How much positive impact has an ipad had on your kids' homeschooling?

[Tardis Girl]

Do you think it's worth it? Has it revolutionized the way you homeschool, or given you opportunities you didn't already have, or made you much more likely to do certain things? How has it benefited your kids? Has it been a negative in any way?

 

I have an opportunity to get an ipad if it's primary function is educational -- my kids at home are 4, 7, almost 9. They use a computer for typing, some online math, and such. Nothing major. I do put copywork on a laptop screen for them sometimes when they are at the kitchen table. The older two have defunct smartphones with the Kindle App so they can read some Kindle books that way (although I think the screen is way small for that, but I guess they don't mind?).

 

I do NOT want another gaming device, so while there may be 2-3 games on it for sporadic use, I can only justify my cost if it's true value is educational. Thoughts?

 

I'm sure there are threads out there on apps, but would welcome hearing about any here as well.

[Kuovonne]

The iPad has been worth it for my family.

I wish I had one for each kid, but that isn't in the budget now.

 

Here is a thread with lots of ideas.

 

http://forums.welltrainedmind.com/topic/447239-has-the-ipad-revolutionized-anything-or-everything-about-your-homeschool/page__hl__+ipad

[TarynB]

Our iPad it has been worth the investment from a schooling standpoint. We can definitely learn without it, but now that we have one we are finding it quite useful. Even though I’m old-fashioned in some other ways, I believe it is important to keep up with technology because this is our world now.

 

The biggest benefit for us so far is that I put DS's Math Mammoth on it and he is always eager to do math now, which wasn't the case before. We use the Notability app, so he can write on the pages electronically with a stylus, save it on Google drive, and I can log in to Google drive and review his work on another device (my laptop). I could also print his completed pages via Notability if I wanted to. The change in his attitude towards math, now that he can do it on the iPad instead of on paper, has been amazing and doesn't seem to be wearing off.

 

We also use other curricula in PDF format that are nice to have on the iPad (such as Ellen McHenry's science, Elemental Science, WWS, other writing curricula in electronic format, vintage texts from Google Books). We have many educational apps for math drills (SplashMath & Mathmateer are favorites), Spanish vocab (Duolingo is excellent), geography (Stack the States/Countries - excellent), vocab root word and grammar practice apps, virtual flash cards for any subject, Kindle reading app, BrainPop, CNN Student News, and portable documentaries via Netflix & Amazon streaming. DS seems to benefit a lot from these things which we didn't use before because it was too big of a pain before the iPad (except for the documentaries) and he looks forward to working on them instead of it being drudgery. Format/presentation is everything, LOL.

 

As we near middle school, I’m excited about the prospect of all the very inexpensive e-textbooks available for the iPad. More are coming out all the time.

 

I’m glad we got the iPad, very positive impact for us - don’t regret it at all.

[happypamama]

I love the iPad for educational stuff. Right now, I'm using it to do all my planning for next year. I have some of our curricula on it in PDF form (which cuts down on heavy bags when we have to go somewhere), and like a PP said, I like Notability for the kids to annotate worksheets, or just to use as "paper." DD finds it much more interesting to do math on the iPad than on regular paper, and it's easier and tidier to make corrections on the iPad too. I like that it cuts down on piles of paper, since I only print a few samples. I'm using Mr. Q's science next year, and it's like 900 pages; the iPad made that really easy! We like the Kindle and iBooks apps as well (and it's easier for me to hold the iPad while rocking/nursing an infant as well). I do have some educational drill games on the iPad, but we haven't used them a ton yet. We do like how easy it is to look something up without having to take everyone to the desktop machine. I have my kids set up to do typing and piano (using MusIQ) via the desktop machine, but someone else can also be using the iPad to use Mango Language through our library at the same time. I actually use my iPad a TON and rarely for gaming.

