Getting Started with iPads: A Cheat Sheet for Teachers & Students

Some Standard Apps & What You Can Do with Them.

• Safari: Browse the web.
• iBooks: Read pdf’s.
• iTunes U: Download free educational content, including audio, video & courses.
• FaceTime: Video chat with other iOS device owners.
• Maps: Explore the world’s geography.
• Camera:
  • Take photos, email & share them.
  • Shoot videos & uploads to Youtube, etc.
• There is no native voice recorder app on the iPad, but several free options can be downloaded from the App Store.

Some Useful Apps Which May Cost Money ^($) or May Not.

• Blackboard Mobile Learn: use Blackboard resources, discuss, blog & comment.
• office/productivity
  • Pages^($): Word processing.
  • Numbers^($): Spreadsheets.
  • Keynote^($): Presentation software (like Powerpoint).
• Notability^($): handwritten note-taking.
• Goodreader^($): reading and annotating pdf’s; draws from Google Drive, Dropbox.
• Edit the video you’ve captured on the device:
  • iMovie^($)
  • Filmic Pro^($)
  • Pinnacle Studio^($)
• Dropbox: Upload files to the cloud or download them to the iPad.
• Evernote: Save web pages for editing & sharing.

Sample Assignments & Activities

• Using Safari, students search the web for relevant topics then share the results orally with the group.
  • Students may capture the page to Evernote for later editing, sharing & discussion.
• Using the Maps application, students explore the relevant geography, pursuing a specific question and sharing the results.
  • E.g., “Can I visit the Arche de Triomphe, the Louvre and the Tour Eiffel within the same morning?”
• Students use the Camera app to interview experts or native speakers.
  • They record video, then show it in class or upload it to Youtube and post a link in a Blackboard discussion or blog.
    • Youtube videos can be set to “Share by link” so they won’t be found by others.
• Students respond to Blackboard Discussion topics or post to Blackboard Blogs using Blackboard Mobile Learn.
• Using Keynote, students develop and deliver presentations.
  • Be sure the instructor has an adapter so the student’s device can be connected to the projector/display.

Of Interest

• Typing accents on the iPad keyboard.