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Read this article on Creation versus Consumption. Do any of the ideas resonate with you? Comment below!

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Read this article on Creation versus Consumption. Do any of the ideas resonate with you? Comment below!

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The iPad is unbeatable when it comes to consuming content, but just how good is it for creativity? With an unrivaled app store, iBooks and iLibrary, iTunes, and now Retina display on the fourth-generation iPad for high-def video, kids can (and do!) spend hours drinking in all the iPad has offer. But kids are also known for their imaginations and ingenuity, and kids with iPads are no exception! Check out some of the awesome and impressive creations kids are making with their iPads.

Art: The iPad comes with a wide variety of both free and paid apps for drawing, painting and more. Kids love to fingerpaint, and the iPad provides the perfect mess-free way for little fingers to create stunning visual creations. This young boy has learned how to expertly transfer his drawing skills onto the tablet:

Here's another great example of what kids can learn to create using the iPad:

Drawn by 13-year-old Kaeli, this image's selective focus on the foreground, use of highlighting on the larger bird's beak and feathers and humor are eye-catching and unforgettable.

Music: The iPad is a great interface for creating music, and with fantastic apps like GarageBand nearly anything is possible. Popular band The Gorillaz even used the iPad to record their album "The Fall"! Kids have caught on to how easy it can be to make music on the iPad and are pursuing all kinds of creative endeavors in this field. Take a look at this group of students performing Train's hit song "Drive By":

Some of the students in the video above had never even played an instrument before this, and were able to learn and perform the song in a span of only three hours. Imagine what a kid with an iPad could create during countless hours of experimentation and fun, alone or with a group of friends! Recognizing this potential, more and more school bands are starting to pull iPads into the rotation, including the Frisco School of Music. Take a look at these talented young people recreating the Beatles hit "Hey Jude" using iPads:

Games: Using apps like My Doodle Game, kids can also create their own iPad games. My Doodle Game is free to download, and lets kids doodle anything their imagination can come up with using a wide variety of drawing tools. Once the drawing is complete, they can go back to the beginning of the drawing and let a game character travel through the world they've created. Not only is this a great creative outlet, but it can also be an excellent learning tool to help kids visualize and reenact historic or popular events using the iPad! For example, this girl used the iPad to create a game depicting several key events from the decade 2000-2010:

Apps: For even more advanced kids, or for pre-teens and teenagers, some are even learning to build their own iPad apps! Using Apple's Software Development Kit, teenage Carson built a mathematics app for younger students to use:

Not only was this young man able to build his own app in only 12 weeks, he also made the math app both an educational and interactive way for young kids to learn fractions. We're predicting a long and lucrative programming career in Carson's future!

School Projects: The iPad is a great resource for school as well as play. In the past, when kids needed to do a research project or create a video for school, the process was often tedious and time-consuming, and required many different tools for completion. First students would need to research their project at the library and take down notes. These notes would then be typed into a script and printed out to be read from. The kids would need to find and learn how to operate a camcorder, record their video, and then transfer it to a computer to piece it all together. After all that work, the sound and video quality usually wasn't even very good!

In today's world, the iPad has completely changed the game. With simple yet powerful apps like iLibrary, Notepad, GarageBand and iMovie, kids have all the tools they need in one place to take a project from the research to final product stages. See for yourself how this elementary school student made a professional-looking news report about the Pygmy Marmoset:

Student Animal Project - Avery from Jabari Cain on Vimeo.

As the examples above show, iPads have opened the doors of creativity and kids are pushing the boundaries of what the iPad can do every day. These days, there are apps to help children realize nearly anything they can dream up to build, design, or record. To encourage your child's creativity, listen to their interests, search the app store for simple tools that will give them the building blocks of creation, and let their imaginations run free! What will your kid create next?

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iPad Is A Means Of Creation, Not Just Consumption - iPad Kids

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The iPad is unbeatable when it comes to consuming content, but just how good is it for creativity? With an unrivaled app store, iBooks and iLibrary, iTunes, and now Retina display on the fourth-generation iPad for high-def video, kids can (and do!) spend hours drinking in all the iPad has offer.

