Personalised Learning with iPad

iPad has always been a great device for working and learning independently, and recent developments to software, hardware and apps mean that iPad is now even more effective in helping you find your own way to teach or learn your subject.

iTunes U

First of all, iTunes U has had some recent major updates that give students and teachers everything they need to take part in courses easily, create courses of their own and now to give feedback, allowing learners to progress through courses in a way that suits them best. This means that students can receive personalised feedback much more quickly, so that the teacher can tailor advice and next steps to their needs. iTunes U also lets teachers easily create an entire course structure, so that pupils can work through a lesson or series of tasks at their own pace, making for simpler differentiation.

iTunes U works very well for enabling personalised learning when iPads are distributed one to one and each student has access to their iPad all day everyday, but it is worth considering alternative solutions when iPads are shared in groups around a school.

Free Apps

There are two great free Apps available on iPad that each have strengths for different purposes, and each enable students and teachers to collaborate on unique learning experiences. Firstly, Seesaw is a ‘student driven digital portfolio’ which is wonderfully easy to use, making it suitable for even the youngest students. It allows students to submit different types of work, and to tag themselves and their classmates for group work, with teachers also contributing evidence and feedback as needed. Showbie is very well suited to use with shared iPads in secondary schools, allowing students to submit a greater variety of content types and to manage their own log-ins so that they can also access work from home via a web browser.

Foldr

Finally, Foldr is available for a complete workflow and file storage solution, allowing students to take control of safely storing files from their iPads on school servers. Foldr has a free iOS App to download, and the server software required is available to purchase through KRCS. This solution allows you and your students access to your existing network storage from your iPad, so that students can work through assigned tasks in their own way and it also allows teachers to mark student work and provide digital feedback through PDF annotations.

All of this independent learning with iPad brings a number of benefits for students and teachers alike. Students can progress through their learning at their own pace, respond to challenges in a variety of ways, and more easily act upon constructive feedback from teachers. For teachers, this technology can free up time by speeding up and improving the assessment cycle, and allowing teachers to act as facilitators for their pupils to meet the learning objectives. Ultimately, iPad will help students to develop the independent learning and critical thinking skills that they will need in their future education and careers.

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