General Uses:
Do Now Activities: Teachers are able to display their do now activities on SMARTboards by plugging in their iPads.  Students can also complete Do Now activities on their iPads and submit them to the teacher electronically or share them electronically groups or individual classmates.
Researching internet sites in class: Using the Safari app for internet browsing, students are able to access information found on the World Wide Web. Teachers are using this tool often with students as they look up information and search specific websites to gather data or information about topics they are learning.  Students can then use this information for discussions, project development, or to share with groups as they prepare presentations for the class.
Exit Cards:  As an alternative to writing exit cards on post it notes, students are being encouraged to complete exit activities on their iPads and then emailing them to their teachers. By doing this, teachers can get instant access to their students thoughts about what they are learning.  This helps teachers to see what students have learned and then plan accordingly for future lessons.  It also allows teachers to identify students that are not getting concepts so they can offer support.
Google Earth:  Teachers are having students use Google Earth to explore locations, examine geography, and see parts of the world that they are learning about.
Calendar: The iPad’s built-in Calendar app allows students and teachers to organize their school assignments and important dates.  Teachers are pushing out assignments and due dates to students and students can even set alarms that remind them of important due dates in advance.
Castle Learning: Castle Learning Online supports classroom instruction through content-related review assignments, practice sessions and benchmark testing. Includes over 70,000 field-tested questions supported by defined vocabulary, reference tables, hints and reasons for correct answers in math, science, social studies, English and foreign languages. Core courses for grades 3-12 are correlated to standard curriculum.
Kahn Academy: This online academy offers virtual courses and databases, and students make use of its extensive video library, practice exercises, and assessments.
Flash Cards: With an app such as A+Pro, students can create and share an unlimited amount of their own custom flashcard sets with teachers and fellow students. These flashcards can be used for studying or reviewing concepts.
Dictionary-The iPad contains a built-in Dictionary, integrated within every app installed on it. Several free dictionary apps, such as Dictionary.com and Merriam-Webster Dictionary, have allowed our students a much more visual and interactive dictionary app while they read and digest content.
Timer-with timer apps, teachers can provide timed activities, and students can use the timer app for science and math.
Power Teacher App:  This allows teachers instant access to student records and allows teachers to assess students on the spot.  Teachers can also create, edit, or develop assignments for students using this app or from their computer in the classroom.

Presentation Uses:
Keynote Presentations: Teachers are experimenting with ways to incorporate the iPads into student presentations and project work. With Apple’s presentation app Keynote, students can create stunning presentations individually or in groups, pulling information from the internet via the built in internet browser, the Safari app. As students work together, they can create Keynote presentations that highlight what they have learned and help other students learn about the topics they are studying.  This 21st century learning integrates creativity, higher level thinking skills, use of technology, and collaboration and leadership skills all into one learning activity.
Multi Sensory Stations: Using audio and visual prompts: Being a touch device, the iPad may be transformed into interactive Kiosks showcasing student work, or for use as learning stations. Students can rotate to different iPad stations to learn about a concept, ultimately leading to greater understanding.  Audio stations, visual stations, and hands on touch stations meet the needs of a variety of learning styles to support student learning. A few teachers are experimenting with this concept in class.
Hooking to the SMARTboard: The Apple VGA adaptor and the iPad 2’s mirroring capability allows teachers and students to demonstrate virtually anything on their iPad for the rest of the class.

Communication Uses:
Mailshot Pro: This app allows teachers to make email lists to send email blasts to all their students or parents simultaneously. This allows them to mass communicate with their students, keeping them focused. Email blasts to kids or parents-With the mail app and access to the North Shore Global Address lists, communication between students, teachers, and parents has become an instantaneous reality.
LIVE EDU: This closed circuit email allows students to send work back and forth as PDF’s.  Teachers are able to read student work, make comments with the iAnnotate app, and send it back to students. PDFs can be used by students as a means to submit work that they have annotated. Teachers are exploring ways to grade student-submitted and annotated PDFs.
E-mail checkpoints for projects: Using the mail app, student can email assignments for project checkpoints.
Email projects & Essays:With every student with an iPad having a email account, projects and essays may now be digitally submitted to their teachers.
Exit Emails with the iPad’s built in Mail app, instantaneous communication between students and teachers is a reality. With their LiveEDU email accounts, students may now submit their exit cards electronically.
Edmodo: is a dynamic secure learning network fully controlled and monitored by the educator. It provides multi levels of interactions such as "real time" group discussions, teacher created library of resources for students, upload capability of documents and videos, ability to create and collect assignments, quizzes and surveys as well as to monitor grades. Edmodo is a professional tool as well, enabling the educator to participate in a variety of educational groups or to start their own.  Several teachers are using Edmodo or exploring Edmodo as a venue for student learning.
Note Taking:
Paper Desk: Within this single app you can create notebooks to take notes for each of your classes. You may even group those notebooks into folders, and place bookmarks within your notebooks. Students are beginning to take less notes on paper, and notes from Paper Desk may be emailed to teachers for eNotebook checks.
Quick Jot: Using this simple drawing app, students are able to quickly “jot” down ideas that can be shared with their teachers and fellow students.
Simple Mind: Brainstorm/Web Creator – used for students to make mind maps to organize ideas and themes.
ABC Notes: Post notes for literature responses
Writing:Dragon Dictation, Pages, Dictionary/Thesaurus, I-Annotate
Chalkboard for full group response-using a virtual chalkboard on the web, students have literately turned the internet into their own whiteboard for classwork and collaboration.
SyncPad: Use to sketch/Draw mechanical drawings students can view on their iPads in real time.
ShowMe App: interactive white board for lessons and modeling work
Chalkboard: Students use fingers to write on a digital chalkboard, to quickly capture thoughts and ideas.

