iPads in school

[Hulababy]

Do you have iPads in your school?

I am interested to hear how you, as teachers, use them in your lessons


And also...if you know... how are they managed?
Who is in charge of them and do you know how they are maintained - updated, apps added, charged, if you use apple VPP, etc.

I am trying to work out the best way of maintaining our iPads but wondered how other schools manage them...any able to help? I am doing them one at a time at the moment, but have a trolley to charge them, but it is time consuming this way.

[Hulababy]

Thanks.

We have 30 which we split into two sets of 15.
One set stays in the ict suite to be used within computing lessons. The other set is timetabled out and classes have access to them twice a week. Our classes are 30 pupils.

I'm trying to avoid them just being used as cameras and we are having half termly training as part of one staff meeting per half term wherever we can. So it's interesting to see what other teachers use them for in class and how they incorporate them into non-computing lessons.

[partystress]

Use in maths - various times table type apps, plus higher up school use thinkingblocks (maths playground app) for ratio and fraction work.

Use airserve (?) so teacher ipad is a visualiser.

Would love ideas for using in literacy, other than as a camera/video.

[Hulababy]

Party stress - what age group?

[BatmanLovesBakedBeans]

We have 15 - split between classes in the mornings, each class has the set one afternoon a week.

We use them for:

Mental Maths (we have a dedicated 20 minute session daily - one group in my class uses a maths app in this time)
Guided Reading - one group does an online comprehension task
Maths - MyMaths app
English - videoing debates and so on, watching them via Apple TV and peer / self assessing, making ebooks, research and so on
Class Dojo - much easier to manage walking around with the ipad

Plus the ubiquitous photo taking in lessons!

[partystress]

Hulababy - KS2.

[partystress]

Batmanloves - what age group are you? is there an online comprehension app/site you would recommend or do you use something expensive like Accelerated Reading? Thanks

[Hulababy]

Party stress

Have you looked at Toontastic and Puppet Pals for story telling/planning? For animated story telling could also use iMovie and/or I Can Animate too

Pages - word processing type app for writing notes, typing work

Key Notes - presentation software

Quizlet - study set type cards; can use as study guides or for quizzes etc

SimpleMind+ - produce mind maps

Story Starter - gives pictorial ideas for writing own stories

Storylines Comix - create coming style dictionary/lexicon

Make Beliefs Comix- create cartoon/comic strip

Mad Libs is good for a fun approach to reading and using nouns, verbs, adjectives etc

For younger children the Big Cat Collins ranges are good for re telling or adapting stories

Book creator can be used by pupils to create their own books and can be saved and read via iBooks. Nice way to let children share their stories with other pupils - some good use of peer assessment too

We also have various phonics apps too. And some of the squeebles apps are good too

For teaching on iPad lessons I sometimes use Nearpod which the children really enjoy.

And for record keeping and my own planning I use iDoceo

[Hulababy]

Party stress

Have you looked at Toontastic and Puppet Pals for story telling/planning? For animated story telling could also use iMovie and/or I Can Animate too

Pages - word processing type app for writing notes, typing work

Key Notes - presentation software

Quizlet - study set type cards; can use as study guides or for quizzes etc

SimpleMind+ - produce mind maps

Story Starter - gives pictorial ideas for writing own stories

Storylines Comix - create coming style dictionary/lexicon

Make Beliefs Comix- create cartoon/comic strip

Mad Libs is good for a fun approach to reading and using nouns, verbs, adjectives etc

For younger children the Big Cat Collins ranges are good for re telling or adapting stories

Book creator can be used by pupils to create their own books and can be saved and read via iBooks. Nice way to let children share their stories with other pupils - some good use of peer assessment too

We also have various phonics apps too. And some of the squeebles apps are good too

For teaching on iPad lessons I sometimes use Nearpod which the children really enjoy.

And for record keeping and my own planning I use iDoceo

[BMO]

We do but only in EYFS and not touched by the children.

[partystress]

Wow - thanks Hulababy. That is a great list to get me started! I used to have a pc-based comic maker years ago and kids loved it. Off to google Madlibs to see if there is a way to de-tedify SPAG revision....

