Posts on “ iPad ”

Angela Nixon Kiser is a National Board Certified Teacher who works tirelessly to provide interactive and meaningful learning in a technology enriched classroom. She provides technology tips, fun, and advice through a collaborative blog called www.techieteachertales.blogspot.com  If you missed her post on BrainPOP Educators last week, be sure to check it out here! I have one iPad in my classroom. How do you use one iPad with 26 greedy little fingers dying to get their hands on the technology? I think that is one of the biggest mountains to climb in our world of learning. I have researched numerous websites and blogs looking for helpful tips just to keep the growl of “my turn” to a patient whisper. So I endeavored to explore what many sources suggest. Adding the iPad into your center (or stations if the students are older) rotation. Easy enough, right? I would have hoped so, but it had its kinks. I encountered a kink with the length of time each child, in the group of four, would spend with an app. The first few center rotations became problematic primarily due to the game I featured for the week. Not every student played and not every student even touched… Read the Rest»

Last week, Senior Manager of BrainPOP Educators Andrew Gardner presented at the Apple Store on the Upper West Side of Manhattan.  The topic was “iPad in the Classroom” and Andrew spoke about the device and the specific apps using the SMAR (Substitution, Modification, Augmentation and Redefinition) framework defined by Dr. Ruben Puentedura.  The rise of tablet computing and the rapid adaptation of the devices in schools, requires us to think deeply about best use.   “Substitution” apps do things that you can do with regular classroom tools, like reading a ebook, creating flashcards, or practicing fast facts and phonics.  ”Modification” and “Augmentation” apps do things similar to regular classroom tools but with added functionality, like an ebook that reads to you, an encyclopedia that calculates equations or a magazine that is built around your interests.  The most exciting category is Redefinition apps that do things previously impossible without the use of technology and the device, like building collaborative narrated digital slideshows or helping students with Autism learn social cues. BrainPOP’s favorite example of the using a “Redefinition” app is the first grade project that BrainPOP Educators Eliza Chung and Jan Bird submitted at the end of last school year. Using Puppet… Read the Rest»

Bring learning to your fingertips with Annie and Moby!  We are excited to announce that we’ve recently released our BrainPOP Jr. Movie of the Week app.  You can now access BrainPOP Jr.’s movies and quizzes from an iPad, iPhone, or iPod touch, as well their accompanying Belly Up comics and Pop A Jokes.  The app itself is completely free to download from the iTunes App Store and we’re proud to say it’s currently the 2nd most popular free EDU app and is featured as “New & Noteworthy”. Current BrainPOP Jr. subscribers can log in from the Movie of the Week app and view all of BrainPOP Jr.’s content at no additional cost.  Non-subscribers can take advantage of our free content by accessing our featured movie of the week and it’s quiz, comic, and joke.  We’re just in time for summer, so whether it’s on vacation or in the car, be sure to take BrainPOP Jr. on the go!  

A few weeks ago I was combing the web for information about BrainPOP and came across a mention of Kristin Kowalski, an arts teacher from Ohio.  I reached out to see what she had to say about using BrainPOP with her students, she sent us the following:   First let me say how much I love BrainPOP. I teach K-8 art at a school for ADD, ADHD, Autism, learning disabled and behavioral students, we currently have 180 kids that attend our school. Prior to the BrainPOP app, I incorporated the art videos and lessons into my classroom frequently and I know the other classroom teachers use the other subjects sections. I was excited to get the BrainPOP app.   I received a grant to get 12 iPads to work with my students with autism and I conducted a study of the affects of the iPads in art for my students, mainly addressing their sensory needs, engagement levels and understanding the content being taught. I had incredible success with the iPads not only with artistic processes but understand the artistic concepts. The BrainPOP app works great for teaching about the art history, processes and concepts. I would put the students on the app in the art… Read the Rest»

With thousands of educational apps available today, it can be a difficult task to find the best ones for using in your classroom.  Identifying those that will engage students while staying relevant to the curriculum is a common hurdle for educators.  Put your frustrations to rest and join Dr. Alice Christie as part of the ISTE webinar series this Wednesday, March 21st at 4:00 p.m. ET (1:00 p.m. PDT).  Dr. Christie will share some of the best educational apps for iPads, iPhones, and other mobile devices, including BrainPOP’s very own Featured Movie App!  With over forty years of teaching experience and a commitment to identifying the best of the best mobile apps, this webinar is not one be missed.  Be sure to stick around after for our BrainPOP presented webinar at 5:30 p.m. ET!  

