Kohler



iPad Reaction – Alison Kohler

**1. Overall reaction to the Ipad and classroom use. ** I think that the iPad is useful technology for the classroom. I like that the iPad has many available educational apps for both teachers and students to use. Teachers can give more interactive lessons by using the iPad. Students can use the apps to improve their skills and knowledge in all content areas. Yet, I do not believe that instruction and learning should be done solely with the iPad. Instead, it should be used as a tool to aid in instruction and learning.

**2. Create an activity using the Ipad. ** One key concept in Algebra 1 is graphing equations using slope – intercept form. First, I will teach the students how to graph the equations in slope - intercept form by hand. Next, I will conduct an activity using the iPad to enhance and reinforce student learning by having the students use the Quick Graph app to graph the equations in slope – intercept form. I think the Quick Graph app will be a good teaching tool because it displays graphs in both in 2D and 3D and it has a simple interface that makes it easy to enter and edit equations.

**3. Search for a lesson plan for your area. ** I was unable to find any lesson plans for Algebra on the iPad, but I found an article on the website [] that discusses how a teacher of an 8th grade Algebra class in San Francisco uses the iPad to carry out her lessons. In her lesson plan, she has the students participating in different “stations”. She has the students work out problems on solving multi – step equations on the whiteboard or using paper and pencil at their desks. She has the students work in small groups. The teacher integrates the iPad into the lesson by having the students watch instructional videos on the iPad as supplements to her instruction.

**4. Find two apps that you could use in your area. ** I found two apps that I could use in my area. The first app, Easel Algebra, combines interactive, hands-on Algebra workbooks with instant "ShowMe" lessons. If a student gets stuck on a problem, he or she can just tap "ShowMe" and see a step-by-step animation of how to solve the problem instantly. The second app, Algebra Touch, refreshes students’ skills in simplification, like terms, commutativity, order of operations, factorization, prime numbers, elimination, isolation, variables and solving equations by using techniques such as dragging to rearrange, tapping to simplify, and drawing lines to eliminate identical terms. For example, if you have x + 3 = 5, you can drag the 3 to the other side of the equation. This app allows you to easily switch between lessons and randomly-generated practice problems and create your own problems or edit current ones.

**5. Would the Ipad be a good investment for your school? ** I think that the iPad could possibly be a good investment for the school because it is a piece of technology that would make learning for the students more fun and engaging. However, I think it would be difficult for teachers to monitor what each student is doing at all times on the iPad. Also, I do not think that the teachers at the school who may need assistance in using the iPad would be given substantial training on how to use this technology in the classroom. Finally, I do not believe that the the tech support staff at the school would have the ability to fix the iPads as efficiently as computers or laptops.