I Love My iPad

Steve Jobs and I could be best friends. That is, of course, if he were still alive. Over the past five years he has rocked my world with my new Mac laptop, iPhone 5 and iPad. I love them all but my favorite has to be my iPad. I have wanted one for years, and my husband finally gave me one as a surprise this Christmas. I am still learning to use it effectively, and my kids are teaching me new things on it everyday. I remember when my youngest daughter was 5, iPads had just become the "new thing." I was in a meeting, daughter in tow, and had kept her occupied for most of the meeting with activities we brought from home. By the end of the first hour she was restless, and the man I was meeting with handed her his iPad to play with. I was shocked because I knew how expensive they were and couldn't believe he would let her play with it. Little did I know that she would prove Bruner's discovery learning theory (Roblyer/Doering, 2013, p. 43) correct by opening apps and engaging herself in an unknown world for an additional hour with zero instructions. I was sold!

Although I have still not learned everything there is to know, this video has helped me learn some basics, and is a great reference for anyone desiring to use their iPad in the classroom.

For music teachers, there are also tons of apps out there to aid in classroom use. Students can learn ear training skills, work on basic music theory, play the keyboard, compose, create vocal and audio tracks and much more. Several great resources for music apps can be found in this article- http://www.educatorstechnology.com/2013/01/12-outstanding-music-teaching-and.html. 

The use of an iPad in a music classroom meets students where they are. Gone are the days where traditional methods will keep the attention of a class. In the "Instagram Age" in which we live, kids need hands on technology where they can learn at their own pace and develop a love for learning. I have found iPad apps "to generate motivation to learn,"(Roblyer/Doering, 2013, Table 2.5, p. 51). Kids love them. Teachers love them. Everybody loves them. iPads also allow teachers to record student work by instantly videoing performances and playing them back for student and teacher evaluation. I also believe iPads provide both directed instruction and inquiry based learning (Roblyer/Doering, 2013, p. 35), which makes the use of iPads in the classroom even more valuable. I do realize "Effective technology integration depends on...adequate funding and up-to date resources" (Roblyer/Doering, 2013, p. 53), but am hopeful that we will continue to see the costs of these technologies decrease as we watch the increased benefits. It is also encouraging to see more and more school systems offering iPads or similar devices to their students for use both at home and in the classroom.

Follow me on twitter @lathamllisa for more iPad tips, including retweets and quotes from @ipadmixr, a great resource for iPad music news. And if you want to share any with me, I am always looking to learn new uses for my favorite possession!