When I was one of the teachers chosen to be a part of our school’s iPad pilot group I was over-the-top excited.  I couldn’t wait to get this revolutionary device into my classroom to enhance my students’ learning and, of course, to have some of the most awesome lesson plans in the building.  I dreamed of students manipulating maps and playing with primary sources in ways that they could not without the iPad.  I was fantasizing about the history apps that I would discover.  And then I got the iPad into my classroom.

When I first brought my iPad to school, I didn’t have any idea what to do with it.  Sure, I scoured the internet to find the “best apps” for teachers, but wasn’t finding anything that really made any difference in my classroom.  For example, Teacher Tool Kit might be great for some in that it keeps classroom records, has a grade book, does seating arrangements, and, of course, lets you take a picture of each kid to go with your record keeping so that you can see their smiling faces whenever you’d like.  For me, Teacher Tool Kit was a waste of time.  Why couldn’t I just keep using my grade book on my laptop and my notebook for behavioral records?  Teacher Tool Kit just made the things I already do take longer.  The only difference it made was that it looked cooler than my marble notebook that says when Suzie talks out of turn or when Andrew consistently forgets his homework.  I also found Group Maker, which randomly makes groups for me for cooperative learning exercises.  After a couple of days using Group Maker, I decided that my good old fashioned Popsicle sticks with student names on them worked better for me for calling on students at random and for arranging groups.

I have to admit, using the iPad in my classroom has taken a lot of thinking.  The iPad felt like an add-on; something snazzy that made me look state-of-the-art but felt like an albatross around my neck.  How was I supposed to make the iPad feel like it was a new part of my teaching repertoire, and not just something additional I had to use?  Then it hit me.

The iPad is all about what students can create.  It is a book publisher.  It is a movie producer.  It is an art studio.  It is a recording booth.  The iPad is a versatile machine that students can use to demonstrate their knowledge in creative ways.  Unfortunately it is not about me.  Yes, I can include the iPad in a lesson about maps using an app like Doceri, and yes I can use apps to help students do research on a topic in a more dynamic way, but ultimately, the iPad is all about them.

As a teacher I am always looking for alternative assessments: ways for my students to show me what they know, but not in a test, quiz, or essay format.  While there are merits to all three of those assessments, they’re not always appropriate for all units or for all students.  Alternative assessments allow students who aren’t “good” at tests to “be smart”.  The iPad is a great tool for alternative assessments and really can transform your students’ experiences in the classroom if you allow it to.  I’ve been thinking about iPads and alternative assessments in the context of my history class, and I came up with the following ideas [All of my app suggestions with few exceptions are FREE]:
 

•  Bill of Rights Gallery Walk: Using the apps QReader and/or Aurasma, students can create a multimedia experience for one of the first ten amendments of the US Constitution.  More like an enhanced stations lesson, when students create their station, they’d be required to find media or create media that explains what their amendment is all about and find relevant stories about their amendment in the news to share.  When students go to the station, there isn’t a whole lot of paper, but a QR code for them to scan to access the media, or a “trigger image” that allows them to access the media.
• Federalists vs. Anti-Federalists: After reading some of the Federalist papers and Anti-Federalist responses (I use Federalist 51 for my 8th graders), students create a dialogue between a Federalist and an Anti-Federalist based on our lessons in class and their guided study of the primary sources.  Instead of simply handing in the debate “script”, students act it out using the Sock Puppet app, where their characters are, you guessed it, sock puppets.  They could also use Yakit! to take pictures of James Madison and George Mason (or Federalists and Anti-Federalists of your choosing), make their mouths move, and add audio so that they can have their debate “live”.  See a sample of a portion of a Sock Puppet Federalist/Anti-Federalist debate below.

• Documentary: Using Tellagami and the iMovie app (iMovie is $4.99), students can create an avatar of themselves or someone else and set the scene for wherever they want to be.  Do they want to do a walking tour of Paris?  If they find the appropriate pictures, they can “be” in Paris.  Do they want the Eiffel Tower to talk?  Using Yakit along with Tellagami and iMovie, they can interact with the Eiffel Tower.  The possibilities for making a great documentary are limitless.

What apps are you using in your classroom?  What activities are you doing?  Please feel free to share!  If you use one of my suggestions, I’d love to know how it worked out.

Above all, remember that technology is supposed to enhance the learning experience.  It is not supposed to be a smoke and mirrors show.  Be creative in creating your assignments, the students will thank you for it.  The iPad is a powerful tool for students to show what they know!