jamie goodwin
there is lots of great technology to use in the classroom–one of which is tablets. if your classroom is lucky enough to have tablets for your students to use, try these 8 ways to use tablets in the classroom to increase your students’ experience.
watch video clips
whenever you can tie videos into a lesson, you can cater to your visual learners. plus, who doesn’t enjoy watching a video clip in class? with tablets, your students can have an interactive experience with videos. not only can you watch regular videos, but you can also have students watch 360-degree videos. these special videos allow students to move their tablet to explore different countries, landmarks, shipwrecks, or even the sky. students can interact with these videos to learn about these things and more.
take pictures and videos
tablets have a built-in camera. utilize this feature by having students document field trips, science experiments, classroom presentations, and anything else. you could also use the tablets to create radio shows or podcasts for students to add to every week.
write notes
for students who struggle taking notes, permit them to use tablets. there are applications that allow students to add links, pictures, sketches, and other things to supplement their notes. you could also create graphic organizers for students to fill out on their tablets.
play educational games
educational games are great time fillers. if students finish their work early, have them grab a tablet. add applications to the tablet that allow them to play educational games. some of the top apps for educational games include:
- math ninja
- stack the countries
- the oregon trail
- math and letters air control
- thinkertoy
- rocket math
- civilization revolution
- mathemagics
- monster physics
- dr. frankenstein’s body lab
you could also incorporate games into your lessons. for example, angry birds could help students calculate math problems or practice physics.
listen to music and stories
i love playing music in my classroom. while students are working, we can enjoy classical music or whatever seems to fit the mood. then, use a bluetooth speaker to project the sound.
you could also use tablets to play stories for your students. apps like read me stories or ibooks have lots of books to choose from. your students can follow along with their own books or listen to the stories as they’re read.
create presentations
when assigning presentations to your students, consider mixing things up by allowing them to use their tablets. then, students can make movies, comic books, storybooks, 3d digital models, and more to present in class. some of the apps to check out include stop motion studio, shadow puppet edu, chatterpix kids, and screenchomp.
participate in video conferences
when i was in elementary school, we had pen pals from around the world. now, students can go one step further and get to speak to the students. apps like facetime, skype, or google hangout allow you to video conference with anyone around the world. your students can chat with students around the world to learn about their country, culture, and schooling.
adapt lessons for students
more than supplementing lessons, tablets can be used to adapt your lessons for special needs and to accommodate the many different learning styles. if you have students who are deaf, autistic, or struggling with any number of learning difficulties, allow them to use tablets in class. they could record their answers to a test instead of writing them down. or, they could watch a short film rather than reading a short story. consider your students’ ieps to determine other ways to adapt your lessons for them.
there are lots of ways to use tablets in the classroom to benefit your students. if you don’t have access to tablets already, check out grants for classroom supplies that you can apply for to help you cover the costs. then, you can start using these ideas to augment your lessons and better serve your students.