Camera Usage:
Pics of Board or Charts: using the built in camera of the iPad 2, students and teachers are able to make digital copies of notes on the board or charts created by students. In addition, using the cameras, teachers are taking pictures of chart paper work or class notes for students to look at later if they are absent.
iMovie: Apple’s movie editing app for iPad allows for the creation of podcasts and movies right on their iPads. Combined with the built in camera, the iPad turns into a portable movie studio. This is being explored for future projects.
Pictures of students in action: With the built in Camera, teachers have been able to provide a window into their classrooms like never before. Pictures of students in teacher’s classrooms can easily be shared to teacher websites or mass emailed directly to parents.
Face Time: with this built-in video conferencing app, students may correspond with other classes, teachers, or people from around the world.

English/Reading Uses:
Show Me: Teachers and students use this application to point out pictures of things instead of trying to translate the word they are looking for.
iBooks: Students can download books using the iBooks app in the iBooks store. Students may read eBooks and manage their PDF library of books, commenting or annotating text directly into their iPads.  We are experimenting with this at this point but have not implemented this fully in the classroom as of yet.
Quizlet App: With the Quizlet app, Students can quickly memorize and practice vocabulary lists.

Math Specific:
Equivalent Fractions Everyday Math Game:  This game by McGraw Hill offers a quick and easy way to practice and reinforce fraction concepts and relationships.
Math Dictionary for Kids: With the Math Dictionary for Kids iPad app, you can search through more than 400 illustrated math terms to quickly find the definitions and examples you need to solve many math challenges.
Middle School Math App: This app emphasizes game-playing and skill development, and allows students to learn math and enjoy it too.

Science Specific:
Interactive Cell Models: Using apps with enhanced, interactive content such as the 3D Cell Simulation and Stain Tool, students are able to experience science on a whole new level.
Periodic Table: With the Elements app, students have an interactive periodic table of elements more current than any paper one on our teachers’ walls. The app also integrates with Wolfram Alpha, a phenomenal online database.

Art Specific:
Paint pm/ArtRage: With these powerful and intuitive painting apps, students have access to a variety of canvases and brushes, and full color palettes. Students are able to create oil paintings, watercolors, drawings and use different tools, papers and canvases to create works of art.
Moma:Students explore works of art at the Museum of Modern Art.  Many of the works of art have video and audio components describing the art by the artist or museum curators.
Using Google we can tour Art Museums around the world.

Music Uses:
Tuner apps: allow instrumentalists to tune right on their iPads.
Metronome apps: provide practice tools, may metronome apps are free.
Pocket Piano HD: This app has the rich sound and versatility of a real piano. It has has all 88 keys including sharps and flats giving students the entire piano.
Video/audio recordings: using an app such as Garage Band, audio recordings may be taken to convert into podcasts for students to download.
Playing Music for students: With the built in Music app, teachers can play music in their class from their iTunes libraries, as well as audio books from the iBooks store.

As you can see, in a very short period of time, iPads at North Shore Middle School are being implemented in a number of educational and comprehensive ways. It is not only a valuable tool to help enhance student learning but an interactive device that will continue to capture the excitement of our students and help them grow academically well into the 21st century. When asked about their iPads, the sixth graders excitedly stated, “They are awesome!!!

This fall under the direction of Elliot Kaye, the Director of Technology, the North Shore School District began distributing iPads to students in the 6th Grade, 9th Grade Experience (NGE), 10th Grade, and the Special Education Classes at Glenwood Landing Elementary. Dr. Melnick said, “This technology better prepares our students for the future since it is being used more readily in higher education and the corporate world.” The iPads have been funded through a Federal IDEA Grant and with money in the district’s budget.  Many textbooks are now available online providing additional savings to the district.  The use of iPads will save money as the cost for textbooks, paper, and copying will decrease substantially. Dr. Melnick concluded by saying, “We hope that more and more of our students will be able to experience utilizing iPads in the future.  Our goal is to continue to advance technologically so that our students can be well prepared to compete within our global economy.”