Linking to learning

Though it’s too soon to know if iPads will become widely adopted in schools, a major driver will be the availability of inexpensive apps (applications) that focus on the learning needs of students and the teaching priorities of educators. More than 20,000 education-related apps have been created for the iPad.

The era of children bearing backpacks stuffed with heavy textbooks may soon be over. Instead, they will open their leather binders and flick their fingers across the screens of their e-book readers. Those of you who already read using a Kindle, Nook or other electronic book reader understand the convenience, the interactivity and the easy portability of these devices.

Does your computer’s fan work overtime? Do keys on your keyboard stick? Is it a feat of patience to control your mouse? Is there a smudge mark in the middle of your screen? Well, maybe it’s time to clean up that computer so it looks and works like new again.

Summer seminar: The Cullman Center Institute for Teachers offers three week-long summer seminars with brilliant writers and academics at the New York Public Library's landmark building on Fifth Avenue and 42nd Street.

Casting aside the limitations of physical space and time, social networking on the Internet expands the possibilities for teachers to take control of their learning and to push beyond the borders of the classroom, the school and the district’s annual professional development conferences.

The Internet is a rich resource for teachers looking for fresh ways to reach students and to invigorate their classroom practices. Google searches usually return millions of results, making it time-consuming to find what you need. But what most members don’t realize is that the UFT and its affiliates, New York State United Teachers and the American Federation of Teachers, provide online resources for educators at every level.

Your iPhone is an incredibly powerful device, but did you ever consider using it for taking classroom attendance, as a grade book or as a lesson-planning resource? Well, there’s an app for that! Here is a short list of useful apps for the iPhone created with teachers in mind. Some of them are free and others charge a nominal fee.

The intention of the Department of Education’s Internet Acceptable Use Policy was to establish a set of guidelines to inform users about the appropriate use of the DOE’s Internet services and “to establish a secure, appropriate virtual learning space” that will expand communication “between all members of the learning community.”