The National School Boards Association’s (NSBA) has named its “20 to Watch” honors for 2011-2012. These education leaders from across the country are being recognized for promoting the incorporation of innovative technology into high-quality classroom learning and school district operations.  BrainPOP sends a hearty congratulations to the 3 BrainPOP Educators who are recipients of this years award! Janet A. Platenberg Principal from Steuart Weller Elementary School in Virginia,  Andrea Keller (also TCEA teacher of the year) a K-3 Teacher Irving TX ISD and Jeannette Gautier-Downes IT Professional Developer from NYC are making Moby proud! Janet Shares: “BrainPOP has become quintessential in our lessons as students are either introduced to new concepts or are reviewing material for mastery.  The short, research-based videos cover a multitude of topics, and we are thrilled that 1) new videos are consistently added to the database, and that 2) existing videos are kept current so that information is always accurate.  The new GameUp addition allows students to practice what they learn in a simulated environment.   Our teachers use iPad and iPod touch devices in their classrooms and they are excited that now they can access all of the BrainPOP content via the BrainPOP app.  Our staff is also consistently involved with BrainPOP Educators, a free service through which they access free webinars… Read the Rest»

FETC was held January 23-26, 2012. With the close of the 2012 FETC Conference in Orlando, Florida, we want to thank those of you who came out to see us.  It’s always exciting to connect with our supporters and hear about your experiences with BrainPOP.  Even Moby had a blast! Speaking of Moby, Wade Werner, K-4 computer teacher at G.F.W. Elementary School in Gibbon, MN, had the lucky fortune of catching up with him at the conference.  Talk about being in the right place at the right time!  With his iPad in hand, Wade was able to officially introduce our favorite robot to his students back in Minnesota through FaceTime.  They had never seen him before, but after showing off his smooth dance moves, Moby was an instant hit with the kindergarten class. Moby has Wade hooked, too!  With plans to start using BrainPOP at school, he informed his class they’d be seeing a lot more of Moby in the near future.  Their reaction was a definite reassurance of Moby’s celebrity status! Are you a fan of Moby’s, too?  Be sure to visit our conference page to see where we’re headed next.  

Aysha Ames is a fourth grade mathematics teacher in Montclair, New Jersey. BrainPOP has been an essential component of her classroom for the past two years and she is always finding new and creative ways to use iPod Touches, other mobile devices, and technology with her students. Check out how she uses the BrainPOP Featured Movie App in conjunction with her Morning Meeting. As a mathematics teacher of 75 students I find that it’s often hard to address current and historical events in a class period when there’s so much subject matter to teach. I was at a crossroads…I wanted to connect my students with the world around them, but I had difficulty finding the time!  Then I discovered…there’s the BrainPOP Featured Movie App for that! I think Morning Meeting is a great way to foster a spirit of community in my classroom. My homeroom students and I generally like to discuss the day’s historical significance and current events; however, there was a huge disparity in students’ background knowledge.   I would often find that certain students would dominate the discussion while others would remain silent. I would have no idea what my students previously knew about the topic, or what… Read the Rest»

Kate Ryder, a 5th year elementary school teacher, is one of five winners in the Mobile Learning Experience Contest. Join us in congratulating Kate as she shares her vision for mobile learning, “My own love of learning, A-Ha moments, and FUN are promoted by my favorite mobile devices. I, myself, have experienced a positive impact professionally and personally when incorporating mobile learning into my daily life and as a result strive to provide my students with the same opportunity.” Mobile Learning Facilitates A-HAs and FUN There are two things any teacher, from pre-service to old-school veteran, will tell you are required for high student achievement (academically and socially). No, it is not based on years of research…just good old fashioned common sense! Students learn and retain more information when: 1.  The students’ light bulbs illuminate and they have “A-Ha” experiences. and 2. Students are engaged, on task, and learning when they are…dare I say it…having FUN! Even though this is not justification for the “powers that be,” it is understood by educators that are in the trenches everyday. (However, when decision makers are asked about their favorite teacher…inevitably, that teacher cared to make learning memorable and FUN!) Mobile learning facilitates these two elements in… Read the Rest»

Join us in congratulating, Mary Bade, as one of the five winners in the Mobile Learning Experience Contest.  Mary is a a former 5th grade teacher and current Teacher Technology Facilitator at Los Ranchitos Elementary School in Tucson, Arizona. She started teaching for the Department of Defense Schools in Italy in 2006 and moved to Tucson in 2008. Her current school district, Sunnyside Unified School District, has taken on a digital initiative to put laptops in the hands of 5th and 6th graders by the end of 2011. Mary shares with us her vision for mobile learning, “I am honored and encouraged to be a part of this endeavor by the district, but want to take learning to an all new level with the students by making it a truly mobile learning experience.” Life Long Learning In Your Hand What better way to engage students in achieving academic success than reaching them with the tools they use every day. Laptops, iPods, iPhones and iPads are where our students are comfortable using and acquiring information. I envision a class where all students are engaged in the learning process with a computer in front of them and a smaller portable device for on the go… Read the Rest»