Greenfield Public Schools

141 Davis Street

Greenfield, MA 01301

Tel: 413.772.1310; Fax: 413.774.7940

Susan D. Hollins, PhD

Superintendent of Schools

GREENFIELD SCHOOLS

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM

Using the iPad 2 for Curriculum: An Introduction

June 26-27, 2012

Beth Dichter, M.Ed., Tech. Integration Specialist, Northampton High School ()

Carol S. Holzberg, PhD, Technology Coordinator, Greenfield Public Schools ()

Apple released the first iPad in April 2010. Although the digital device is relatively new,type “iPad” as the keyword in Google Searchand the engine returns millions of online “hits.”

To help you sort through the iPadinformation jungle, we have created this document listing severaliPad resources for educationorganized by topic. If you want to recommend others, please send them to us and we will add them to the online copy.

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iPad Resources on the Web......

General Resources......

Special Education Resources......

App Sources, Directories, and Recommended Apps......

Web Sites that offer free EPUB conversion......

Suggested iPad Texts and User Guides......

Sources for Free Apps......

Movies of iPads being Used by Students in Classrooms......

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iPadResources on the Web

General Resources

  • Advantage 2014 ( This is the Web site for the iPad initiative in Auburn, Maine. For a list of apps used by Auburn teachers visit
  • Apple Computer,Education Apps for the iPad
  • Dunn, Jeff (April 18, 2012). The Teacher’s iPad Spectrum ( Edudemic is publishing an online magazine for iPad which is subscription based.
  • Dunn, Jeff (December 19, 2011) Study: iPad Apps Improve Learning ( Study of 122 fifth-graders from two schools and four math classes. Researcher assesses the effectiveness of using a particular iPad app to teach fractions knowledge and attitudes. “The study [documents] learning and motivation gains achieved through iPad game play.” Full report available at
  • Dunn, Jeff. The Teacher’s iPad Spectrum ( Edudemic is publishing an online magazine for iPad which is subscription based. This piece was published on their website on April 18, 2012.
  • iPad in Education ( . AWiki about a pilot project with iPad in Education sponsored by the Department of Educational Technology in the School District of Palm Beach County. Includes a section on iPad Research studies.
  • iPads and Tablets in Education articles highlighting uses of tablet and mobile devices in education.
  • iPads for Learning Useful articles about the use of iPads in education and learning.
  • iPads in Education General purpose.
  • iPads in Schools: Highlighting Unique and Innovative Educational Uses of Apple's iPad “…a resource for people exploring the use of the iPad in schools.”
  • iPrep 4 Kindergarten ( How the iPad can prep early learners for Kindergarten. Over 80+ Kindergarten teachers shared their opinions on “What are the top 3-5 skills you wish your Kindergarten students had before the first day of school.”
  • Lombard District 44 Instructional Technology Resources for iPad Pilot
  • Motion Math In-Class One thing to note about this research is that it was funded by a grant from Noyce Foundation and Stanford StartX, the company that developed Motion Math iPad app.
  • Osborne, Charlie (May 3, 2012). 50 resources for iPad use in the classroom. Collection of educational articles, apps and tutorials for classroom educators who want to integrate iPads.
  • Paul, Annie Murphy (June 7, 2012). Surprising Tips that Help Children Learn to Read
  • Porter, Bernajean (September/October 2010). Where's the Beef? Adding Rigor to Student Digital Products. Learning & Leading with Technology,
  • Quillen, Ian (June 15, 2011). Educators Evaluate Learning Benefits of iPad. Education WeekVol. 04, Issue 03, Pages 38,40-41 (
  • Rich, Sarah (June 7, 2012). Should Kindergarteners use iPads in the Classroom?
  • Roscorla, Tanya (May 29, 2012). 5 Ways Apps Fit Into Curriculum and Learning Strategies
  • Schrock, Kathy. Kathy Schrock’s Guide to Everything: iPads in the Classroom ( Eclectic collection of all things iPad for education.
  • Seven Things You Should Know about iPads in Education. ( Part of the Educause Learning Initiative. (February 2011).
  • Teach with Your iPad Wiki: iPad Apps ( prepared by Nathan Stevens. See also for a collection of recommended apps for education by subject area.
  • Titlow, John Paul (April 22, 2012). How the iPad is Changing Education

