Module 3 Reflection: "Learning With Apps"

I found that the break down of the app suggestions for developing ilearn skills , was a great resource to use. It was a good starting point and alerted me to some apps that I could immediately use in the classroom. I have been able to try out the "My Story" app with a Kinder class. We are currently starting to implement a paired writing program with Kindergarten and Year 6. As the children are writing their stories with their buddies, they are publishing their texts using "My Story". The children are combining the use of photography and drawing to create their stories. Each week as they finish their story, they continue to add it to their continually growing buddy book. Some students have even started to read back and record themselves using the app. It is intuitive, inexpensive and the children needed very little instruction. I am currently exploring best ways to share the children's stories. After evaluating a few apps with a colleague, she has decided to try using "Toontastic" to enhance critical literacy and multimodal skills. It also passes the five finger test of being connected to the curriculum, intuitive, appealing and inexpensive. It also has clear directions and prompts for the children to use and listen too. I also have been exploring "Inspiration". I plan to use it in Religion classes this week. I'm going to get the children to work in collaborative groups and record responses to proposed questions on it. I only have the lite version of it. After I try out the lite version with the kids I will decide whether to upgrade to the full version. I'm finding that before spending the school's money on an app, I tend to buy it for myself to see how versatile it is. It gets very expensive for a school having to buy one app for each individual devise. As our collection of app collection grows, I think it is important for us as a school to keep a current list of apps that we install on the school set of ipads. It is essential that the ipads are as uniform as possible in a primary school. Teachers need to be able to direct a student to a particular app knowing that the children will be able to access it no matter which device they use.