Thing 13

The best thing about working with the new iPads has been all the different ways I can see working them in to the daily curriculum.  I can already see lots of existing lessons and projects that can be tweaked just a little bit to include the iPads.  I think this will be exciting for the students and will make a lot of tasks easier, such as online research.  They also make connecting students to the curriculum easier, enabling us to include students' original photographs, artwork, and voice in the work that they do. I'm a bit frustrated by the difficulty in integrating the iPads into our existing network, and the trouble (especially at the elementary level) with getting work off them, but I'm sure we will be able to work out some of these kinks as the year goes on.

The apps that I am most excited about working with are some of the creation software, like iMovie and Garage Band.  Students will really be able to show their creativity in their projects. This is an area that has always been a struggle, especially when working with our GT students, but I think the iPads will make incorporating individual creativity much easier.  I was not aware of the iWork suite, and am excited that students will have such a familiar platform for recording information and completing assignments on the iPads. 

I didn't really have a big "aha" moment about one part of the training.  As we went through the various modules, I kept coming up with more and more ways to integrate the iPads into the daily work that is already going on in my library and in our school.  I really think that they will get a lot of use and will quickly become indispensable.  I'm sure we will want more than 20 to work with very soon.