RCS district provides all of us with iPads for us to use in the classroom, but when I talk to my fellow teachers, most of us aren’t using them. I wasn’t using them until recently I learned a few things about how to conveniently integrate them into the classroom. Here are some tips to get started: AirServe—Project your iPad’s ScreenI had no idea about the AirServe installed on all RCS laptops and desktops, and even if I saw the program, I didn’t know what it did. AirServe is a program that generally runs in the background of our laptops and does nothing—unless we are using our iPads! This program allows us to project our screen on our iPad to our projector. Now, I was typically pretty tied to my podium (where my laptop/laptop dock typically lives)in my classroom before this. However, being mobile in the classroom changes engagement significantly. Okay, I’m Mobile… Now What?There are a million things that you can do once you set up your AirServe and can project your iPad’s screen. I’m just going to share some of my favorite things that I’ve done in my classroom. Google SlidesI really enjoy using Google Slides rather than PowerPoint, because I never have to worry about being on a different device and not being able to access my document. I can also get to my Google Slide presentations on my iPad. When we are doing guided notes, I can actually walk around my room and use proximity to motivate kids to do their work, as well as be closer to answer questions for my students. Quizlet.live and KahootEveryone knows what Kahoot is at this point (if not, check out this article for a good break down), but not everyone knows about using their iPad, so that they can walk around and ensure that everyone is actually on the website they are supposed to be on! You can create your Kahoot on your laptop or iPad, whatever is most comfortable for you, and project your Kahoot on your projector using AirServe. Quizlet.live is another platform like Kahoot that creates groups for you, and students break out into their groups and work together to answer your quiz questions. How do the groups work? On every student’s screen, and on the teacher projected screen, the question is posed to the students. Each student has a selection of different answers on their screens. No student has the same answers, so they all have to look at their own answers and each other’s screens to pick the correct answer.If one student gets an answer wrong in their group, the entire quiz is reset and they have to try again. The first group that finishes “wins” and the Quizlet.live is over. This leads to some pretty hilarious competitive situations.Being able to walk around the classroom while doing the Quizlet.live helps to monitor your class, plus it lets you hear some of the thought processes going through their heads, becoming a mini-formative assessment. Something to Take AwayWe all know that students perform better when proximity is a factor. Using a projector or a chalk board both can force us to be removed from our students. AirServe plus our issued laptops can help fix that distance and be closer to our students! Today's thoughts come to us from Mrs. Tia McCargish. Tia is a first year English teacher at Richmond High School. Tia graduated on the Dean’s List from Indiana University East. While in University, she was the president of Sigma Tau Delta (English Honors Society) for one year. She also was president of the IUE Tabletop Gaming Club and was a member of the writing club. As a teacher, she now hosts a Tabletop Gaming Club at RHS. In her free time, she loves reading science fiction.
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