7 THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT iOS7

iOS7 introduces a clean look, new features and an easy to use interface that will (hopefully) make your work faster and more efficient. Many apps have a new look, but the overall functions are the same, this allows you to be as productive as possible right from the start!
Below are the top 7 things you should know about iOS7.

1. CONTROL CENTER

Swipe up from the bottom edge of the screen with one finger to reveal the control center. The control center allows you to do what you need to do even more quickly, turn on or off Airplane mode, Wifi, Bluetooth, Do Not Disturb and Mute. Adjust the volume and brightness of the screen. Connect to AirPlay enabled devices. Share using AirDrop. Even quickly access the camera and clock. 

 

2. NOTIFICATION CENTER

From any screen, swipe down from the top edge of the screen with one finger to access the notification center. The notification center gives a quick summary of your day, lists calendar invitations, new mail, and reminders that need to be completed.

3. MULTITASKING MADE EVEN BETTER

Multitasking has always made switching between app easier, but now it is even better. Double click the home button to see all of the open apps running in the background. Select an app to switch to that app, or swipe the app up off of the screen to close out of it.

4.  SPOTLIGHT SEARCH

Now access Spotlight search from any home screen. Just swipe down in the middle of the screen to quickly search across your apps, contacts, notes, events and mail. 

5. AIRDROP

Quickly and easily share pictures and videos with a share button. Tap Share, select the person you want to share with and AirDrop does the rest. No set up is needed and all transfers are encrypted which means they are safe and secure.

6. SAFARI

Browsing is bigger, and more beautiful in Safari with iOS 7. Accessing your bookmarked favorites is easier too! Favorites appear as icons on the page when you click to open a new Safari tab, one more way to do what you need to do quicker and more easily.

7. ORGANIZATION

Folders now expand to full screen when selected, allowing you to more easily select the app you are looking for. You can also add more apps to each folder, to allow you to organize apps the way you really want to.

"When something is designed to work beautifully, it tends to look that way too."

-www.apple.com

 

STILL WANT MORE INFORMATION?

Check out these resources for more information.

APPLE - iOS7

FORBES - 15 Tips and Tricks

TECH CRUNCH - A Few Tricks...

SUPER COOL STUDENT TOOL - PADLET.COM

In addition to being a super cool,teacher tool, Padlet is also a great student tool!
Students can use Padlet individually or collaboratively to document progress, build upon their knowledge and display their understanding of a topic.

IDEAS

• brainstorming
• digital poster creation
• portfolio pages
• timeline creation
• book reviews
• collecting individual research
• sharing group research
• creating diagrams and outlines
• Padlet.com gallery of examples

HELP

• PADLET GUIDE for teachers and students
• Padlet.com FAQs

SUPER COOL TEACHER TOOL - PADLET.COM

WHAT IS PADLET?

 "Padlet is an Internet application that allows people to express their thoughts on a common topic easily. It works like an online sheet of paper where people can put any content (e.g. images, videos, documents, text) anywhere on the page, together with anyone, from any device. Think of it like a multimedia friendly, free-form, real-time wiki." -Padlet.com

• Students do not need accounts to post 
• Information can be added and edited on any device
• Add text, images, links and documents
• Add as many posts to each wall as needed, the wall will continue to grow
• Check out the Padlet gallery for some great examples!

source: http://padlet.com/gallery

GETTING STARTED WITH PADLET

• Click BUILD A WALL
• Click MODIFY WALL to change the properties of the wall (background, layout, privacy, etc)
• Double click or drag a file anywhere to post.

Need more help? Check out the Padlet Knowledge Base. A full step-by-step guide for Holton teachers and students is coming soon. 

HOW YOU CAN USE PADLET

Padlet is the perfect tool for:

• Providing instant, easy collaboration
• Brainstorming
• Collecting group research
• KWL charts
• Exit surveys
• Visual timeline creation
• Real-time group discussions 

GRADE 8 SOCIAL STUDIES EXAMPLE @ HOLTON

At the start of school the Grade 8 Social Studies teachers planned to have their students interview someone older who had a memory of September 11th. The teachers were looking for a quick and easy way for their students to share a short paragraph and picture. For the teachers planning the project, it was important for all of the girls to be able to see the information their classmates were posting and of course for it to be as easy as possible. For me, it was important that the girls not have to log into a new system, that the selected tool work seamlessly with our learning management system (finalsite course pages), and that it work on both an iPad and laptop.

We investigated several options including Pinterest, Google Sites, and Google Docs, but ultimately it was clear that Padlet was the best tool for the job!

The Grade 8 Social Studies teachers created one board for each of their sections and embedded the board as a resource on their course page.  In class, the students simply double-clicked on the embedded Padlet page to post their short paragraph and picture. Immediately the girls were able to see their classmate's posts, read the interviews and look at the pictures. This provided a great starting off point for the in class discussion that followed. Padlet proved to be a super easy way to provide instant, real-time collaboration! 

LINKS TO RESOURCES WITH MORE GREAT IDEAS

Technology Resource Teachers - Padlet

How to Use Padlet in the Classroom
32 Interesting Ways to Use Padlet in Your Classroom

HOLTON'S 4TH ANNUAL BLENDED LEARNING LAB!

I am so excited to invite you all to Holton's 4th Annual Blended Learning Lab on October 17th and 18th from 8:30 am to 3:30pm.

This lab will provide you with the basic tools necessary to get started with blended learning and resources for taking the next steps. Discussions and hands-on activities will constitute a large portion of the lab, so participants will be able to get a head-start on their own blended learning initiatives. You will leave this lab not only with a new blended learning toolkit, but also with a network of peers who share an interest in the topic and can be a source of advice and inspiration for our respective journeys.

NEW THIS YEAR:

• We are proud to be bringing in Catlin Tucker, a Google Certified Teacher and the author of Blended Learning for Grades 4-12: Leveraging the Power of Technology to Create Student-Centered Classrooms as our keynote speaker and break out session leader.
• Two-day format to provide for more hands-on time to redesign your lesson.
• Project tuning strategies will be explored to help all participants design the most effective Blended Learning lesson possible.

TO REGISTER:

Register Online!
(Holton Teachers: In order to register for this lab, just send me an email, no need to register online.)

 

KEYNOTE SPEAKER:

Catlin Tucker is a Google Certified Teacher and CUE Lead Learner. She teaches 9th and 10th grade English language arts at Windsor High School in Sonoma County, where she was named Teacher of the Year in 2010. She has also taught online college level writing courses. She spent the 2011-2012 school year on leave finishing her first book, Blended Learning for Grades 4-12: Leveraging the Power of Technology to Create Student-Centered Classrooms (Corwin). She is an experienced professional development facilitator and trainer, education consultant, curriculum designer and frequent Edtech speaker. She earned her BA in English from UCLA and her English credential and Masters in Education from UCSB. She is active on Twitter @CTuckerEnglish and writes an education technology blog at www.CatlinTucker.com.