Presentation for uLearn14 - embedding iPads into a classroom programme. Our favourite apps for reading, writing and maths. Presented by Marion Kirby & Alison Willis (Pillans Point School, Tauranga.

1. iPads - A day in a junior
classroom
Presented By: Marion Kirby @kirbyme
& Alison Willis

2. iPads - A day in a Junior
Classroom
Delegates will:
1. understanding how we can “embed” the use of
mobile technology in our classroom programmes
1. understand why they need to embed the
technology rather than use it as an “add on”.
1. have “take away” ideas they can use at the
beginning of term 4 across most curriculum areas.
1. gain confidence in using mobile technology to
enhance children’s learning

3. Overview of Session:
● Introduction (2 mins)
● Our Journey (5 mins)
● A typical day overview (2 mins)
● Writing (15 mins) - overview of apps, breakdown of organisation and
sandpit time
● Reading (15 mins)- overview of apps, breakdown of organisation and
sandpit time
● Maths (15 mins)- overview of apps, breakdown of organisation and
sandpit time
● Other curriculum areas (10 mins)
● Question & Answer time (10 mins)

4. Your turn:
A show of hands….
Year level?
Number of iPads in class?
How long have you had
iPads?
Marion
● Pillans Point School,
Tauranga
● New Entrant
Teacher
● Working in a
collaborative
learning
environment this
year
● eLearning leader
last 4 years
● Responsible for
implementing iPads
● First uLearn last
year
Introductions:
Alison
● Pillans Point School,
Tauranga
● Year 1/2 Teacher
● Job shared with
Marion for 3 years
● First uLearn last
year
● First year
presenting for both
of us

5. Our Journey
Pillans Point School
Devices
2012
● First iPads for staff, PL (2 terms)
● Pods of 6 iPads for each teaching team
(on a booking system)
2013
● Started the year with 1 iPad in each
junior class
● Term 2 TECT grant - got 80 iPads which
allowed 4 each in the junior classes
2014
● Term 2 TECT grant - 7 in each junior
classrooms (10 in other classes with 1 x
1:1 class and 2 x 1:2 classes Apple tv’s in
each class
Our Learning Journey
PD/PL
● PL sessions first year
● PD second year - embedding iPads, whole
staff uLearn 2013
● “Creativity not consumption”
● 2014 - SAMR - “not just an add on”
● Mini padcamp run by our staff this year

6. A Typical Day – the apps we are using
Roll/Notices
Oral Language
Music/Movement
Phonics
Writing
Handwriting
Spelling
Browsing Boxes
Shared Book
Reading
Maths
Other areas:
Te Reo
Art (self-portraits)
Science
PE

7. Writing:
● Organisation examples –
writing roster
● Purpose?
● Apps we use...
Quick voice:
Great for children who are very
distracted at writing time and “lose”
their story and their focus. Great for
boys who start writing and forget
what they were going to write!!!
Plug in headphones to the iPad, child
records story, plays back, writes
sentence etc.

8. Writing:
Write About This
This app is great for
writing motivation.
Children can either use an
existing picture and write
about that or take their
own photo, write about it
and also record.
(school has lite version
which means can’t print
but children take screen
shot as evidence or
writing. There is now a NZ
version.

9. Writing:
Puppet Pals
We have used Puppet
Pals 1 & 2 for either a
motivation to write (ie.
they create first and then
write) or as a publishing
tool where they can bring
their story to life for an
audience.
A copy of the blog post
went in this boys writing
book alongside the
original story he wrote.

10. Writing:
Book Creator:
Each week the children have a turn
at writing in their digital book. These
have been set up with a link to
Dropbox so they can be shared with
family.
The children have an iPad writing
day for their group each week. (see
roster)
We use the paid version of Book
Creator to get the full benefits (i.e.
being able to make multiple books on
the app)

11. Writing - Hands On Session
● Setting up class digital books
● Doodle Buddy - Book Creator
Many ways to use...draw a picture in
Doodle Buddy, take a photo of event or
news, take a video...etc
Or explore Write About This on our class iPads

