iPads, Workflow and Happy Days!

This half term has seen me embrace iPads in the classroom after dabbling last term! I have written briefly about the small projects I've looked at, but by far the biggest change has come about by using Edmodo to manage the workflow.

Edmodo is currently free to use and allows students to upload work directly to a group that is coded for their class. I can respond to work very quickly by previewing it and writing a note rather like commenting on a blog post. Most files can now be uploaded, rather than just images, after the December update. We have an 'institution' Edmodo account for the school which improves the security of the site. All teachers have to be verified before they can access.

Students' classwork is generally of a good standard but I have definitely noticed a marked improvement from some students whose book work was previously a little haphazard! Although we've not used Skitch to create a collage of practical work as discussed, students have photographed practicals and annotated them and added this to their work. They have been using Penultimate to draw diagrams and also for writing chemical equations, which is always so long winded to type on the ipad keyboard.
Students are able to post the work directly to me, so that other students cannot read it, and I have given them this option. However, most have continued to post it so that other members of the class can see their work. This has the added bonus of providing a record for those students who miss lessons for music lessons, sporting events or illness.

I am keeping track of work by asking students to maintain a log of Edmodo work in their exercise book. Each lesson, I ask them to write the date and title in their books and 'work on Edmodo' underneath. The Edmodo file is uploaded with the file named with the lesson title and I am able to check them against each other if necessary. They also have guidelines about how to organise their work on their iPad so that it is easy to find again!

The iPad does come with inevitable distractions that need to be highlighted and managed from the start. Students need to ensure notifications are switched off for example, and not just the sound! The myriad of addictive games available are very hard for some students to resist and again, this needs to have a clear policy from the outset. Content of the camera roll should also be considered. The iPad belongs to the student, but this can mean camera roll pictures that could be another distraction.

On the whole, iPads are brilliant. Students are very engaged and keen to find work solutions with them.  Those without iPads are still using the Edmodo interface from home, and in school when the school iPads are available.