In the Classroom

Using iPads in content areas in the classroom

Take a Look, It’s In a Book…

/ Kristi Meeuwse / 5 Comments

“The more you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you’ll go.” Dr. Seuss

I thought it was appropriate to start this post with a quote from Dr. Seuss as it is his birthday month.  There is nothing better than getting lost in a good book.  In fact, I’m often sad when I finish a book.  I miss the story and the characters.  As a teacher, I want to instill that love of reading into my students.

I’ve spent most of this school year in a Literacy Leader cohort through the State Dept of Education of SC.  Through this cohort, I’ve reflected and changed my teaching of reading.  My goal for this year was to re-vamp my reading center and make it a place students want to go.  The transformation is very Barnes and Noble-esque…we even have free Wi-Fi.  I’m only missing the coffee bar. Hmmm…something to work toward!

Students have leveled books for Just Right Reading, there are baskets of different genres, a Featured Book section featuring books from our current unit of study, a featured author basket, a New Arrival basket complete with baby blanket and stuffed animals, a big book section and a poetry section.  Students have comfy chairs and pillows to snuggle into and get lost in a book.  Oh yes…they can also get lost in their iPads.  The students have leveled readers on their iPads as well as other books of interest.

As a life-long reader, I have just transitioned to e-books in the last 2 years with my iPad.  I was concerned at first that I wouldn’t like the feel of reading a book on the iPad.  After all, strong in my memory of childhood, is curling up with a stack of books and enjoying the pictures, the pages, and the smell of my favorite stories.  I have long run out of room in my house for any more books but my iPad is ripe and ready for as many books as my iTunes gift card can support. I’m on board the e-reading train! My students also love reading from their iPads.  They even create their own stories in a wonderful app called eBook Magic that I can then share with the other students in the class.

I am a voracious reader…a walking-down-the-hall-trying-not-to-bump-into- things, head-under-the-cover-hiding-the-flashlight, will-even-read-the-cereal-box-when-I-have-nothing-else-to-read reader.  I want my students to find that love in whatever way they can. The iPads are helping transform even my struggling readers into life-long readers.

What kind of reader are you?

I scream, you scream, we all scream for iPads!

/ Kristi Meeuwse / 1 Comment

“Mrs. Meeuwse, I asked for an iPad for my birthday!” a student shared.  “You did?” I asked.  “Yes.  I saw on tv where they are very affordable.” she said.  Wow, I thought.  I was 46 before I was able to get an iPad and now this 5 year old is getting one.

I know there is a lot of discussion about the appropriateness of these tools in the hands of young children.  You can debate they aren’t old enough to handle them properly or that they can’t appreciate the power of it.  “What about old school paper and pencil?” some have said.  My question to those people is, “Why can’t we use both?”  I do use paper and pencil in my class.  It is still important for children to learn HOW to write.  We still use real books for reading.  We also use books on our iPads.  My students use their iPads for a variety of activities but we still have a block center, a housekeeping center with dress-up, and an art center.  We still pretend and sing and hold hands and take a nap.  The real rock stars here are these students.  They don’t care about the fuss and debate.  They just want get on with the business of learning.  Isn’t that what it’s really all about?

There’s An App for That!

/ Kristi Meeuwse / 2 Comments

And indeed there is…whatever your heart desires, rest assured there’s an app.  One of my challenges was finding appropriate apps for my students.  I found many I liked and many that were well, awful inappropriate.  App regret is completely fixable.  You simply delete it from the account.  I currently have over 100 apps categorized in folders for student use.  We have apps for pleasure reading, leveled books, math, spelling, phonics, writing, music, drawing, science and sight words.

My students can read leveled books during Reading Workshop.  LAZ leveled books in the app store is a great resource for Just Right Books for students. We use these books quite a bit. There are vocabulary words and comprehension questions at the end of the stories.

I have found that through the use of the apps, I can differentiate instruction for the varying needs of my students.  With a large class size, it is often difficult to meet the individual needs of students.  The iPad apps, along with strong instruction in the classroom, provide my students with the ability to progress at their own pace.  Advanced students may move on without being held back by those students who need extra help.  Those who need more practice may do so without being rushed by those ready to move on.