 

If I had the funds for a second iPad, I'd probably get one. The downside to having just one is that if I put too much curricula on it in PDF/Kindle form, it would slow us down because multiple kids would need it at once. So, for instance, I got DD's WWS student book to put on the iPad (or her cheapie e-reader), and I got science and Art of Argument (also for DD) for the iPad, and I'll scan in her math tests, but I opted not to get the teacher book for WWS or DS1's WWE book on the iPad. Oh, and the one other thing I dislike is that multitasking is cumbersome; on my desktop machine, I can have multiple windows open at once, but the iPad doesn't do that. So if I might need both a student and teacher PDF at once, the iPad doesn't make that easy.

[Χά�ων]

It is a fancy toy. I broke down and got one for DS for a trip. He has educational apps on it and has played with them but frankly the educational apps are no where near the level for the listed grade I feel is appropriate. Most things are glossed over and provide no depth.

 

The Brainpop app is good. I download videos from Coursea onto it but it is a toy.

[Tracy]

My dh has one for work. We have yet to find anything that would make it worth its cost. The only way that I would invest in one is if I were using digital curricula that was accessible on it, or if we didn't have a good library system (which we do).

[Hockey Mom]

We use the iPad for watching our video lessons, and for books. We need the internet for the video lessons, but as soon as school is over, if they're not reading a book, the internet gets shut off in the settings, and the iPads get put away. I really like having them for the days we're on the go though. They'll listen to an audio book while reading the book at the same time. It's cut down on the amount of items we need to take with us.

[TarynB]

Interesting discussion. I've noticed so far that those who find it more beneficial as a learning tool have slightly older kids and/or are already using iPad-friendly curricula/materials. Makes perfect sense. You wouldn't appreciate having an umbrella unless it was raining, LOL!

[Giraffe]

DD (5) uses it primarily as a toy, but she hasn't realized that many of her games are at least mildly educational (Starfall, Reading Raven). I have a lot of curricula, book lists, notes on it.

 

On PDF: Miquon, MEP, Telling God's Story, and the CHOLL supplements/curricula to go with SOTW. Sassafras Science Zoology and WWE to be ordered, as well as the SOTW Activity Guide. Oh and Scholastic Readers from the $1 sale.

Podcasts from SWB.

PDFs to go along with courses from The Great Courses.

Kindle app and a gabillion books, including 2nd & 3rd editions of TWTM, TWEM, SOTW, reference books and classics.

Audible app for audiobooks, almost all children's books or classics.

You Tube videos for DD and me: TED talks, classical music, SWB Q&A videos, etc.

Overdrive app for electronic library books (mostly for me).

Drawing apps to work on handwriting and to use as a white board for math.

 

Yes, most of this could be accomplished on the laptop. But one does not simply cuddle up to a 5 year old with a laptop. An iPad, yes. Also we are not in the US and don't have access to a library or much of an English language bookstore. Ordering books for delivery is problematic.

 

When DH first gave me the iPad last fall I had no idea what I was going to do with it. Now I use it constantly.

[TraceyS/FL]

I use my iPad mainly for eBook reading for me right now. I"m actually about to "rip into it" and removed a bunch of stuff and reorganize the PDFs and such I have on there. The oldest has one that I have possession of right now, and I think I will set it up for "the kids". They are both iPad 1's, and at some point I'd like to update mine.

 

I don't have a laptop, so my iPad is my on the go machine, or my in bed machine - it would be my "on the couch" machine, but I don't have one :p

 

I haven't used it a lot for school beyond educational games - but mainly because, well, it is MINE. I don't share well :D

[*Lulu*]

Ours have been fairly heavily used, in part because we school on the go 3 days a week. I like some of the logic based games available, Bug's speech software is loaded on his, and we use them for brain pop and other educational videos. On the occasion that we use Math Mammoth we use the IPad, and I have used the notability app as a makeshift white board from time to time.

