Hi, folks. Sorry this is my first post about this project.
I'm a general biology teacher using an iPad and am enjoying it of course. The ease of use in setting up and getting files on it was exceptional. This is perhaps so for me personally since I'm a reasonably strong user of Apple products generally.
Unlike Toni, I'm not overly thrilled with all of the content I'm finding about my topic. The actual content of many of the apps relating to my area of expertise are deeply flawed. Animations that are technically inaccurate or for which there are only one or two (relatively) esoteric topics covered are the most common problems. One glaring exception is an iPad app version of a new book written by Richard Dawkins.
The title of the book (and app) is The Magic of Reality. The app has beautiful graphics and interactive activities in which the reader can manipulate simulations in order to get a deeper understanding of the topic in hand. The book is intended as a children's general science book and is beautifully illustrated and incredibly well written. (I can't wait 'till my 4 year old daughter is more along the lines of 8, so that I can share this with her. Dawkins says the target age is 12-14 years, but there's no way I'm waiting that long. :) The section on evolution uses a method of explaining the concepts of our ancestry in a clear and powerful way that I've never encountered before. I would love to find a way to share this content with my non-majors general biology class, and perhaps even the Evolutionary Biology class which I coordinate.
However, like Toni I'm having trouble figuring out how I could use this technology directly in the classroom. Getting what I see on my iPad up onto a projector is, I understand, not an insurmountable hurdle. It is at least a small hurdle, nonetheless. Otherwise I have no idea how to make this content generally available to my students as I couldn't expect them to buy an iPad just to see/read this one section of this book.
This difficulty is compounded by the fact that any original content I produce is difficult to get the iPad to use easily. Even if I were (or had access to) a programmer (I'm thinking about Bob Richardson and Brett here), I could not code an animation and make it viewable on an iPad easily. Apple controls what software/apps run on their machines fairly tightly. I have an idea or two about how to use a touch screen to demonstrate concepts to my students, but I don't think it's feasible to enact these ideas on the iPad. I suspect it would be much easier to implement them on an Android.
I'm thoroughly enjoying reading all of your input. Hope I contribute more in the near future. Thanks,
Scott
Friday, October 21, 2011
Tuesday, October 18, 2011
Taking the good with the bad...
I've enjoyed browsing the app store over the last few weeks. I teach mass communication courses (PR, Advertising, Introduction to Mass Communication, etc.) and have been encouraged by several I've found, specifically:
1. Coyne Hot Sheet - a sampling of hot-off-the-presses PR campaigns that could serve as case studies for discussion. Direct Marketing News also has an app that could be used for a similar purpose.
2. Terminology - a writing app that claims to help anyone from a novelist to an advertising exec find just the right word. I can envision it being useful for in-class writing projects. This is the first app I paid for - it was $2.99.
3. Popplet (I downloaded the free "lite" version) - it creates a series of what I perceive to be thought bubbles/a brainstorming web. It might be also be useful to create video advertising story boards.
But then I ran across something rather disturbing...Marketing and Advertising Essays.
Here's the description:
Give yourself the edge with 1000++ Professional Marketing & Advertising Essays and Assignments.
Are you studying Marketing & Advertising? Struggling with a Marketing & Advertising essay? You've come to the right place. We've included Marketing & Advertising essays on this application to help.
What you really need, however, is an original, fresh answer to your Marketing & Advertising essay question, written just for you. That's exactly what we provide - and your answer is written by a certified professional.
We have writers who have undergraduate and masters qualifications in Marketing & Advertising, and who are experts in your subject. Many work in the Marketing & Advertising sector and so have both the practical experience and also theoretical knowledge, the work they produce is as you would expect to the highest standards (I'm typing this verbatim - grammatical issues and all). The essays provided on this application are special for you.
End of description.
It was free so I went ahead and downloaded it to see if it was worth being concerned about. It is. The pre-written essays run about $30 a piece from what I can tell (50% off - what a deal!), and they offer the ability to preview portions before you buy. The few I read aren't perfect, but I wouldn't expect a freshman essay on the 4 Ps of marketing to be flawless. I didn't dig deep enough to see how much the essays written "special for you" are.
I was aware of paper writing services, but it hadn't occurred to me that there would be an app for that. :( Perhaps I'm just being naive though.
Is there a way to report something like this to Apple?
1. Coyne Hot Sheet - a sampling of hot-off-the-presses PR campaigns that could serve as case studies for discussion. Direct Marketing News also has an app that could be used for a similar purpose.
2. Terminology - a writing app that claims to help anyone from a novelist to an advertising exec find just the right word. I can envision it being useful for in-class writing projects. This is the first app I paid for - it was $2.99.
3. Popplet (I downloaded the free "lite" version) - it creates a series of what I perceive to be thought bubbles/a brainstorming web. It might be also be useful to create video advertising story boards.
