How do you use your iPad in your homeschool?

[Jamauk]

DH and I are considering iPads. We already have iPhones and I have several educational apps that my kids play around with, but I don't use it much as part of our homeschool, specifically.

 

I'm trying to figure out if I would use my iPad more as a homeschool tool if I had one.

 

Do you have one? Do you use it in your homeschool? How so?

[Dana]

You may want to do a search and see what comes up. There were quite a lot of threads when the iPads first came out :)

 

I have some teacher's manuals/answer keys on the iPad and use it for checking work. We have our Latin CD on the iPad so when listening to chants we use the iPad ('cause you know... it's so much work to turn on the CD player :glare:)

 

It's great for trips or for waiting around at classes, but that's more for me. :)

 

I like ours, but I sure don't use it a ton in our school. (Although we do sometimes watch Netflix on it...)

[Jennifer in MI]

:bigear:

 

We just got an iPad last week. So far, it's mine!!! I did get a couple games - Stack the States and Stack the Countries - that the kids really like. I'm going to get some of the kids' books on it for next year. Other than that, I'd love ideas!!!!

[NorCalMom]

:bigear: I've been trying to talk dh into getting one. I keep telling him that I just know it will be a great tool for our homeschool! My bday isn't too far away... :D

[JFSinIL]

I got one for SillyAutismMan (with his money) because he just can not master the controls for the Wii or most computer games (he can not read) - he can figure out how to do a lot of things on the iPad! The app store has an entire section under Education for Special Needs...and lots of education apps, too.

 

I also download the free Kindle app and read ebooks when SAM lets me use it ;)

[blondeviolin]

"Here, Emmett. Take this and go watch a movie or play a game while Abby finishes her spelling..."

[NorCalMom]

"Here, Emmett. Take this and go watch a movie or play a game while Abby finishes her spelling..."

 

That's so very nice of you to share. I'm not sure if I could be so generous. :lol:

[DawnM]

Oh, I use it in my homeschol! While the older two are doing their Teaching Textbooks and tying up the other computers I can get on the ipad and get on the WTM! :D

 

I keep thinking of doing lesson plans with it but I can't find anything I like.

 

Dawn

[ALove]

Mine has become indispensable as a tool for home management, including school.

Specific school related uses for me are...

1. Audiobook through "audiobooks" app. It's libravox (free audiobooks) in an app and you can download whole audio books onto your device and use it offline , i.e. Anywhere.

2. Kindle/iBooks apps. Same as above. Free books...

We use the audiobook and iBook at the same time, we listen to the audio and follow along with our eyes.

3. I have downloaded all textbooks and teachers guides (sotw activity guide and text, Salsa TG, homeschool in the woods timeline figures, etc.) that I can so I'm hauling less, a lot less.

4. I put all of the CDs that we need for the year into my iPads iTunes account. This year we are using Flower Fairy alphabet CD, IEWs, poetry memorization, and SOTW audio and various christian music for devotions. AND all of our music for our composer study. No more misplacing CDs! [Friday my son and I laid out in our backyard watching the clouds go by while listening to our mozart and to Grammarland...wouldn't have done that if I'd needed the computer and cd player.]

5. I use Evernote as a a homeschool journal, I can take pictures with the iPad

of our little projects and field trips and write as much or as little as I want. It's

so much easier to do it on the go then try to remember later.

6. Not to mention the calendar function...lesson plans, field trips, co ops, all synced with my computer and my husbands work schedule.

7. File storage. All of my excel and word documents I store in Dropbox so I can access them from any of our computers or my iPad. So my school schedule, all my templates for planning things, resources, library book lists, etc. With Documents To Go you can also edit and create them. I'm never without my important information.

8. I actually don't use it for drills or educational games much because I use it for my home organization so much. but I do use Chore Pad HD for a chore chart with the kids and it is...wow. Never have I had so much help or so many good attitudes.

9. netflix

10. Nature study resources. We have Peterson guide apps, tree identification and Handbook of Nature study on there. Nature hikes are much lighter now.

 

I would never do any of these things on a computer because it would be too

clumsy. The iPad is so easily portable but not a tiny screen and weird

keyboard

 

As an FYI...you do not need to pay for a data package every month necessarily. I pay $20 for a prepaid plan that I can turn off and on at will and it is a lot more economical then the $50/mnth min. That the phone companies

try to get you on.

 

And that is just the school stuff! Don't get me started on grocery lists and

recipe storage, on packing lists and to do lists, trip planning, maps, audio libraries, garden tracking a planning, DVR management.

I'm pretty sure that there must be an app that cleans my house and walks the dog. It is unREAL how many things it does. Sometimes I think it must be magic because surely technology can't be this awesome.

And I am not a techy AT ALL. I don't even like technology most of the time. But this puppy is worth every penny. Just make sure you get the biggest size you can, you'll use all the space.

[FriedClams]

I goof off and read the boards while my kids do their schoolwork. That's how *I* use it. LOL!!!

