3-Tier Collaborative Math Planning

This past week I took part in a 3-Tier Collaborative Planning workshop designed to facilitate the integration of iPod Touch devices in math classrooms at the middle and high school level.  The three "tiers" represented were the regular ed teacher, special education teacher, and ITRTs.  Each of the district's secondary schools has been given anywhere from two to ten iPod Touch depending on the number of students in the building with IEPs. There is also a class set of 17 devices available for checkout from the special ed department.

The event began with an overview of apps that are currently downloaded to the iPods.  Three-tiered groups then had the opportunity to browse, research, and download apps that we felt addressed specific SOLs in the math curriculum that proved to be a challenge for students.  I worked with two fabulous seventh grade teachers during the workshop, and we came across the following apps that we felt would be useful in seventh grade math:

Basic Math (free) - drill and practice
Number Line (free) - ordering/comparing decimals, fractions, and percents; drag the decimal, fraction, or percent to the correct spot on a number line to order from least to greatest (I've mentioned this one in a previous post too.)
Portion Platter (free) - visualize fractions; interactive
Brain Tuner Math (free Lite version or $2.99 version) - similar to Brain Age games; thought this would be good for a math warm-up each day
Geometry Combat ($0.99) - challenge game with a cage-fighting theme; great for students who like competition; you even get to trash talk a bit (There is also an Algebra Combat app.)
Hot Potato Basic Math (free) - practice up on basic skills; individual and competition modes

Our 3-tier teams were asked to spend the afternoon planning a lesson that integrates the iPod Touch in a meaningful way (or two).  My team integrated three apps into our lesson:  BrainTuner, Scribble Lite, and Portion Platter.  The lesson was designed to address math SOL 7.1:  TSW compare, order, and determine equivalent relationships between fractions, decimals, and percents.  The lessons are being posted on the district's course management system for sharing with other educators.  In my opinion, it was a worthwhile, productive day!

Video Mirroring with iPad2

Disappointed to learn this is not possible with 1st Gen iPad.  Did not know this.
iPad 2's Display Mirrored on a Big Screen

Apple Training, Take 3

The following is a list of apps/resources recommended by Apple trainer, Dianne Lawrence, at the recent iPod/iPad workshop I attended:

Lit2Go - Tremendous resource!  Part of iTunesU; created by the University of South Florida, provides free audiobooks; while in an audiobook, tap once to have the text display on the screen; user must scroll through text as the audio plays (iTunes > iTunesU > Colleges and Universities > Find it Fast (on right) > Lit2Go)

TechEase - also in iTunesU under USF; has Technology tutorials

Khan Academy - collection of 24 audio/video textbooks; (iTunesU > Beyond Campus > "K" section > Khan Academy > click on See All)

Tennessee State Department of Education - electronic learning center; resources sorted by content area and grade level; (iTunesU > K-12 > "T" section > Tennessee State Department of Education > click on See All)

Scribble Lite (free app) - students can use this app with the iPod Touch to display answers for the teacher to see; shake to erase (like an etch-a-sketch); can import pictures, teacher-made questions; excellent app for student-teacher interactivity

Math Drills (free app) - students can review and practice basic addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division facts either timed or untimed

Coin Math (free app) - learn to recognize and count coins, shop and make change

Number Line - an educational game to help users learn and compare fractions, decimals, and percents.  Drag circles containing values to the correct place on a number line.  Appropriate for middle and high school students and perhaps advanced, upper-elementary students.

K-12 Timed Reading Practice (free app) - fluency app for K-4 readers; 25 stories; can upgrade to the full version (250 stories) for $1.99

Spelling Cat - locally created app from NRCC games; allows users to choose pre-loaded, grade level specific spelling lists or enter a customized word list; three games from which to choose:  Speak Easy, Scramble, and Missing Letter.  My daughter is a fourth grader and loves this app for use with her weekly spelling words!

History Apps

Check out iTunes for these two FREE history/social studies apps:

Pass The Past is an educational app designed to help students prepare for Virginia's SOL tests with a focus on World, United States and Virginia history, civics, and geography.

Early Jamestown is an interactive textbook app of the early days of the Jamestown settlement (with quality graphics).

iPod Touch Text Tips

Text Entry on an iPod Touch can be challenging, so here are a few tips:

• iPod Touch will auto correct and auto suggest as you type, so look for the suggestion bubbles and tap them to insert text and save time.
• Press and hold on a word to get a blue highlight over the word with blue buttons/circles at the top, bottom and/or left, right.  Drag the buttons/circles to highlight text you wish to copy. Tap the Copy balloon.  Next, go into the Notes app or any text app, tap and hold, and choose paste to enter the copied text.
• (Love this one!)  When entering text, tap the space bar twice at the end of a sentence, and the iTouch will automatically add a period, a space, and capitalize the next letter typed.  Sweet!
• iPod Touch will "learn" words from the words typed and recognize names from the Contacts entered.
• Hold down the back arrow to delete quickly.
• Hold down on text you have entered to get the "cursor bubble" and drag the cursor to the position you want.
• Go to Settings > General > Reset > Keyboard Dictionary to clear “learned” words you may not want in the iPod Touch Dictionary.

