iPad Creativity at Sabin!, Meghan Gabler, Librarian, Sabin Dual Language Magnet School

The students have had a fabulous time using the iPad’s at Sabin! As it is the middle of testing time Library Media class has been shifted quite a lot. The times I’ve had to go into a classroom to teach I am even more grateful for the iPad’s. Thanks to our incredibly generous A.P. she has lent two iPads to the Library collection and has purchased stylus’s for us to keep. The two extra iPad’s make it possible to do a full classroom activity in partners with my larger classes.

While in the Kindergarten classroom due to testing in the library, I was able to bring the iPad’s along for extra learning. We read our story, we did our activity, we shared our learning and then we had time leftover (which usually happens in an hour long period with the little ones!). As a reward of sorts for good behavior, I was able to set all of the students up in groups of two with an iPad. They were able to access Raz Kids, which we use in the library, but a few other free apps that I had thankfully downloaded . One app, Preschool and Kindergarten Learning Games allowed the students to trace letters and numbers while another option in the app allowed them to choose the correct shapes and colors. I set a timer so the students could share the iPad and the activities. It was very successful and the kids loved it.

While having to visit the 5th graders in their classroom during testing I was also extremely thankful for the iPad’s and the stylus’s. We have been working on college/university research that will culminate into either an iMovie or a Prezi via the iPad. Most of their research has been done on the desktops and saved in Google Drive. On this day, the students were able to work with their partners and get the additional fun facts and research they needed to add to their projects. The stylus’s made it easier for the students to type and save pictures into notepad. They then emailed their notes to their CPS email accounts via the “fake” email account I added to all of the iPads (sabinlibrarycps@gmail.com). It was great to see the kids dive into their research and stay motivated even though we were in the classroom. They also then took turns reading articles from Achieve3000 when they were finished with their research.

The final success I have had with the iPad’s and the Macbook Pro is finally being able to connect all to the projector and project whatever we need onto the Smart Board. I finally purchased the correct VGA adapter to connect the Macbook Pro directly to the projector. Then I purchased Apple TV and I wonder why I didn’t do this sooner! Students can now sit at their seats, swipe the bottom of their iPad, click on Airplay, then Apple TV, then mirror. With this option students can show one another what they are working on while they are working on it and without having to get up from their seats. I can also switch back and forth to the MBP and my own iPad to demonstrate different tactics depending on what we are working on. It’s fabulous!