Using Clickers and iPads in the Classroom.

There are many resources that a teacher can use in his/her classroom. One must be mindful to not get  bogged down with such neat stuff for lesson planning and instruction. I'd like to discuss two great technology finds for instruction- the iPad and clicker system.

Recently, iPads have become all the rage. We use them to do just about everything from scheduling events, keeping track of appointments, to completing projects for work. It is a good choice to teacher our students how to use such a powerful piece of technology.iPads can really come in handy in a classroom. Edudemic is a great resource/review site that tells of many different ways to use an iPad for instruction.  For starters, there are so many educational apps available that one would be hard pressed to not be able to find a use for iPads in the classroom. One great thing about the iPad is digital textbooks. Now, with the ease of your fingertips, one can cover multiple pages of text for discuss, instruction, and review. Students can complete assignments and work in groups using an iPad. They can link up and work in pairs for assignments. Edudemic has many articles on the use of iPads and also has an list of ways to use iPads in your classroom. When I think of use for the iPad, I think of reading circles and collaborative assignments. The possibilities are endless...

Another great device is the clicker. I love these for use in instructional games and I have used them for classroom assessment and mini-lessons. Educause is another great site that one could use to find ways to use clickers.Clickers go further than traditional discussion methods for instruction. Students are more likely to participate in class with clickers. When pared with a 'fun' activity, clickers can be of great instructional value. Students are actively engaged and on task, which is what all teachers want. There is also the issue of being anonymous, which is something that most students worry about. With clickers, a student can actively participate in class and not worry about being mocked.

All in all, there are many great technological devices for instruction. the clicker and iPad are just two of them with endless ways to engage students.

Until next time...