12. Reading
Organisation examples...reading fluency roster
Purpose??
Video App:
Most children love the sound of their
own voice and they love the video
camera on the iPad. We use the
video app daily for children who need
to increase their fluency. For some
children it has really hooked them
into reading and their progress has
been amazing.
It requires very little organisation –
maybe just a roster so they know
who is on which iPad. The children
never forget a turn on the iPad!
3 weeks later

13. Reading
Popplet App:
We use the free version of Popplet.
This means we can’t save a project
to work on another day however the
children mostly finish in the same
day. It is easy to export their work to
the camera roll.
We use the Popplet app as a follow
up activity to reading.
The children can choose a character
– take a photo in the app and write
words to describe the character in
popples around the picture. Or they
can do a retell…endless possiblities!

14. Reading:
Dropbox App:
We have put many of our
MP4 files from the Ready
to Read series into
Dropbox so the children
can access them to listen
to. It is a great activity in
our reading rotations or
follow up or introduction
to a guided reading text.
We have also put in
stories from other series
in Dropbox (eg. Joy
Cowley, Bear Stories)
These files can only be
accessed by iPads
logged into our class
account.

15. Reading
Explain Everything:
We use this app in many ways
as it is so adaptable to any
situation/any curriculum area.
Some ways we use it in reading
are:
● retelling a story eg. draw
a picture of something in
the story or take a
photo..use the record
function to retell the story
● take a photo of a book,
children write a
description of a character
in the book
● sequencing - beginning
middle end - a slide for
each

16. Reading - Hands On
Explain Everything
Task:
Choose a reader from the table.
Take a photo of your favourite page in the story then write your name somewhere
on the page.
Record what happened in this part of the story using the record function on Explain
Everything.
Save your movie then export it to the camera roll.
Don’t forget to put your name somewhere on the page.
Or…using Popplet…..take photos of all the characters in the I’m the King of the
Mountain reader. Your title will be “Characters in I’m the king of the mountain.”
Don’t forget to write your name in one of the Popples.

17. Maths ● Organisation examples
● Purpose?
● Apps we use…
Screen Chomp(Free)
I use this app for guided
sessions with whole class
and groups. I give the children
a problem and then show the
children an example of a
strategy they could use to
solve it. This app isn’t on
the children’s ipads just
mine.

18. Maths
Subitising App
I use this is as a
teaching tool for
warm up
maintenance. For
quick basic facts I
use the dice and get
the children to add
numbers together
quickly. The example
on the right shows a
child recording their
thinking after I
presented a problem.
Example of
Subitising app

19. Maths
Explain Everything
There are many ways of
using Explain Everything in
maths. It is a great app for
individual use or collaborative
group work. We love it
because when you are busy
working with a group the
children are working and later
you can hear and see what
the children were doing. We
print out the NZ Maths
problems, take a photo in
app then record the problem.

20. Hands On Maths…
Explain Everything
Choose some maths
problems suitable to your
level.
Photograph the maths
problem in the app.
Record the problem (read).
Add a slide.
Save with problem name.
Now choose a problem and solve the
problem on the second slide showing
your working.
Or get to know a maths app by exploring our
class iPads

21. Other Curriculum Areas
● Te Reo (Mihi on Puppet Pals)
● Practise te reo conversations using Sock Puppets
● Learning our Mihi using Puppet Pals
● Shared books - Ministry of Education books, Kidztory, Big Cat (Collins)

22. Other iPad bits and pieces
● Teacher puts apps for the week
on the dock or in a folder
● Sending kids outside - airplay so
you can see where they are and
what they are doing
● Make charging part of your
routine/organisation (1st child
to school plugs in etc.)
● “Experts” - pick children who
are experts for other children to
go to first so that your aren’t
always interupted
● Have a set area in the class that
children use the iPads (eg. same
table) so they aren’t hiding in
corners or tempted to get off
task
● Use headphones if they are on a
noisy app
● Tool not a toy...teach the
children that we don’t “play” on
the iPads

23. Any Questions
iPad Adventures Blog:
http://kirbyme.wordpress.com
Email: marionk@pillanspoint.school.nz
alisonw@pillanspoint.school.nz
Twitter: @kirbyme
Please contact us if you have any
further questions
Please fill out the feedback form
before you leave or fill in online
Thanks