking with students: download Twitter or Facebook and you can interact with your students at any time. I have a class Facebook page and a Twitter account that I use.
4. For creativity: download Pinterest and have your students create Mood boards specific to the theme or topic. My students love this! I also use Ibook to upload books we are reading so I can easily go to a specific paragraph in class.
5. For productivity: download apps such as CaptureNotes which allows you create notebooks that can be used in class for informational purpose. If you have second language speakers, try Word Lens which allows capture of any text (even on the board) and in one simple click it translates it to any language. Diigo lets you bookmark articles, images, etc. that you would like to read and saves them in different files.
6. For viewing: Ipads can be hooked up via adaptors to some computers in the school; you will have to check first. There is a great software named VNC Viewer which actually allows you to use your Ipad as a type of mouse with the main computer in the room; this allows the teacher to move through the room while using the computer on screen.

Please post to the department page linked from the side bar to describe your experience with evaluating apps and designing classroom activities.