As part of my role as ICT Pedagogical Officer in Flinders School of Education I’ve been asked to come up with a list of iPad apps that should be available to our students on a ‘class -set’. The interesting thing about embarking on a task like that is that I needed to pick a range of apps with a range of different learning purposes. When compiling the list I wanted to:
- Have examples of both good and bad apps so that pre-service teachers are challenged to critique them. I wanted to give them the opportunity to examine apps against pedagogical practices and the TPACK Framework. To understand how to approach technology with a critical, professional eye.
- Show them how apps that are not deemed as “educational” can be re purposed into powerful learning tools.
- Let them play with Augemented Reality (AR) and Quick Response Codes (QR)
- Give them an opportunity to see how apps can help with organisation, assessment and the everyday admin that learning and teaching brings
- Give them access to faster creativity tools. I hope that students wont need to borrow Flip cameras as they will be able to shoot, edit and publish their video podcasts from this one device
- Give them a way to integrate the iPad with other technologies in their classroom. That includes an Interactive Device or Whiteboard as well as their own Smart phones and devices.
- Give them an opportunity to see examples of apps designed with Australian Curriculum outcomes in mind.
- To use the iPads to access information and tools that are not in the form of an App by teaching them how to add websites to their dashboard to use later. Let them experience the web on an iPad and consider the ease of access as well as the technical issues that can involve.
- Allow them to see how easy it is to use social networking apps from a hand-held device. Give them an opportunity to connect with the vibrant and fast growing PLN of South Aussie (and worldwide) educators)
- Give them the opportunity to play with the device itself and to learn a few of its secrets
The apps I chose had to fit with the 10 week course I’ve designed in “Numeracy and ICT as a General Capability” as well as allow and aid other topics to introduce this technology in their own courses.
I’ve used my research and my PLN to get some of the apps recommend. I’d particularly like to thank the gang on the SAETA Facebook page for adding so many apps to the English section of the spreadsheet. It’s much appreciated. Having run a few iPad workshops myself recently I wanted to share the list that I have been creating with you. In some areas It’s organised by teaching week in the topic I’ve been designing in others by purpose or curriculum area. Feel free to share the doc with others and if you have any suggestions that we could add then please let me know. I’m happy to keep building it up 
If you’ve recently attended one of my iPad courses then you’ll recognise a section of apps that are designed to get practitioners questioning ;) This list might help you to expand your search further through your comments. I would love to see it grow
You can access the doc through Google. I have also embedded it below. Please note that, for some strange reason, some DECD sites block Google Docs. If you can’t access the file outside of your school’s network drop me a message (via the contact form) and I’ll be happy to email you a copy over instead.
If you’d like to have a chat about a session in which you and your staff get the opportunity to address some of the ideas I will be exploring with the pre-service teachers next term then just drop me an email. We’ll see what we can do