[bloodyteenagers]

We have over 40. Each class is assigned one and the remainder are for general use. We are from eyfs to 19.
They are maintained by the IT department of 2 people. We use VPP, Apple education discount and Meraki. Meraki helps us to install key apps instantly on all iPads.
Teachers can download free apps, paid ones requests have to be made. Paid ones can only be added by the IT department.
Updates by the IT department.
Each ipad has it's own account, this has no payment card linked. For the paid ones, there is a central account and this password is only known by head, deputy and IT department.

The class ipad the teacher is responsible for the charging. The rest are locked in a designed cupboard that allows for charging. This is locked and only IT department have the keys, who distribute them. Ideally we encourage booking, stipulating numbers and if specific ipads are required.
Each iPad has a label on the back that quickly id's it without the need of going into settings. But of course people can come and ask without the booking to allow flexibility. When we first got them, staff would just help themselves, but the issue was getting them back and not knowing where they were, so when distributed they are also signed out.

They all have protective cases that are rubber and allow protection. We also have 2 passwords on them. One for access the iPad, and a different one for restrictions.

Now for their use -
Yes they are used for camera, our students had great fun using time lapse. Also use slopro and V changing for changing voices, imovie
We use them a lot for communication purposes - PODD, Proloquo2go,gridpayer, and Predictable are a few from the top of my head.
The Kindle App
Clicker Apps - Books, connect, Docs, writeonline, sentences. (Used for literacy)
Various coding apps - code academy, bee bot, cargobot, scratch, kodable
Literacy apps - learn to read, skyfish, story creator, superkeys, Toy story, storytime, you can read, meet the alphabet, phonics genius, phonics street, tracing letters, letter book, crazy cursive, phonics with letter lillies,
Music - garage band, peeping music, wavepad, beamz
Sensory - serenity, iMeba, Electra, Fireworks, heatpad, pop flux, pocket pond,
Various apps like Wonders for the galaxy, walking with dinosaurs, mychoicepad, pictello, comic maker, sock puppets, little story creator, solar walk, puppet pals, minecraft, sky view, drawing desk, art of glow,
Then of course things like pages, numbers etc. Use the Airserve to share with others in class and during assemblies.
Use the timer to timed activities.
Use the accessibility functions to lock into an app so there's no going elsewhere.
Google Docs which we use to collaborate across the school.
QR reader which we use with books for additional info. This is an ongoing thing.
Numeracy - 6 numbers, endless numbers, numbers addition and subtraction, doodlemath, splash math, chooseit,

[Hulababy]

Forgot to add. We have additional iPad minis. Each clas teacher has one and those who job share have one each. Also the two HLTAs have one each as do the DH and the HT. These are for teacher use though staff may choose to use them with children in small group situations.

[BatmanLovesBakedBeans]

partystress - I am Upper KS2. We use the Mr Nussbaum website a lot - because it's free

[Whowherewhywhat]

.

[Hulababy]

Thanks all, some good thoughts so far.

Any more or can anyone comment on how theirs are maintained?

[Panzee]

We have six each and the class teacher maintains them. We have the ITunes password and can download apps, although there is no money in the account so they have to be free. There is a stock set of apps on there,e.g. Pages, Art Rage, iMovie etc. I've put some book creating apps on, and some SEN apps e.g dexteria, dyslexia Quest are useful too.

Love the apps lists here, I shall be making notes!

[toomuchicecream]

Very helpful thread - getting some ipads in is one of the many things on my ever-increasing to do list....

[Hulababy]

Have seen a few extra apps listed here I fabcy looking at

[auntpetunia]

We have iPads in every class. As admin I don't know how they use them in lessons. But our IT guy can fownload apps to them 30 at a time. They are kept in a huge locked charging cabinet when not in use. Whenever one comes to my office it has 100s of apps on for different year groups. The EYFS ones have cool big red cases with handles. I'll find out how you download to and sync to multiple pads and report back.

[18yearstooold]

Each class has their own storage cupboard for the iPads
Tech guy checks them periodically but I don't know what he actually does with them

Yr 3,4&5 have 15 per class, yr 6 have one per child

Used as visualiser

Pic collage
Reading eggs
Mathletics
Various coding games
King of maths
Reading comprehension in guided reading
Research in history etc
Science for recording results

And they are used as a camera ??

[Hulababy]

We have just looked into the Clicker apps. Think we are aiming to buy them this month.

I should admit that I do use the iPads as cameras too - but not just for photographing children at work as evidence. I do a proper photography unit of work where we use them alongside normal cameras and video cameras, and for green screen photography.