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| Image from Showbie |
I know I've mentioned before that I will have a class set of iPads next year! Exciting! I was excited about the possibilities this new technology would offer but was also a little nervous about transitioning to a class with a full set of iPads. Would I be successful? How would I manage this new technology? What activities will my students complete using the iPad? Will my classroom be completely paperless? Is that even realistic? Probably the most pressing decision I needed to make was how would I manage the work flow in my classroom. You know getting work to the students, turning work in, grading work that the students have turned in, and returning it to them. All done electronically. So when my principal asked if I would like to attend iSummit, I immediately said "Yes"! What a great opportunity to learn from other professionals who were already using this technology in their classes.
I realize students need to use their iPads to learn and create meaning (I will post more about that as time goes on) but before I start passing out iPads, I needed to work out in my mind the management part. So I attended 2 sessions on managing workflow: Showbie and ebackpack. Both allow you to assign, collect, and review student work. Showbie is free but for an additional cost you can upgrade to the pro version which will allow you to grade and write comments on assignments. Ebackpack is a paid service that offers the same features as Showbie; however, ebackpack also has a parent communication component. Basically, if you want to be able to annotate student assignments you will have to pay in either case. I am going to play around with both applications to see which one I like best. Decisions. . .decisions! If anyone has used either (or used something completely different) please share your thoughts. I would love to hear your comments! Once I have made up my mind I will post an update. I think I should create a chart comparing both. Maybe I should do that on the iPad. Hummm....
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ReplyDeleteWe are a Google Drive district. Most of our workflow management is through Google Drive. There are some really easy ways to manage all the assignments, through Google Forms. All our students have e-mail accounts. They can only e-mail within the district, not receive outside e-mail. ( I think they can email out, but won't get a response.)
I L-O-V-E Google Drive. I started using it in my class a long time ago, long before our district got it.
I'm not familiar with the 2 you mentioned, but will dig a bit deeper.
Fabulous Fifth Grade Fun
Thank you! I used Google forms last year and will probably still use that with my flipped lessons. I'm thinking of using this as a way to collect, edit and grade their writing and any handouts or graphic organizers they complete using their iPads. It will allow me to write directly on their digital ”papers”.
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