[Blueridge]

I just showed my dh this thread to get him 'inspired' about getting me one! :D Thanks, ladies!

[Amira]

We use ours extensively because all our books are digital and it's best for displaying color books and for books that need a larger display screen (Kindle DX works for the larger screen too). It's certainly not our only ereader, nor is it our favorite, but it's absolutely vital for our homeschooling. We do lots of other things on it, including some homeschooling things, but using it to display color books is why we bought it.

[kpnick in nc]

"Here, Emmett. Take this and go watch a movie or play a game while Abby finishes her spelling..."

 

:lol: This is true for us; it was very useful last week when I was sick and after discovering that Tangled is now Watch Instantly.

[LillyMama]

:lol: This is true for us; it was very useful last week when I was sick and after discovering that Tangled is now Watch Instantly.

 

Us, too! We have educational apps that my kids use all the time. Now we use a timer for our OPGTR lessons. We set it for 15 minutes. Any time left on the timer when the OPGTR lesson is over, they get the iPad.

 

The nice thing about the iPad is that you can use Kindle and Nook books on it, as well as other eReaders I'm not a big user of. We also have Netflix on ours. So we can read books on the go- waiting for the doctor, etc- which allows you to get some schooling in even when you're not technically "in school."

[StaceyinLA]

I sip a nice cup of coffee and read WTM boards while my 11th grader does his work! ;-p

[Candid]

I don't have an ipad, but Evernote who I use on my droid has been advertising this little dandy:

http://blog.evernote.com/2011/06/08/introducing-evernote-peek-the-first-ipad-smart-cover-app/

[EmilyK]

I saw those were mentioned -- any recommendations for which ones?

[kolamum]

We use it mainly for ebook style textbooks.

 

For instance.. I can put their copywork on it {SpellingWisdom} and have them copy it. We have a few math games and geography games I have them play to work on those skills.

[Mrs.MacGyver]

Well.... besides the most addicting games in the world...Smurf town and Angry Birds...

I use it for home organization (Menu Planner, To Do list, Teacher Pal, iBookshelf, and that ChorePad looks great!), and other things: iheartradio, pandora, itunes, Skype..

 

For homeschool, we use it like many others - as a filler or time killer in between lessons or for the little guys to do something educational while I am working with the older ones: ShowMe whiteboard, BOB books (just got this and it is a huge hit!!! Finding the 3 year old spelling words is wonderful!), Rocket Math, Stack the States, Stack the Countries, Presidents vs. Aliens, Young Music Genius, Khan Academy, science 360, ArtHD, NASA, SAT Vocab, Art Museum, HD Aviation History, and logic puzzles like Get Out, and Gravity HD. Podcasts: Coffee Break French and One Minute Gaelic. Plus iBooks for many of the classics... DS read Count of Monte Cristo this summer ONLY because it was on the iPad

 

 

And... Lego Harry Potter was on sale for $2.99 for a while... that was a great find!

Edited September 2, 2011 by Mrs.MacGyver

[Tracy in Ky]

I bought mine to work on my online business while waiting for the kids at their various functions (co-op, music lessons, etc) :) I also purchased a wireless keyboard to use with it.

 

By having the 3G iPad, I have internet service and can keep working even while sitting in the car or whereever.

 

(;) and it is a business expense tax write off!)

 

Love my iPad :D

[NorCalMom]

Well.... besides the most addicting games in the world...Smurf town and Angry Birds...

I use it for home organization (Menu Planner, To Do list, Teacher Pal, iBookshelf, and that ChorePad looks great!), and other things: iheartradio, pandora, itunes, Skype..

 

For homeschool, we use it like many others - as a filler or time killer in between lessons or for the little guys to do something educational while I am working with the older ones: ShowMe whiteboard, BOB books (just got this and it is a huge hit!!! Finding the 3 year old spelling words is wonderful!), Rocket Math, Stack the States, Stack the Countries, Presidents vs. Aliens, Young Music Genius, Khan Academy, science 360, ArtHD, NASA, SAT Vocab, Art Museum, HD Aviation History, and logic puzzles like Get Out, and Gravity HD. Podcasts: Coffee Break French and One Minute Gaelic. Plus iBooks for many of the classics... DS read Count of Monte Cristo this summer ONLY because it was on the iPad

 

 

And... Lego Harry Potter was on sale for $2.99 for a while... that was a great find!

 

:thumbup1:

[blessedx5]

question..... other than downloading pdf's, kindle type books I wouldn't even begin to know how to get this stuff on an IPAD.... are they apps? free? cheap/ expensive? I am not up to date on all this technology :001_huh: I have a basic cell phone, no bells and whistles, NO texting.....

 

can someone help me understand it all..... I am debating between a nook color and ipad..... however I am quickly being pulled toward the Ipad :001_smile:

[LavenderGreen]

I'm very new here. Although I have read many, many posts, this is my first reply.

