Follow @ed_apps I was so excited to check out the Apple website today and see that they are offering FREE summer camps for kids, for making films! That is so exciting and right up my alley, so I had to share this here. Register today HERE (Canadian Link) or if you’re south of the US/Canadian border, HERE (US Link). It looks like there will be more info soon for international stores! Want more info on making films with students via iPad? Check out these posts! 13 Ways to use iMovie In...

Follow @ed_apps I don’t want to make blanket statements regarding purchases. I fully recognize that every educator, school and institution has to decide what makes sense for them; ultimately, it is you that must live with the purchasing decision. At the same time, I would like to point out some things to consider. Applecare, from what I understand, extends the standard warranty of your iPad from 12 months to 24 months. Additionally, if you crack the screen of your iPad, you can have that iPad replaced for an additional $49...

Follow @ed_apps Often times when I go into a classroom to work with students and iPads I connect my iPad to whatever projection system exists in the room. I’m pretty comfortable unplugging cables from computers, but not everyone is. Recently I set up a bunch of schools with a one-touch solution to switch their SMARTboard or projector between their computer and their iPad. What You Need VGA Switch: a) I like the 2-source VGA switch from StarTech, available on Amazon (purchasing through this link supports this website) b) Here is...

Follow @ed_apps On Monday past, I emcee’d a Film Festival for students in Junior and Senior High. The festival was a huge hit thanks to my amazing team of colleagues and dozens of talented teens. But my proudest moment of the evening was one video in particular – created by a kindergarten class. Before you watch this inspiring video, let me tell you a little bit about it. This was a 2 month process, from start to finish. Kids making a volcano – it was huge – and amazingly executed...

Follow @ed_apps Many teachers and schools are buying iPads now in preparation of next year. I’ve made this list of ‘Summer Goals’ after a few schools have asked for assistance in getting teachers ready for Septembers iPad roll out in their schools. I’ve tried to order these from simplest to most complex task – but don’t feel like you must follow this order. After all, summer is about having fun! 1) Surf the Net and Watch Youtube I think that if you can enjoy the iPad, you can learn with...

Follow @ed_apps I’m gearing up for a film festival at the end of the month that celebrates the incredible talents and vision of the students in my community. The films are created by students in what is often an in-depth process. Starting with nothing more than an idea, students write story boards, scripts, choose film techniques, act, record, edit, process and polish until they have a video that depicts nothing less than the vision they started with. I’ve had many teachers ask how to help students make great films, so...

Follow @ed_apps Garageband is a great app that I think any student or teacher using an iPad should consider buying. It is a multi-track audio editing app that is as robust as you will ever need (unless of course you teach audio production). Later this week I will be posting a new page full of Garageband resources for teachers, students and learning. For now, you can get your brain juices flowing by reading the list below, watching the embeded ‘how to’ videos,  and then go start playing with Garageband yourself! Download Garageband from...

Follow @ed_apps Recently I hosted 20 teachers in my school district at the zoo for an afternoon. The idea was to explore how we might use iPads during a field trip. It was certainly an exciting form of professional development. Instead of sitting at a desk and listening to someone like me talk about what you could do, we just went out and did it! Teachers had a lot of fun, and many ideas were shared. Below are some of the activities that we (I co-hosted the afternoon with a...

Follow @ed_apps When students start taking photos and video on a variety of iPads, iPods and iPhones for a collaborative project, it can be a little hairy trying to pull all of that media into one place. Last year while struggling to share photos through a variety of apps that just never seemed to work well enough, I discovered that I could use the camera connector kit to connect one iPad to another to share photos and even large video files. It works like a charm every time! This is...

Follow @ed_apps An elementary school in our district recently got 30 iPads and asked for some advice implementing them with students and teachers. In addition to suggesting some starter apps, I recommended that we have conversations with kids around the appropriate use of these devices. While almost every child has used an iPad, iPod Touch, or iPhone, the exciting learning opportunities these mobile, Internet-connected, media creation devices create also open the door to new challenges. Cyberbullying or inappropriate web publishing happens more through the camera than regular computer use does; the...