Tool #9: Incorporating Classroom-Based Devices as Tools for Learning

It is important to tie the technology to the objective because otherwise there is no learning outcome. We must focus on what it is that we want students to learn. Then we can integrate the technology into that content objective. We need to hold students accountable for their stations/centers so that we are aware of what they have learned while there. If there is no accountability, then we don't know if students are really learning and meeting the learning objective.
Here are some of my favorite websites!
Glogster-This website allows students to create a poster. Students could produce a poster based on content learning. It would allow ESL students to express what they've learned in a visual way.
MakeBeleifsComix-This would be a super tool to use for showing the sequence of a beginning, middle, and end to a story!
PBSKids-PBSKids is a fantastic and FUN website for learning across the content areas. It uses kids' favorite characters to teach science, social studies, reading, and math concepts.


Here are some of my favorite apps for learning! 
Dragon Dictation-It would be great for our ESL students to speak in English using the app. Writing is especially difficult for these students. It would work very well for our kids to speak in English, and then Dragon Dictation could create the words for them to write. This would make writing a breeze!
MeeGenius or iBooks-It is good for our second language learners to listen to good models of language. This could be accomplished by using MeeGenius or iBooks where students listen to stories read aloud.
Discovery Channel-This app would be quite useful for teaching more complex academic science language. It would give English language learners visuals in order to make the input by teachers comprehensible.

For accountability...
Students could record the name of the website or app that they used on a piece of paper or in a notebook and record one new idea that they learned. Sharing what has been learned with the group increases the accountability!

Other ways to use the iPad or iPod Touch could be...
-Allow students to use the camera tool to take pictures of things that interest them. Have student write about their pictures or create a narrative about their picture.
-Students could use the video recorder to make mini-movies about content learned or to create plays for production.
-Students could use the clock tool (timer, stopwatch) to learn about elapsed time.