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Click through this slideshow. Which project looks the most exciting or engaging? Comment below! 

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Click through this slideshow. Which project looks the most exciting or engaging? Comment below! 

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Easy iPad Projects for Elementary Students

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Easy iPad Projects for Elementary Students - Download as a PDF or view online for free

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Watch this video on PlayPosit and answer the questions. 

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Watch this video on PlayPosit and answer the questions. 

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(You can stop watching at 4:40)

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Backed by AT&T and Stanford's startX, PlayPosit is an online learning environment to create and share interactive video lessons. Teachers begin with any online video (screencasts, Khan Academy, TED, etc.) and transform what is traditionally passive content into an active experience for students, with time-embedded activities.

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Future Resource: 22 Apps for making videos on the iPads

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Future Resource: 22 Apps for making videos on the iPads

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https://vimeo.com/35042434

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Future Resource: ideas for the pre-K classroom

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Future Resource: ideas for the pre-K classroom

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Teaching in the Digital Age, by Brian Puerling
Chapter 8: Multi-Touch Mobile Devices Bring the World to Our Fingertips

Today I'm hosting Chapter 8 of Teaching in the Digital Age for our Summer Book Study.

I was glad to see that Puerling did not talk about game-style apps for kids because those are not my favorite for the classroom. I think children get enough of that at home. I like using the iPad as an additional listening center, where the children turn (or swipe) the pages of a book as it is read to them. Puerling gave many other ways to use an iPad with children, some that I had not really thought of.

I've read on other blogs or forums where teachers say it's wrong to use iPads in a preschool classroom. However, I think it is no more wrong to have children "read" a book on a tablet than it is for the grown ups, as long as e-books are not the only way children are reading them. I don't see anything wrong in looking up information a child is interested in on an app or the internet. I don't think it could be "wrong" for a child to draw on an iPad when I myself find drawing apps useful. (I use them to sketch out designs for new printables I'm going to make.) As long as children have plenty of opportunities to use a variety of real art materials, I see no harm done. An iPad is a real tool in our world today, and children see us using it. Why should we say: this is only for grownups, not for you?

Puerling discussed ways to introduce the iPad to young children. The iPad was designed to be intuitive, and children are capable of using it without instructions. However, I can see the benefits to introducing it the way the author suggests. I've noticed that preschool children have a tendency to use too many fingers on the screen and end up enlarging the screen until it's difficult for them to use. That would be something to address. You could put the iPad under a document camera to demonstrate how to use it with a large group.

The main points from the chapter are in bold along with a few ideas I thought of while reading.
Facilitate conversation while observing photos.
Using photos with children was discussed in chapter 2, and the iPad is one way to share photos with children without the cost of printing them. If you have a newer iPad (generation 2 or 3), you have a built in camera for still shots or video. Take the iPad with you on a nature walk throughout the year during each season and take photos of the plant life. When the next season comes up, have children discuss the differences between the previous photos and more recent ones. The iPad also has a setting to make it behave like a digital picture frame. You could set it up in your science center with photos that support your current topic, e.g. leaves for Fall or seashells and marine animal images for a study of the ocean.

Leafsnap HD is an app that could be used in the classroom or outdoors to identify leaves. Or, look at the pictures and compare the different shapes of leaves. There's another one called Trees Pro HD for identifying trees. These types of apps are basically like having a field guide with you, and both are free.

If you frequently use video on the iPad, but would like to get still shots, I highly recommend an app called Video 2 Photo, which gives you each frame of the video. You choose the ones you want and then you have still shots from the video. I've used it and the images are very clear and sharp.
Engage with literature.
As mentioned, I like "listening center" style apps, where the children flip the page and the book reads along. I love the fairy tale and fable story apps by Kidztory. Another way an ipad can be used as a listening center is to purchase audio books through iTunes and have children listen to the story along with a paper book.
Develop skills in music.
There are several apps that have interactive children's songs, such as Duck Duck Moose's Wheels on the Bus. Last year, I found an app called Monkey Drum. Children beat the drum and the monkey copies the same pattern. To extend this, you could use it in a large group. Have the monkey do a beat on his drum, then have the children copy the beat by clapping or drumming a paper plate drum. (This would be great on a projector.) Monkey Drum is free, but has in-app purchases which you can disable in settings. Garage Band could be used for creating music or showing children the sounds of different instruments.
Inspire Creations in Art.
There are several sketching apps with a wide range of prices. My preference is Penultimate, but there's also Skitch and Bamboo. If you like to show children art from the masters, Art Authority is a good one.
Create Video Books.
I haven't had children create video books yet, but I think it's a great idea. Just another way to show children that they can create real books like professional authors.
Conducting Research.
I often use the Weather Channel website or app in the classroom with the children to determine whether we need jackets or not. They are less likely to argue with the Weather Channel than with me.