But then I ran across something rather disturbing...Marketing and Advertising Essays.
Here's the description:
Give yourself the edge with 1000++ Professional Marketing & Advertising Essays and Assignments.
Are you studying Marketing & Advertising? Struggling with a Marketing & Advertising essay? You've come to the right place. We've included Marketing & Advertising essays on this application to help.
What you really need, however, is an original, fresh answer to your Marketing & Advertising essay question, written just for you. That's exactly what we provide - and your answer is written by a certified professional.
We have writers who have undergraduate and masters qualifications in Marketing & Advertising, and who are experts in your subject. Many work in the Marketing & Advertising sector and so have both the practical experience and also theoretical knowledge, the work they produce is as you would expect to the highest standards (I'm typing this verbatim - grammatical issues and all). The essays provided on this application are special for you.
End of description.
It was free so I went ahead and downloaded it to see if it was worth being concerned about. It is. The pre-written essays run about $30 a piece from what I can tell (50% off - what a deal!), and they offer the ability to preview portions before you buy. The few I read aren't perfect, but I wouldn't expect a freshman essay on the 4 Ps of marketing to be flawless. I didn't dig deep enough to see how much the essays written "special for you" are.
I was aware of paper writing services, but it hadn't occurred to me that there would be an app for that. :( Perhaps I'm just being naive though.
Is there a way to report something like this to Apple?
Friday, October 14, 2011
neu.Annotate PDF
If you haven’t already had the opportunity to download this free app, you should give it a try. This allows you to open a PDF file and annotate or grade it like you would traditionally.
Benefits
- creates an electronic copy of corrections and notes
- great for online classes where students submit essays
- easier to use than using Microsoft Word’s Track Changes
- switching between different pen colors and highlighters is easier
- can create a bank of common notes to use over and over
- can insert images from your camera roll (library of images)
Drawbacks
- have to use a stylus and learn to write with a stylus
- switching between tools can be a little tricky
- can only annotate PDF files
- can only email the document from the email account associated with the iPad
Below is a video I created to illustrate what you can do with it. I sped up the video, so you wouldn’t have sit through all the boring details. I did not use the iPad to create or edit the video.
Monday, October 10, 2011
Use of Apps with IStan
Today we had an IStan simulation and the issue at hand was a stroke. I divided the group into 2 separate groups so while the one group was actively participating, I had the other group looking at my 2 Brain Apps that you can see all the structures and one of the apps explains alot as well.
Anyway, it was a good opportunity to use these apps and they are pretty cool!
Will try again tomorrow.
Deb
Anyway, it was a good opportunity to use these apps and they are pretty cool!
Will try again tomorrow.
Deb
FUN FUN FUN!
Ok...I know that it goes without saying that this project is fun. But, I have found a new excitement for learning in a different way. I am 36 and in my educational career as a student I learned through lecture, discussion, case studies, practical exams, paper assignments and more. However, I have not had all incorporated into one until now!
Recently, I downloaded several "anatomy and physiology" based apps to the iPad and just played. My kids and I sat on the couch looking at the brain and testing our knowledge. It was very interactive and engaging for us as a small group.
I am in the process of determining how I can include this into my class while only having one iPad...that is where I am currently stuck. I bought a $4 app on rotator cuff rehabilitation and I would love to use it in my human movement class. But, I am at a standstill because even if I got access to 5-25 iPads for my students to interact with, I would need to pay $4 per iPad to get the app which can really add up! So, I am using the information from the app to write out background handout and creating supplemental materials to accompany the app. I am looking at having one iPad station and the rest of the stations more ‘hands on’ or paper based.
I will let you all know how it goes once I get there!
Toni
Recently, I downloaded several "anatomy and physiology" based apps to the iPad and just played. My kids and I sat on the couch looking at the brain and testing our knowledge. It was very interactive and engaging for us as a small group.
I am in the process of determining how I can include this into my class while only having one iPad...that is where I am currently stuck. I bought a $4 app on rotator cuff rehabilitation and I would love to use it in my human movement class. But, I am at a standstill because even if I got access to 5-25 iPads for my students to interact with, I would need to pay $4 per iPad to get the app which can really add up! So, I am using the information from the app to write out background handout and creating supplemental materials to accompany the app. I am looking at having one iPad station and the rest of the stations more ‘hands on’ or paper based.
I will let you all know how it goes once I get there!
