Built-in versatility makes the iPad a perfect tool to utilise across the entire Primary Curriculum. We spoke to Alison Bell from Scoil Mhuire Allenwood Primary School to find out how they embed the iPad into every subject in every year group.
School Name: Scoil Mhuire Allenwood
Type of School: Mainstream Primary School with an ASD Class
How many Teachers: 17 Teachers
How many Pupils: 270 pupils
Teacher: Alison Bell - Deputy Principal and 3rd Class Teacher with 20 Years Experience
Each school has to reckon with the same quandary. How often should we use technology? How much is too much? How much is too little? For Alison, she feels it’s important to look ahead:
“I don’t think there is a job in the world that doesn’t use technology. I’ve seen teachers over the last 20 years that have struggled to turn a laptop on and it really holds them back. The children of the future can’t be in that position… The world has changed… It’s going to be a technology-based society going forward.”
So, making useful connections between each curriculum subject and technology is a vital life skill.
Embedding iPad into the classroom
Thankfully, the iPad can seamlessly embed itself into all learning experiences. This is partly because the device itself doesn’t fall into one category. As Alison Bell puts it, “The children think the iPad is a toy… They’re learning unknown to themselves and they are developing all of these skills without realising. When they see the iPad trolley coming in, they think ‘Yes! we’re going to have fun!” This instant engagement is paired with the device’s reliability. Teachers know that they can plan the iPad into any lesson and get to work on them quickly. Mrs Bell describes it as ‘ease of access. It’s how quickly you can turn them on; get them all on the right app and get them all working in seconds. Whereas, if you’re using a PC or a Chromebook, it takes a while to log in and get everyone into the right website… that’s much slower. With the iPads, everything is just so fast. We could be doing Maths and then go straight into History or straight into Geography.”
At first glance, you might mistake the iPad as being best suited to the creative subjects. However, when asked which lessons Alison uses the iPads in, she reels off a long list - “I’ve used the iPads in Irish, Maths, History Geography, Science, English…” Alison goes on to detail how the technology is being used in less obvious areas of the curriculum - “I’ve seen some of the teachers using the iPads for recording during PE lessons… One child will record another running and then look at the running technique. So they’re using it for assessment and feedback… They’re so versatile. They’re so small and easy to pick up and use anywhere.” From a practical standpoint, the mobility of the device means that the iPad can follow the children wherever the subject takes them. Alison has also found that the multimedia functions can transform tricky lessons… “I’ve used the iPads to teach Irish and the difference is unreal… the children interview each other, just using the camera… every one of them loved it and the Irish speaking was brilliant… to see them engaged, having fun and enjoying the Irish lesson is amazing.”
Educational apps
The infinite possibilities of the app store are key when it comes to planning iPads into different subjects. By using a range of educational apps Alison has seen that “the children can personalise everything they’re doing… No matter what they are doing they can put their own touch on it.” When the children have more choices, they can follow their imaginations. Alison explains that the children “…can be far more creative on an iPad than they can on any other kind of device… like on Book Creator… they can really show off their creativity on that when they’re using the camera or voice-over function… the iPad makes it so easy and so fast to do these things”. Combining multiple apps with multi-media tools might seem like a daunting task. However, Mrs Bell has found that the class’ fearlessness negates any worries - “…the children know more than me at this point. I just introduce them to an app and let them play away with it. We do project work where they have a topic and they go and research it. I have no input in that. I give them the freedom to and explore and they learn more from doing it themselves.”
It’s great that children have the freedom to explore and utilise a range of different apps. That being said, you can get a lot out of a single cross-curricular app. Freeform is a good example of this. This intuitive app can be used for anything, from organising thoughts to building learning portfolios. Its broad tools make it both super simple and impactful. Alison feels the same way about the app - “I’m loving using the Freeform app on the iPads. We use Freeform a lot, at least once a week. We’re using it for mind mapping; we’re using it for project planning; we’re doing KWLs; we’ve done timelines’; we’ve done so much on it.” One single app can redefine any number of lessons. In the same way, simplistic features can make a huge difference. For example, screen mirroring (the ability to get an iPad screen to appear on your interactive whiteboard) can be hugely positive as Mrs Bell shares with us “Every so often, I’ll mirror a child’s iPad on the screen. The children absolutely love this, because they love to see their work up on the screen. So they’re all really engaged with the lesson because they want to showcase what they have done up on the board.”
CPD
Whether you’re working with multiple apps or using one cross-curricular tool, iPad competency is key. Because of this, Scoil Mhuire Allenwood invested in a three-day training plan with Patrick Hickey (one of Select’s Apple Professional Learning Specialists). Alison speaks from experience on the subject of CPD - “I think it’s so important for the teachers to have confidence. We got the iPads around a year ago and they just sat there because no one was sure what to do… There was fear… but I think once we had the Apple Professional Learning from Patrick and all the teachers got to the see the iPads being used in practice, the confidence levels just rose. Everyone has been using the iPads since. The other thing that Patrick did, is show us different apps that are suitable for different levels. Everyone came away with apps that they could try in their class with confidence.” She goes on to explain why Select’s partnership with the school is so important - “It’s brilliant because when someone has a question or if something hasn’t worked out, we know we can ask Select to help us figure it out. The next time Patrick comes to the school, he’ll be showing us new applications and so we’re constantly developing our own skills. The more we know, the more we can show the kids… We can move on to harder things and more challenging things for the children. I think if Select were not helping us, we might just stay using the same apps everyday, forever.”
Embedding iPad into every subject takes time. Of course, teaching and learning will evolve over time as well. Mrs Bell points out that “We have a new Primary Curriculum coming… over the next few years, the subjects will one more integrated and so cross-curricular apps will really help us with our new curriculum. It will make things easier for teachers and pupils if everything can be linked together and technology will definitely help us with that.” With that in mind, every school should tackle their gaps in knowledge and consider every subject when they plan technology into lessons. The end result will be a more integrated educational experience with positive connections between subjects. More importantly, however, cross-curricular technological embedment will breathe new life into each lesson. Alison agrees - “I absolutely love using the iPads… It changes the dynamic in the classroom… Technology has made some aspects of teaching so much easier because the children are far more engaged.”