 

My four and eight year old boys use our ipad daily, both with and without me. It travels from room to room with us. It is on the table during lunch or snacks to view discovery streaming or brain pop videos. It is in their bedrooms at night so I can read aloud to them. (The number of free books is astonishing.) During free time, they play games together on it, like chess, checkers, and connect four... and so many others, so that don't need to have all the little pieces set up on a table, which the little guy usually would knock over accidentally anyway. We can review math facts or practice phonics, quickly pull up maps or timelines during history lessons, google topics on the web, access pdf versions of homeschool texts and labs, play word games, practice spelling, there are just so many free edutainment apps. I can update and review skedtrak, access my email, keep up with the news, read my books, view netflix and other free channels, and listen to my itunes music and podcasts (and read these boards.) I like scanning in book ISBNs and started keeping an inventory of read and to read books for each subject and child on Goodreads. My husband and I started using the Cozi/Flylady calendar and journal, too, to keep up with each other's schedules in the same place. It has an adequate camera and videocamera, too, which we started using to keep portfolio of crafts and art, but I haven't checked out skyping with the cousins yet.

 

The ipad lets you create little folders where you can drop similar apps together, so I created groups for each child's subject and age level (All phonics apps together, all astronomy, all math, all geography, all american history, all videos, all games, all interactive books, and so on.) Its also easy to bookmark a webpage on the desktop for kids to do online review (although not flash-based ones)

 

I started creating a list of free apps- many of which I found from reading some of the posts here:

 

ABC Magic 2

ABC Magic 3 Line Match

ABC Magic Phonics

ABC Magic Reading

ABC Magic Reading 2

ABC Magic Reading 3

 

ABC Spelling Magic Short Vowel

ABC Spelling Magic 2

ABC Spelling Magic 3

Sentence Reading Magic

 

Blanks

Grammar Jammers

Idioms

Mad libs

Meet The Vowels

Miss Spell's Class

My Word Wall

Virble

Worcle

Vocabulary Central Grade 6... and other grades

 

Bob Books (I paid for full version, but the lite is free)

 

 

 

Grammar Dragon

Spelling Cat

Same Meaning Magic Same Meaning Magic part II

 

Opposite Ocean

Opposite Ocean part II

Same Sound Spell Bound

Portion Platter (Fraction)

Aesop's Quest

 

Alzebra Mathomatix

Geometry Mathomatix

 

BrainPOP Featured Movie

 

Castle Tiles (Math game like "SET", for 1-4 players)

 

Checkers Free

Chess Free HD

3D Chess Free

 

Chicktionary 300

Chicktionary Lite

Jumbline2 Free for Ipad

Fishtropolis

Textropolis

 

Electric Company Wordball

Light it Right

Monkey Match

 

iLearn with Poko Addition

iLearn with Poko Seasons and Weather

 

 

Chrysler Museum of Art

Dinosaurs: The American Museum of Natural History Collections

Musee de Louvre

MoMA

Explore 9/11

Explorer: The American Museum of Natural History

 

Computer Carl

Egberta's Equations

Equation Creator

Fraction Factory

Freddy Fraction

Sticker Shop

European Exploration :The Age of Discovery

Zeppelin Adventure

 

Ace Multiply Matrix

Algebra Champ

Arithmetic Invaders

EnVision MATH; Understanding Fractions

Math Dungeon 2.0

Math Hero

Math Ninja

MathTappers: Multiples

Numberain

Number Sense

WormJump

Pearl Diver HD (math)

PennyMe

 

Pass the Past (3rd grade social studies sols)

Virginia.gov

Early Jamestown

Pocket History Ancient Egypt

 

History Line

Timeline Eons FREE

 

K12 What's Sid Thinking: Science

K12 Whats Sid Thinking: History

K12 Timed Reading Practice

 

Geo Walk HD 3D World Fact Book

Google Earth

GeoMaster

TapQuiz Maps World Edition

History Maps of The world

USA States (spelling and flags)

Atlas 2011

Kids World Maps

Stack The Countries

Stack the States ( Lite/free versions, but I bought both full)

 

 

GoSKyWatch Planetarium

Mars Globe

Moon

Moon Globe

NASA App

NASA Visualization Explorer

 

Planets

SkyView Free

 

Mini Adventures - Animals

Project Noah

Simple Physics

The Elementals

Language Central for Science Life

Language Central for Science Earth

Language Central for Science Physical

 

 

KHAN ACADEMY

[Amira]

I'm very new here. Although I have read many, many posts, this is my first reply.

 

This is a great list! Thanks. And I hope you keep posting.

[Jilly]

I download many educational apps to use throughout the day with the kids (you can se my favorites here and here). There are so many great ones out there that sometimes it is hard to choose.

 

I download teacher's manuals and student texts to iBooks. I use the white board app with the kids during math.

 

I use the calendar to schedule all our activities. I play Pandora throughout the day on it (I love to have a good classical station on while we work). And like everyone else, I use it to get on the boards while the kids are working.