[*Lulu*]

I also use mine as my laptop and supplemental planner. (I have a notebook with some stuff for the stuff I feel the need to write down. I am a pencil and paper girl at heart! :p )

[umsami]

I've found it great as both an incentive (do this...and you can have 15 minutes of iPad time to play this game)... as well as a learning tool. My kids, on their own, would play games like Stack the States, Presidents vs. Aliens, Stack the Countries, Ninja Math, etc. for hours if I let them. My two eldest can identify all of the US Presidents by sight.... my DD, who is 5, knows about half of them. For some reason, both kids loved Mind Snacks French so much I actually had to look into a French curriculum for us because they were so interested in learning more French.

 

DD has also used the Reading Egg Site Word app, various handwriting programs, science stuff--and enjoys it.

 

DS, 2, loves Team Umizoomi counting and to play stuff on Netflix.

 

 

It's great...but you do have to be the Mom and set limits IMHO.

[Tmhearn]

Our biggest iPad use is as a projector with Apple TV. Apple TV lets me project You Tube Videos, apps, etc. onto the tv, so we can all watch on a big screen. We also use it for everything listed above: PDFs of curricula, apps for all ages (currently that's 3rd grade down to infant). And yes, my infant enjoys it, as well. I have a case that holds the iPad and hangs on the back of the headrest of the seat in the car. I have been known to put a video on for him in a moment of crisis on a long road trip. :-) My 3 year old plays apps or watches videos when she needs a distraction during school time. My 5 year old gets phonics practice with games (after his regular phonics lesson with me). He also does math fact practice and plays other games. My 8 year old plays games, reads, etc. We read our bedtime stories on it, design birthday cards and invitations, keep up with relatives on Facebook, watch webinars, make videos. Seriously. We use it A LOT. It's a great tool.

[kirstenhill]

Our iPad gets a ton of use during our school day. Could we do without it? Sure, but it helps me multi-task with the kids:

• My pre-K and K age boys can listen to audio Bible for their daily devotions (YouVersion app)
  
• DD does spelling practice and spelling tests with the Spelling City app
  
• Math fact practice for DD (various apps)
  
• I use it with various curricula/ebooks that I have in PDF format so I don't have to print it out (Logic of English Foundations, Sentence Family, Grammarland, BFSU)
  
• Logic of English phonogram app for phonogram practice
  
• We use it to play calming music in the background during hard math lessons. (Pandora)
  
• Watch educational youtube videos
  
• Various apps for "memorization" type subjects (learning to locate the US States on the map, learning music notes, etc)
  
• It's handy to use as a calculator and a timer too...since we have it right near us all day. :-)
  
• Sometimes I use it to keep the younger boys occupied or play fun games as a reward at the end of the school day.
  

I guess a lot of those things could be done with a smart phone and/or a laptop...but like the ease and portability of the iPad. It is much nicer to throw the iPad in a bag when we are leaving the house or to snuggle up on the couch with the iPad than it is to do either of those things with the laptop.

[MeaganS]

For my young children, I have found it to be very educational. My 2 yo can count to 20 because of an app. She also knows shapes, colors, and letter sounds because of various apps. My 4 yo can locate over 30 countries on a world map just because of a map puzzle app we own. She has learned lots of vocabulary from the Make a Scene apps. Oh, and Daniel Tiger on the PBSKids app (the only access we have to him) has taught her that it is ok to try new foods and wash her hands after going potty (those songs are amazingly effective). We are doing about half of our handwriting practice at this level on the iPad and my daughter will practice for much longer in the "letters game" than on paper. Oh, and I used an iPad app to tach my daughter how to blend cvc words. At this point, I plan on using several games to teach or reinforce lots of concepts as time goes on.

 

We've had our iPad less than a year, and the educational and entertainment benefits have been very high, especially considering that it has also replaced my laptop for 95% of use. They aren't for everyone, nothing is, but it has been worth it for our family and we will keep using them in the future.