Miscellaneous Info

• Each iPod touch screen will house 20 icons; 9 screens per iPod Touch is the maximum.
• Tap and hold an icon until all icons wiggle.  You can then drag the icons to rearrange them or click the red X to delete.
• iPod Touch apps will play on the iPad, but iPad apps will not play on iPod Touch.

App List

Check out the Visual App List from Horry County Schools in SC.  Good stuff!

Apple iPod Touch & iPad Training

I attended an Apple iPod Touch & iPad Training today and WOW!  I learned so many cool tips, tricks, and integration ideas and found a wealth of new resources.  My mind is racing.  I have plenty of blogging material for a while!  One of the first activities of the day was to watch a video on the iPod Touch and do a think, pair, share activity afterward.  I watched Tony Vincent's "Learning in Hand" episode 16.  For those of you who don't know Tony Vincent, he is a former fifth grade teacher turned technology guru/consultant.  Check out his website Learning in Hand.  You may also want to consider following him on Twitter.

Episode 16, iPod Touch Tips, covers several topics, and here are just a few tips I learned about using Mobile Safari on the iPod Touch:

• Tap the time in the top center of the screen to return to the top of any webpage
• Double tap a column or image to zoom in, double tap to zoom out
• Tap and hold a hyperlink to see web address/URL
• Tap and hold an image to save it to your Photos app
• Create a "custom image" icon by going to a webpage, enlarging an image from the webpage that you want to use as the icon pic, then bookmarking the page by adding it to your Home screen.  The image you enlarged on the screen will be the icon on the Home screen for the website.
• Bookmarklets perform a variety of functions (search, find, bottom of page, etc.)

Lots more to come!

Digital Storytelling

Check out these resources for Digital Storytelling with the iPad:

Apps for Digital Storytelling

App Tutorials for StoryKit, Sonicpics, and StoryRobe

Articles, Web 2.0 Resources, Sites, iTunesU, Miscellaneous 

Fun Stuff!

I thought I would share just a few fun uses of the basic iPod Touch features for the classroom or anywhere:

• Depress the power button in the upper left and the home center button at the same time to take a screen shot that is automatically placed in the Saved Photos folder of your iPod Touch. The photo can then be used in other apps that allow you to add photo content, like StoryKit.
• Did you know that the Calculator on the iPod Touch is a simple 4-function calculator when the device is held vertically, but changes to a scientific calculator when the device is turned horizontally?!
• There are many great uses for the Clock utility.  My daughter uses the Timer feature of her iTouch to time her 20 minutes of nightly reading.  This is an easy  way to put students in charge of their own learning and scheduling.  We also use the Timer feature when completing multiplication fact/drill sheets to track recall improvement.  Do you have a student who needs to go to the nurse everyday at 1:00?  Have him/her set the iTouch Alarm as a reminder.  Finally, use the World Clock function when studying faraway places such as England, Greece, or China.  Students will find it interesting to see how the time is different from our own.
• Use the Calendar to teach calendar skills or use it as an agenda to note homework assignments and important events.
• Use the Voice Memo function for students who have strong verbal skills but difficultly with writing.
• Use the Notes function for simple reminders, lists, homework assignments, and any other quick note- taking that is needed.  Kids will enjoy this method as it is a lot like texting!

Using iPod Touch with Elementary Special Ed Students

I am currently involved in the integration of iPod Touch devices with elementary special ed students in my school district. This is a district-wide initiative, and each elementary school sped program has received at least three devices. My roles as an ITRT are to maintain the devices through updating and syncing; assist with customizing/individualizing iPod Touch devices for students as needed; and collaborate with the regular and special ed teachers to create activities/lessons that utilize the iPod Touch devices.

We are currently using a number of communication and scheduling apps with students. Two of the most used apps are Look-2-Learn and First Then.

The following is a sample of some of the other apps we are using:
iCommunicate - visual scheduling
iPrompts - visual scheduling, choice menu, custom photos and audio
iConverse - choice menu, custom photos and audio
Proloquo2Go - augmentative and alternative communication for people who have communication challenges, symbols and text-to-speech voices
Visules - visual scheduling
In My Dreams - phonological awareness, visual tracking, sign language, multisensory approach
My Pictures Talk - personalized photos and audio
Sonic Pics Lite - turn your images into slideshows
Wheels on the Bus - music and singing, interactive
Old MacDonald - music/singing while kids touch interactive objects

I am also working with an iPod Touch integration project for special ed students at the secondary level and will focus on that in a future post.

Feel free to let me know if you have any questions or comments!