Week 1 in Review

What a week ... 22 new students ... schedules everywhere and no paper, pencils, textbooks or any of the traditional trappings of the "normal" classroom.

So far we have introduced the iPads and begun our Math, Language Arts, and Social Studies just using our iPads. Apps including iBooks, Adobe ideas, Maps, Map-O-Meter, Google Earth, Safari, and Notes have been employed on a daily basis as well as 1:1 which is an app that allows you to measure objects as large as the iPad screen on the screen.

The kids are becoming smoother and smoother with each day and are emailing as many as 100 completed papers, drawings and observations my way as if they have been doing this for quite some time.

The highlight this week in terms of "going mobile" was an impromptu lesson where the weather was good and we headed outside to see how far our wireless network would reach but also to do some measuring and comparing of plants on our ski trails. Directions went something like this ...

Pick ten objects, measure them using 1:1, record your results in Notes, then draw the object using Adobe Ideas. Go! (Skip's note: the video of this field trip may be viewed in An Impromptu Field Trip.)

Measurement using 1:1 app

Sample Sizes

Off we went soon losing our wireless about 200 feet outside the building but the kids didn't really seem to notice as leaves, spruce cones, a few mushrooms and other objects were placed on the iPads for measurement. Once measured a double tap of the power button jumped them into Notes for data entry, followed by another double tap to make some drawings. One team even took a screen shot of the 1:1 screen so when they drew their object in Adobe Ideas, it had the "right background."

Using Adobe Ideas to trace/draw a leaf

Data Entry in Notes

On the way back to the building, we aimed instead to the playground equipment where we completed the days math lesson by taking a screen shot of our math journal in iBooks to be completed in Adobe ideas and then emailed to me as we were now in range of our buildings wireless signal. Several corrections were also made on different pages which the kids fixed on the spot while others began to use an array screen shot to practice the old dots game. And to think we even got some fresh air and sunshine on our faces as we did school.

Here's a video that we shot at the end of the day on Friday.