Toni
Thursday, October 6, 2011
iPads for the OTA Classroom and Clinic
I wanted to be a part of this project so I could explore how to integrate the iPad into the occupational therapy assistant program in a way that would allow the OTA students to explore how to use selective apps with clients in the Occupational Therapy clinical setting. I had never used an iPad so getting the opportunity to explore using it has been wonderful. In preparation for this pilot, I had received a list of about 100 free or low cost apps that another therapist had compiled and shared on a listserv. I spent last weekend downloading about 30 apps, all free to that addressed cognition, motor coordination, communication, visual spatial reasoning, bilateral control and others. I became familiar with them so I could figure out which ones might work for which types of client needs.
Yesterday, I went to a clinical facility to observe my student working in an assisted living center. This student has an iPad. We shared apps and I suggested that she try some with one of her clients that I had observed. She will let me know how it went next Monday.
Today I went to observe another student assigned to a hospital. I oriented the OTA student and fieldwork educator to the iPad I had brought and offered it as an option for use during clients' therapy. There was a client who had a deteriorative disorder who had just lost additional function and was mourning. The fieldwork educator introduced the iPad as a new option for today's therapy. The client sat on the edge of the bed and played "Labyrinth Lite" which has a maze and you are supposed to tilt the screen in different directions to move the ball through the maze. Great sound effects, sounds like wood, bells, and all. The client sat for 15 minutes working on sitting balance and bilateral arm coordination (goals of therapy), totally engaged in the game. The client showed excellent task perseverance even when it when the challenge was high level. This is the essence of OT to be able to perform that tasks that have meaning to us despite of impairments.
Next we had the client play "Doodle-Free," an activity that requires the person to place different geometric shaped forms within an outline to make one whole form. It requires visual spatial reasoning, problem solving and fine motor coordination. The designs or puzzle increase in complexity based on different levels so it could be graded for different client needs and abilities. The client liked this puzzle game because it was challenging but did not require strong physical effort to complete. When the session was done the client said that the activities were "awesome" and "pouted" that the iPad was leaving with me. The client said that the "floor should have 5 of these because they were so much fun." Likewise, my student, the fieldwork educator and I could see the value of using this type of technology in a therapy setting when working on certain types of problems in therapy. The client had accomplished therapy goals for that day but didn't even feel like it was therapy. Now that's a great day for all of us!
Question: How does one clean an iPad? If I take it into a clinic and use it with clients, I need to have a way to clean it between clients.
Rebecca Bahnke
Yesterday, I went to a clinical facility to observe my student working in an assisted living center. This student has an iPad. We shared apps and I suggested that she try some with one of her clients that I had observed. She will let me know how it went next Monday.
Today I went to observe another student assigned to a hospital. I oriented the OTA student and fieldwork educator to the iPad I had brought and offered it as an option for use during clients' therapy. There was a client who had a deteriorative disorder who had just lost additional function and was mourning. The fieldwork educator introduced the iPad as a new option for today's therapy. The client sat on the edge of the bed and played "Labyrinth Lite" which has a maze and you are supposed to tilt the screen in different directions to move the ball through the maze. Great sound effects, sounds like wood, bells, and all. The client sat for 15 minutes working on sitting balance and bilateral arm coordination (goals of therapy), totally engaged in the game. The client showed excellent task perseverance even when it when the challenge was high level. This is the essence of OT to be able to perform that tasks that have meaning to us despite of impairments.
Next we had the client play "Doodle-Free," an activity that requires the person to place different geometric shaped forms within an outline to make one whole form. It requires visual spatial reasoning, problem solving and fine motor coordination. The designs or puzzle increase in complexity based on different levels so it could be graded for different client needs and abilities. The client liked this puzzle game because it was challenging but did not require strong physical effort to complete. When the session was done the client said that the activities were "awesome" and "pouted" that the iPad was leaving with me. The client said that the "floor should have 5 of these because they were so much fun." Likewise, my student, the fieldwork educator and I could see the value of using this type of technology in a therapy setting when working on certain types of problems in therapy. The client had accomplished therapy goals for that day but didn't even feel like it was therapy. Now that's a great day for all of us!
Question: How does one clean an iPad? If I take it into a clinic and use it with clients, I need to have a way to clean it between clients.
Rebecca Bahnke
Tuesday, October 4, 2011
eTextbook Apps
I think one of the best reasons, as an educator, to invest in the iPad is the movement toward eTextbooks. For years, I have been jealous of all the ancillaries that other disciplines like social science get with their textbooks: they get a bank of videos, interactive online games, PowerPoint presentations, practice questions, etc. I believe for the younger generation and other visual and/or kinesthetic learners, these ancillaries are a gold mind. For these students (and me), the learning process becomes three-dimensional with these ancillaries. There are many ebook apps available, but my absolute favorite it Inkling. This app has managed to do something the other eTextbook apps have not done, and that is fully intergrate the ancillaries into the text of the book. With most eTextbooks, clicking on a video or an activity, takes you to another page and then students have to navigate back to the text. With Inkling, the transition is seemless--and beautiful.
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