Combining iPad and Laptop with Evernote to Use as Note Taking Tool

I've started to get into using Evernote a lot. It looks like a wonderful note taking tool and I am trying to use it to plan out curriculum and thoughts about the upcoming school year. The app is a green square with a grey elephant in the middle. Today I started thinking about how to use Evernote along with the iPad and my laptop to keep student notes. In Evernote I could create a separate notebook for each student and then make new entries for each student as the year goes on. With Evernote I can type and handwrite thoughts, I can capture and import images, and I can record my voice. Plus it seems to have many nice organizing features that I have not yet discovered. I am starting to realize, I think correctly, that the iPad and PC laptop bring different abilities to using Evernote.

With the iPad I am starting to envision...
-Taking pictures of children's work or of children and recording my thoughts either by typing them with the image or by recording myself speaking thoughts into the iPad.
-Recording conversations with students or student explanations or read alouds or spoken presentations to be listened to and reviewed later. I believe I can also type or verbally record my observations on the same note.
-The iPad is light and easy to carry around and could be more efficient for recording moments and thoughts throughout the day.

With the laptop am starting to envision...
-Having more options for what I can do with Evernote, such as writing or typing and creating new notebooks for students, a task that the iPad does seem capable of doing.
-Writing more in depth thoughts that I may not want to use the screen keypad for.
-Overall it seems the laptop can act more as an administrator for my Evernote work, whereas the iPad could function as a day to day thought recording device.

One of the beauties of Evernote is that it stores information virtually--if I am saying that correctly. So, once you synchronize the material you just entered, you are able to review and work with any device on which you have downloaded the program.

Using both interfaces, I could see this being very handy when writing reports. I could review filed notes on the iPad and then take care of report card writing and checklists on the laptop. I don't have to carry home stacks of papers!

I am just starting to figure this out, so there may be snags. I wonder how safe is the information I store. I guess this depends upon the password I use. But I still would like to find out more about the safety dimensions. As well, I need to figure out more what the iPad and the PC laptop can do with Evernote, because they definitely seem different.

I'd appreciate any thought from anyone who is more familiar with Evernote than me.

Maurice

Smart Board Connection?

Is it possible to connect the iPad to the smart board somehow? I am finding certain features that would be great to project and interact with on the smart board. For instance I found a great app focused n Jamestown. Basically it is like a book telling the story about Jamestown, but it has multi-media features as well. Good images and video. I also found a decent collection of antique maps that can be enlarged. I could see using these apps in class. If I cannot connect the iPad to the smart board somehow, then possibly I can download apps on a computer that can. I'd appreciate any thoughts.

Maurice

Sonic pics

I read about this app, Sonic Pics, on the "iPads at Burley" blog, which is one of the links provided by jenni on our blog.

http://ipadsatburley.blogspot.com/

Basically it allows people to record themselves talking about different photos or drawings that have been moved into the photo library. The people at the Burley School came up with some initial interesting ideas which pertain to all of us. I think you all in k and kx are looking for story telling options, this may be a good option. I am currently downloading the LITE version which is free but allows you to use only 3pictures and you can record 10 minutes of talking. I encourage you to check out their blog, there seem like some other really good ideas that are getting me away from just the skill apps. I think the people at Burley are working with first and second graders.

Good luck.

Maurice

Mixed Thoughts but Still Exploring

Hello, iPad friends! Hope you all are doing well and finding some way to escape the heat.

I've been enjoying getting used to the pad but am still not sure how helpful/useful it will be in the classroom. I feel the pad should create some sort of experience that cannot be easily created in class with physical materials. As others of you have already said, many of the apps are disappointing. They are primarily focused on a drill/exercise in a game format. Doing math exercises is worth while, but we do not need an iPad to do so. The everyday math materials-which can be found in the app store- are just their physical games put on screen. While they may good, why not just play them with real cards. I like the TanZen Lite app, but I don't see any benefit over using real tangrams and puzzle cards. I also wonder if there is something lost in the students' ability to fee the shape and size of the shapes. By actually touching them does this send info to the brain that is helpful in understanding the materials and solving the puzzles? My hunch is yes.

With that said, here are the apps that I have seen so far that i think do create a unique opportunity for students:

Coin Math. As some of you have said, this is a very nice app for familiarity and comprehension of coins. I like how there are cognitive, visual-spatial, aural, and problem solving aspects to the experience. It does lack the touch and feel of each coin, but the mix of other inputs are great. The gradation of problems are also really well done. This would help third graders.

Motion Math. Again this engages many parts of the brain: cognitive, visual-spatial, kinesthetic, and it is really fun! My only issue is that it gets too hard for third graders far too quickly. Hs anyone found a version that progresses more slowly?

