Vocabulary Project

We have been focusing a lot on vocabulary since we Writing is the big focus in fourth grade. With our new words, one of the final projects is to create a showme video where students had to take a picture of something that represented or showed the word. Then, they had to find synonyms for them. I am going to change something though....Next time, when they record, I'm going to have them use the word in a sentence. Here is an example of one. :)

Who needs Flash?! ;)

If I had to complain about the iPad, I would say that I'm not happy it doesn't come with Flash. HOWEVER, I will say that I am happy to report I was informed of a new app.....iswifter.....heard of it? If so....WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL ME ABOUT IT SOONER! ;)

If you haven't heard of it, check this out!

iswifter allows you to explore websites with Flash by downloading the app for free and then purchasing (within app) the full version.

I love to use the iPads for Tumblebooks and certain websites we use during Science. Check it out if you'd like to use Flash capabilities. :)

Puppet Pals!

We love using our iPad 2's in our classroom. As of now, we are a pilot class. We only have five of them, but that seems to be doing the job for now. It encourages group work, which is great, and I can use them in small group or center rotations.

Here's another great app I'd like to recommend:
What a fun way to get kiddos to write a script and enjoy being an writer!

Puppet Pals gets the kids motivated to write, and they have a blast!!! We are currently working on hooks, or leads, in our writing. This is a fun way to work on creating a good hook for a fictional story.

Comic Strip add - soil unit, guided reading

I ABSOLUTELY LOVE the Comic Strip app. I use it all the time for various activities. When we studied soil, weathering, erosion, and deposition, I used it quite frequently. Students went on scavenger hunts around school to find the pictures. Unfortunately, we were going through a bit of a drought, so it was tough finding deposition around campus. You'll get the idea though. ;)

I've also used it when I am in guided reading groups. In this instance, I had students each tell me what information they gained from the titles and captions in a book we were reading.

Food Webs

We have been studying food webs the last couple of weeks. Here are just a couple of different ways we used the iPads.

Using the Show Me App, we researched on worldbookonline.com, took some screen shots, and inserted them into a project on show me. Then, the students recorded their voices as to what effects different disasters had on food webs in different ecosystems. I had five groups and gave each one a different disaster: hurricane, flood, drought, and an oil spill.

Here is one sample:

First Post

Well, I've decided to start a blog for teachers describing ways that I've used ipads in my own classroom. There are so many great ideas, and I'm not saying mine are the best. ;) My goal is simply to give a few ideas of how they might be used in the elementary school setting.
I will be posting projects, recommending apps, and looking for ideas from you as well.
I hope this will help inspire someone out there.