Technologies - iPads 1:1

 This page aims to answer some of the questions parents may have about their children and iPads. The questions will appear in weekly newsletters as well as being loaded to this page.

How can I help my child with using their iPad at home?
The iPad is a great collaborative tool that encourages creative thought and oral language skills. Talking to your child about how they use the iPad in their classroom is the best way for you to learn how to get involved and assist your child at home. 
Here are some further suggestions to assist you in helping your child at home:
-See the What’s ‘Appening’ with the iPads? page on our school website, where each week a focus app will be explained, with activity ideas included to enable you to reinforce the learning that happens at school. 
-Ask your child’s teacher about the apps you would like to know more about.
-Ask your child to show you their favourite app and how they use it at school.

How does the school handle security of the iPads?
A strict set of protocols has been developed to ensure the safety and security of student iPads. It is expected that both staff and students adhere to these rules and expectations. The Student Participation Agreement also provides a list of expected rules that students and parents agree to follow.
Protocols and rules for the security of iPads are as follows:
Secure lockable cupboards are provided for students to store iPads in when not in use, or at times when the classroom is unattended during the day.
iPads are to stay in student bags when going to and from school.
Students are to be supervised at all times while using their iPad.
iPads are to never be taken out of classroom unless under strict teacher supervision. 
Students are the sole user of their own iPad.
iPads are to be safely packed into bags before students are permitted to leave the classroom at the end of the day.
At OHSC, bags with iPads are locked in a room until parents collect them.

Will my child still write in books?
The answer is yes. In actual fact, the students may even write more in their books because the iPad assists students to develop and improve their writing. It helps students to build and expand on their ideas when planning their stories and can be used as a reflection tool so students can assess their progress, edit their work and increase the detail in their writing.
Following are just a few of the many different ways the iPad can be used to support and extend writing skills:
As a planning tool for creative writing - students create their story using Puppet Pals or Popplet - then write their story into their books.
Students refer to writing resources stored on Dropbox to help them improve their writing eg. high frequency word lists, poetry styles, text structures, descriptive writing techniques.
Students write a script for an iMovie or video.
An event is filmed or photographed and students use this as a prompt to write their recount eg. excursions, special days
Students record their story, listen to themselves reading and check for correct grammar, punctuation and sequencing.

Is there a balance between bookwork and iPad use?
Along with books, pencils, rulers, paper, counters and beadframes, the iPad is another tool used to support learning in the classroom. On a typical day at school, the use of books and traditional classroom tools interchanges with iPad use throughout each learning activity. For example, in a reading lesson, the students might read a short text, then use their iPad to retell the story, record a summary of the text or clarify words or new information.
Following are just a few examples of how iPads are used as a tool to support learning:
Students read a guided reading text with their teacher in a small group, then retell the story using Puppet Pals.
Students plan a narrative text using Puppet Pals, then write their narrative text in their writing books.
Students explore answers to their Curiosity questions in Safari, recording their information in their books.
Students solve maths problems using concrete materials, then record their working out in Explain Everything or iMovie.
Students practise correct grammar and then record their oral language in Explain Everything eg. talking marks, past and present tense

Will my child find it boring to use the same apps all the time?
No, the learning activities that are completed on the iPads are extremely varied, so the students are always engaged and motivated. Although the same app might be used, the activity will always be different, and for each child the opportunity to extend their learning is instinctive and open ended.
Following are just a few examples of how the one app is used in several ways:
Explain Everything – used to demonstrate, record, reflect, review, evaluate, video, photograph, draw, write, sequence, model.
Popplet – used to collate ideas, make connections, sort information, ask questions, list examples, link knowledge and facts.
Puppet Pals – used to plan a narrative text, retell a story, create a welfare scenario, develop a new ending to a story, innovate on a known text, recount an event.
iMovie – used to demonstrate learning, collaborate with others, sequence an event, create an impact, record facts and knowledge, model maths concepts.