[CupOCoffee]

So if one were to put an ipad on one's reward list for accomplishing a HUGE life-goal, what would one ask for? I know *nothing* about ipads/Apple products (we own zero "i" items). I need something BIG as an incentive for myself and I've been tossing around asking for an ipad. Are there different levels like with a laptop? Teach me about ipads. I won't possibly need this "reward" for 8-9 mos, so I have time to think about it and plan for it. I think it would primarily be mine, but I may share with the kids and put school stuff on it.

 

~coffee~

[TraceyS/FL]

A new version will be out in 8-9 months.... :D

 

Size: mini or regular

 

Connection: Wifi only or 3/4G (paid month to month) internet (obviously for that, carrier of choice)

 

Storage: Right now that is 16, 32, 64 gb (this could change to 32, 64 and 128 by the next time)

 

Oh, and color: black or white

 

I have a 3G 32gb first generation one, I'd hesitate for me to go with less than 32gb, and I'm still debating the 3/4g thing for the next go around. I also am not sure about the size of the mini, right now I want a mini but would still use my full-size one. So when I ever have extra cash to upgrade - it will be a long thought out process!

[Giraffe]

Get the newest iPad you can afford with the most GB possible. I do quite a bit of shuffling files back n forth because of my 16GB limit. If I had to pick, I'd get a slightly older iPad with more memory.

 

YMMV.

[TraceyS/FL]

Get the newest iPad you can afford with the most GB possible. I do quite a bit of shuffling files back n forth because of my 16GB limit. If I had to pick, I'd get a slightly older iPad with more memory.

 

YMMV.

 

I really don't think I could manage with 16 - and I don't even have a camera on mine!

 

My 32 has served me well to date, and I think I could make due with 32 again - but as I would expect to keep the next one just as long as I have had this one, the 64 or 128 would be a better "investment".

[Farrar]

I definitely second getting as much memory as possible.

 

I'm another big pro-iPad vote. To say it revolutionized us is maybe too far, but we make heavy use of it... so much so that we bought a second one to be primarily for the kids.

 

Things we use, seconding many of the things already said:

 

* Notability - not just for marking up pdf's, but I use it as my general planning notebook and make tons of notes on there and can have them in an instant or can print them out in multiple copies, or email them - so useful - plus we use Notability like a mini-smart board all the time, making notes and erasing and so forth

 

* Haiku - for making presentations - I've found this useful for co-op and the kids have had fun making their own slideshows

 

* Math games galore - there are so, so many

 

* Math drills - I like Math Board

 

* Cuddly looking up - we use it for looking stuff up on the web, on Youtube, on Brainpop, on Google images... and it's SOOOOO much more easy and accessible than a computer - I love how it doesn't break our flow if we're reading and discussing... or it can be a good tool for rabbit trails, depending

 

* Creative tool - my kids use it to create all the time - they make videos, they draw, they take photos, etc. They love Toontastic, which is really simple and cute. But they also love Smoovie for making stop motion movies and iMovie for making silly movie trailers. All the goofing off with it paid off for ds - he made the movie for his Destination Imagination team using the iPad and had very little help (warning, mama brag coming!) and his team won their regional tournament and came in fifth at the state tournament.

 

* Creative tool part 2 - it's also easier to do layout and so forth on it for my kids - ds made a newspaper for our co-op on Pages and I made our yearbook on Pages - we've also done lots of reports with photos that way

 

* Oh yeah, you can play games on it. Many of them are just video games, but many are logic based. Lately they've been playing Spell Tower, which is a good word one. There's a lot for that space in between educational and pure entertainment on the iPad - a lot more than on the Wii or the Gameboy or whatever, where it's almost all tipped more toward the entertainment side.

 

I know some people find it to be a glorified toy... but I can't help feeling like they haven't really explored its full potential. It's a computer with a different type of interface that facilitates different uses - some of them for fun and some for education and some that you could easily (or sometimes more easily) do on a more traditional computer.