Traveling to technology conferences this summer, I realize how much support teachers/schools need when beginning to use iPads in their classrooms. Here are a few ideas to help those teachers.

1.  Make sure you have the infrastructure in place in your school before you begin this adventure.
2. Create a shared vision with your school. What do we believe about learning?
3. Give the iPads to the teachers first, so they can become familiar with the apps and navigation of the iPad.
4. Start slowly with one grade level if possible or choose your lead teachers from each grade level to introduce the iPads to students.
5. Focus on the camera tool and the basic operation of the iPads for the first few lessons. Use the front camera, back camera, video camera, and screen shots.
6. Write a Class Mission Statement about how they plan to use the iPads for learning.  Post in the room or on the iPad cart.
7. Write about their Hopes and Dreams for using the iPads in class and post the comments on Edmodo or make a book about it.
8. Discuss Digital Citizenship during the first few days of distributing the iPads.  Stress digital responsibilities and being safe online.
9. Know the age limitations of accounts such as Google Drive and DropBox. You can’t have a student account unless you are 13 or older.  We use Edmodo.
10. Develop a workflow solution.
11. Be weary of apps with ads, some are inappropriate for students.
12. Have a core set of apps that are cross-curricular content creating apps. Only use drill and skill games when needed.  More time needs to be spent on creation, as in Bloom’s Taxonomy.
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