Favorite Apps

• 7 Apps for Helping Others (Edutopia, 2015)

  Children can practice empathy through apps that encourage collaboration, whether it’s drawing pictures together, cooking for each other, or creating lessons to share their knowledge.

• Apps for Basic Math Skills (APPitic)

  Appitic is a fantastic resource for educational iPad apps, and they sort different apps by category. Their list of addition apps contains descriptions and screenshots that will help you figure out which one is best for your young mathematicians.

• Student Apps for Winter Reading (Edutopia, 2015)

  This list of apps focuses on seasonal storybooks. These are great choices for whole group or small group instruction in an early elementary school classroom. Whether you have one or many iPads, this list has something for everyone.

• Common Core Apps (appoLearning)

  AppoLearning has a new feature that lets teachers search for apps based on the Common Core State Standards they address. Rated by experts, this site lets you find an app to support students as you teach skills related to math and English language arts.

• 7 Great E-Books for Summer Reading on iPads (Edutopia, 2014)

  To engage young readers over the summer, hand them an iPad loaded with eBooks. Monica Burns reviews seven of the many reading apps available.

BACK TO TOP

Best Practices

• Common Core in Action: Manipulating Shapes in the Elementary Math C... (Edutopia, 2014)

  In this post you’ll learn how to develop a tech-friendly task that addresses the Common Core State Standards. Read about an iPad app that helps first and second graders create and identify geometric shapes while developing higher-order thinking skills required by the Common Core math standards.

• Stars, Sparkles, and Praise: Motivation in Kids' Apps? (Edutopia, 2012)

  Teacher and education director Carolina Nugent debunks three assumptions about how educational apps work to promote student engagement. She provides specific ideas that can apply to any app you're using with elementary school students.

• Apps in the Elementary Classroom (Edutopia, 2012)

  Mary Beth Hertz examines how iPads apps can be used with elementary school students. She discusses the role of educational apps for younger students and provides ideas for how teachers can integrate these apps into their curriculum. Although written in 2012, the big ideas apply to the work you’re doing today and tomorrow.

• 10 Resources For a Student-Centered 1:1 Program (TeachThought, 2014)

  This article provides an overview of best practices for launching a 1:1 program in your school, as well as links to useful resources for planning, professional development, and apps specific to this type of environment.

• K-5 iPad Apps According to Bloom's Taxonomy (Edutopia, 2011)

  Higher-order thinking can definitely take place in an iPad classroom. Check out this list from Diane Darrow, an elementary library media specialist. She reviews iPad apps and shows how they connect to an updated version of Bloom's Taxonomy. Some of the apps on this list aren’t the most current on the market, but Diane’s mission to connect higher-order thinking skills with tech tools is a useful model for teachers who regularly need to find and select apps for their classrooms.

Engaging Activities

• Learning and Creating with iPads in Kindergarten (Park Tudor School, 2012)  See SL 2.0 video.

  This delightful video from Park Tudor School in Indianapolis shows off how students in a kindergarten class used iPads to document the life cycle of butterflies. Students took their own illustrations and snapshots and made an iMovie showing what they learned.

• iTeach With iPads (iTeach With iPads)

  Kindergarten teacher and Apple Distinguished Educator Kristi Meeuwse documents her adventures teaching with iPads in a 1:1 classroom. The activities and student work she shares on her blog will inspire you to try out new projects with your elementary school students. You can watch her Apple Education feature that details some of the ways she has transformed reading in her classroom using iPad and iBooks Author.

• Easy iPad Projects for Elementary School Students (Karen Bosch, 2013)

  Teachers will gather tons of ideas for engaging activities from this presentation. Karen Bosch is a technology instructor and Apple Distinguished Educator who has shared project ideas for elementary school students that can be used across the content areas.

• 6 Ready to Go iPad Centers (Mrs. Wideen’s Blog, 2013)

  Apple Distinguished Educator Kristen Wideen shares tons of tech-friendly ideas on her blog. This post discusses iPad centers that you can set up in your classroom right away. As you explore Mrs. Wideen’s site, you’ll find links to iPad stations and numerous ideas for grades K-2 and beyond.

BACK TO TOP

Have you used iPads with students in grades K-2? Do you have a favorite online resource for gathering ideas? Share your favorite activities, apps, and websites below!