We've got our first Appy Hour under our belt!

Thanks to all the teachers who were able to attend Roberts Elementary's first Appy Hour!  Mrs. Brandon and Mr. Shahriari were our iTunes card winners.  We started off the hour with a scan of a QR code that opened a Padlet site for users to enter information about what they want to learn during our first Appy Hour.

Our Padlet is embedded below.  Double click anywhere on the Padlet to add your own input for future meetings, or scan with your iPad on the QR code on the Padlet to view the full page.  (If you've never used a QR Reader, go ahead and scan the code below anyway with your iPad QR Reader app and see what QR codes do.)

Created with Padlet

Topics Covered:
QR Codes (using and creating), using a bluetooth connected keyboard to type easily on the iPad, changing the toggle switch near volume controls from mute to lock rotation, and assessment apps.

QR Codes

QR Codes are wonderful little things that users can scan with their iPads and (viola!) contacts, text, and even websites will appear like magic.  I wish I could explain the science behind QR codes, but I am fairly new at using them myself.  I'm pretty sure it works similar to how other bar codes work. Click here to read more on the subject.  I do know, however, how to create them using QR Creator apps on the iPad, as well as on the computer using online QR Code generators.  Use your QR Reader app or the Scan app to read a code.

Why Use QR Codes?

• Students (particularly younger students) can quickly access a website you need them to go to.
• Scavenger hunts or webquests
• Add QR codes to sheets for helpful hints (e.g. a link to a ShowMe video with you explaining how to do a math problem).
• Many more reasons

Creating QR Codes

There are many QR code generators on the app store.  I personally use QR Creator, but there's not necessarily a best one.  My favorites are usually the free ones.  :-)

Creating QR codes on the laptop is just as easy.  Just google QR code creators and you will see several.  I have two saved as shortcuts on my menu bar.  The site QR Code Monkey will allow you to customize your QR code.  QR Code Generator is not fancy, but it is incredibly easy to use.

Bluetooth Connected Keyboard

The iPad's on-screen keyboard can be absolutely ridiculous at times when you are trying to type in large amounts of text.  You can purchase a keyboard for about $30 that connects to your iPad through bluetooth technology.  Click here if you need a quick read on what exactly bluetooth is.  

Assessments Using iPads

We discussed assessments using iPads, but it was just too large of a topic to cover during this first appy  hour meeting.  It's an important one though.  Anyone who uses an app to assess their students, please consider sharing what you use at the next meeting.  We have Socrative on our iPads, but it will require a bit of time to play with if we don't have someone to share their experiences with it.

So I imagine we will spend some more time next appy hour discussing assessment apps.  But don't forget, this time is driven by you, the participant.  So don't forget to RSVP and make sure you let us know what you would like to talk about at the next meeting!  We have a staff meeting next week, so the next meeting will be February 18th.  Hope to see you then!