Dragon Dictation. Last year I started thinking about how could a dictation program be used to help students who have a hard time writing their ideas down, such as brainstorming and recording ideas for a story or reading response. For students who are strong speakers, dictation could be a helpful tool to help them with their work. I am curious about exploring this with students. Has any new else thought about or tried this? I have not had enough success with this dictation program, though. I do not have a microphone, so I wonder if that is part of the miscues that I keep getting. One of my favorite miscues was when I said, "Will this help them get ideas down more easily," and the program wrote, With this helps them feel yesterday he is down more easily? . Have you had more success Merry or anyone else who has worked with the program?

Alrighty, I need to get Mr. Will from his nap. I will add more later.

Maurice

Geography apps - Stack the States/Countries

I recently got hooked on two new apps that everyone in my family enjoys. Stack the States and Stack the Countries are fantastic geography apps. For both apps you have to learn and remember information about the states or countries as well as recognize the shape of the state or country. In addition, once you answer the question correctly, you have to stack the pieces to reach a bar set on the page. The more questions you answer correctly, the higher the bar. If you are not careful stacking the pieces, they can fall off the page and you have to start from the beginning. It is a lot of fun and we are all learning a lot. I can see using this app in my class. The only frustration we have encountered is for my six year old who has trouble sometimes reading the question by himself. Otherwise a great app!

On a completely different note, I am really enjoying using the iPad as a replacement for my computer. It took a little while to get used to typing on the screen, but I find it easier each day. It's very easy to carry with me on trips, and makes me wonder if I would be able to give up my laptop in the future.

Venturing Forth

I remain challenged by the process of getting to this blog site. This time, I am venturing in by way of the iPad. So, no handy email links at the ready-- just Safari and go! I'm here. I got the cursor and the keyboard to work together. I really don't like using the iPad keyboard. Even if I hover my fingers above the screen, the spacing is too tight for touch typing. If I get faster, I will have developed some very bad habits. Unlike Merry, I don't think I would invest in an attachable keyboard. I like the iPad for it's light weight and compactness and if more has to go with it, then I might as well be hauling a laptop. I would not use this device for long discourse.

That said, the whole reason for logging on was to report the successful download of the free app for the Bull Run Battlefield (as written about in today's Post metro section). It looks pretty cool. I'm not a major history buff, but I enjoy a good ranger story/interpretation whenever I chance upon their tours in the parks. This looks like a nice way to get the info (both remotely and while at the site) without having to fit to a schedule. The real question: Will I attempt to get my 10-year old twin nephews to go with me to Manassas in the heat of the summer (just like the real soldiers!) in order to try this app out in situ?

Hey! I finally managed to connect to the posting potential of this blog. So, now you know that any comments I have about the iPad are coming from a techno-Luddite and my proficiency is almost as good as your average kindergartener.

I had a chance to share the iPad with a fairly adept 5-year old and to get her input on a few of the apps that I had tried and liked/didn't like. I noticed that with all of the drawing applications, the Chalkboard app was the only one where she actually drew a picture. The rest of them had too many choices and manipulating through the color palettes and pen functions was frustrating. She reacted to the alphabet tracing programs the same way I did-- thought they were boring and quickly realized that they don't respond if you make a mistake, so you can just scribble all over the template and make a mess.

She enjoyed the Alphabet Bus. I had muted the sound completely at first (forgetting that there are some reinforcement instructions/word reading that are part of the educational component). She did the reading herself, as the three-letter words in the demo app are pretty basic. I clicked on the sound about halfway through and the program gives the option to hear or mute the music. The five-year old muted the music pretty quickly herself. This girl really did enjoy the "game" aspect of this app. I'm not sure what the pay-for-it version has, but if there were an app like this where teachers could put in their own vocabulary for students, this would be an awesome study/review tool.

Watching a five year old use the iPad made me aware of some of the issues that Brian raised in his post. Kids have a tendency to touch the screen in multiple places and that effects how a program responds. Also, fine motor skills are pretty important if a program has lots of menu options. My 5-year old tester enjoyed the Puppet Pals app, but frequently stopped the recording or lost her show because of exuberant screen play that crossed over into the control bar. And, if she was sitting with the iPad in her lap (as she was with the Alphabet Bus game), her hands would get tired and she would dip the pad down and the screen orientation would turn upside-down. There is an option to lock the screen in place, but having her sit at a table might have been the solution. Or, if she was sitting somewhere where she could have her knees up as a iPad support, she could have moved the iPad for the game but not lost the horizon plane necessary to keep the screen orientation.

I also had her work with the Rocket Math app, even though I think this is for older students. I had to guide her through the rocket building portion and then we went for the challenges. Some of the challenges are basic for a young student (like shape recognition), but the shapes the user must tap change and the only way the user knows of the new assignment is if they can read the words at the bottom of the screen while also looking at the array of falling objects. Needless to say, I did the reading, while she did the searching and tapping. This app needs a bit of tweaking-- the reading level/dexterity needed to play the game is high, but only some of the tasks related to money are at the same intellectual level as the skills required to work through the nuances of playing the game. But, it is compelling. The five-year old wanted to keep on going and even I enjoy the occasional review of my odd-numbers in my desire to beat my best score.