A few weeks ago I introduced Talking Tom, an iPad application to a few of my ELLs (English Language Learners). The idea behind the talking cat, Tom, was to get my students to record themselves and practice speaking. Overall, Talking Tom was a big hit and the students enjoyed making him meow and hold his stomach repeating the words, "Ow," over and over again. In general, the iPad has had some great success for me in the classroom as a positive behavior motivator. Students want to "play" on the iPad and really enjoy listening to music or watching videos on YouTube. It is a great motivator and I just wish I had enough for every student. In general, since I have started taking a couple of technology classes through Doane, I have been more aware of how much I use technology in the classroom. I really never knew what was out there to use with my students. By increasing my PLN (Personal Learning Network) with blogging, Twitter, and by subscribing to RSS (Really Simple Syndication) feeds, I feel like I have more potential to make a huge difference with my students and I am a better resource to other teachers as well.
Candice,
ReplyDeletehave you tried any of the digital storytelling apps for the iPad yet? I bet if they like Talking Tom, your kids would like Sock Puppets! They get to practice lots of skills: writing (dialog), reading (reading the dialog) and speaking (recording it)!