Other Ideas...

At the end of the year last year, I used my iPad to make a video of the children reciting a poem and we played this video for the parents. Since we didn't have time to memorize the entire poem, I broke it up into lines and filmed small groups of about 4-5 children saying each line. Before filming, I told them what to say, then we filmed. I used iMovie to cut the outtakes and stitch the whole thing together.

I also loved Puerling's end of year idea of having the children make videos for next year's class. I plan to do that next May, and have the children demonstrate our procedures, such as arriving to school, using the block center safely, bus safety, and many, many others.

Puerling also suggests using an iPad for e-portfolios. An ipad could come in handy because you could use it to take photos of the children as well as take photos of work samples. Puerling mentions scanning children's work, but its much easier to take a picture of their work. An app called Evernote could be used to take anecdotal records. I also like the audio recording feature of Evernote.

We have only one chapter left in the Summer Book Study. If you are interested in buying the book, Redleaf Press has offered a 35% discount for the book study. Just use the code: STUDY.

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iPads in the Preschool Classroom - PreKinders

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Teaching in the Digital Age, by Brian Puerling Chapter 8: Multi-Touch Mobile Devices Bring the World to Our Fingertips Today I'm hosting Chapter 8 of Teaching in the Digital Age for our Summer Book Study. I was glad to see that Puerling did not talk about game-style apps for kids because those are not my favorite for the classroom.

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Read this article. How are you feeling about using iPads? What concerns do you still have? Comment below!

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Read this article. How are you feeling about using iPads? What concerns do you still have? Comment below!

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Since their release in April of 2010, Apple's iPads have taken the US by storm. iPads have swept through almost every industry, especially education. Apple is pushing for iPad use in education, and several schools across the US have taken up the charge.

The proliferation of iPads in the classroom will only keep accelerating. With these powerful mobile devices come a lot of possible benefits for educators and students alike. We all know iPads are exciting and there is a plethora of engaging apps for them out there, but do they actually improve education?

There have been many interesting studies done about iPads and the effects on both students and teachers. I've pulled together a list of various study results regarding using iPads in the classroom below.

Check out just how much of an influence studies show they are having on education.

1.) A research study, conducted in Auburn, Maine showed that Kindergartner students using iPads scored much higher on literacy tests than students that didn't use the device. Source: TUAW - Tweet this interesting stat from @TUAW

3.) According to Pearson Foundation's survey More than six in ten college students and high school seniors agree that tablets help students to study more efficiently (66% and 64%) and help students to perform better in classes (64% and 63%). Source: Pearson Foundation - Tweet this stat from @PFoundation

5.) In a study done by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt in California, showed that students using iPads saw their math test scores increase 20% in one year compared to students using traditional textbooks. Source: CNN Tech - Tweet this stat from @CNNTech

6.) A study at Oklahoma State University concluded that 75% of students agreed that the iPad enhanced their learning experience. Source: Oklahoma State University News - Tweet this stat from @OkStateNews

Using tablets in the classroom can be powerful tools for learning and comprehension. The interactivity it provides can make for a very engaging experience for students of all ages.

I think we will only continue to hear more studies and stories about how the use of iPads in the classroom are improving education.

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8 Studies Show iPads in the Classroom Improve Education

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Since their release in April of 2010, Apple's iPads have taken the US by storm. iPads have swept through almost every industry, especially education. Apple is pushing for iPad use in education, and several schools across the US have taken up the charge. The proliferation of iPads in the classroom will only keep accelerating.