Special Education Resources

  • Anderson, Glenda.Glenda's Assistive Technology Information and more...: iPads in the Special Education Classroom Scroll to the bottom of the page and check out the videos of students using iPads in the classrooms.
  • Farnsworth, David Graham (January 26, 2012). iPad Breaking Ground for Special Learners Information about iPads using pictures, audio, words and video to build communication and social skills for special education students.
  • Social Media Helps Students with Autism "Navigate the World". (June 22, 2012).
  • University of Victoria, Australia (2010). iPads in Special Education, Dept. of Education and Early Childhood Development,
  • Useful Apple Apps for Special Education, Spectronics Blog

App Sources, Directories, and Recommended Apps

(includes Special Education resources too!)

  • APPitic( A directory of more than 1800 apps for education provided by Apple Distinguished Educators and tested in several grade levels and classroom settings.
  • Apps for Children with Special Needs( Apps for Children with Special Needs (a4cwsn) is committed to helping the families and careers of children with special needs and the wider community of educators and therapists who support them, by producing videos that demonstrate how products designed to educate children and build their life skills really work from a user perspective. Our aim is that these videos, along with relevant information and advice from an independent source you can trust, provides valuable insight into whether a product is suitable for its intended purpose or not, enabling sensible buying decisions to be made.
  • Apptivities: It’s the Application of Apps You can explore apps by grade level or tag.
  • Autism Apps.( This is an app you may download that allows you to search for apps for students with autism, Downs Syndrome and other special needs.
  • Best Apps for Kids Appsrecommended for parents of young children.
  • Bosch, Karen. Creative-APPtitude iPad Multimedia Tools for Creativity: Digital Storytelling Tools Some free apps, some paid apps, but all support digital storytelling. Digital Storytelling Project Examples illustrating how real students use the tools (
  • iPad for the ETT (EdTechTeacher). This is a list on Diigo that provides App suggestions, resources, tools, and blog posts related to integratingiPadsinto the curriculum.
  • iPads in Schools Livebinder. ( Many resources including a tab that is specific to special education.
  • iTunes Store Special Education Section.

The iTunes Stores has a section specifically for Special Education apps.

  • Melonis, Maureen (2012).Way Cool “App”Tivities In Education.University of Colorado, Anschutz Medical Campus
  • Mind Leap ( Reviews of educational apps for iOS and Android, organized by grade level (PK-Middle School) and subject.
  • Teachers with Apps ( Reviews of “quality educational apps” provided by two educators, one from special education, the other, an artist with an early education background.
  • TechChef4u ( Free app for iPhone and iPad, offeringmany resources to support teachers and parents in their search for FREE quality apps for students. Provides searchable and categorized lists of 500+ free apps for PK-12.
  • TCEASpreadsheet of iPad Apps.( This is an extensive list of iPad apps that has been vetted by teachers in Texas. They are categorized by language arts, mathematics, science social studies, interactive books, primary grades, tools and resources, other subject areas and personal use. To get to the resources for special education click on other subject areas and then on special education. Links to all apps are on the spreadsheet and apps that are free have a colored background.
  • 103+ Interesting Ways to Use iPads in the Classroom Many suggestions on how to use the iPad in the classroom available as a Google Presentation.

Web Sites that offer free EPUB conversion

  • 2EPUB (
  • EPUB 2 Go (
  • ePubConverter (

Suggested iPad Texts and User Guides

  • Apple Computer, iPad User Guide for iOS 5.1
  • Biersdorfer, J.D. (2012). iPad: The Missing Manual, 4th edition. O’Reilly, Print $25, ebook $20. A helpful “owner’s manual” with colorful pictures to explain important iPad features.Discount code to use when ordering from oreilly.com.: The User Group discount code is: DSUG. It is good for 40% off print and 50% off ebooks from oreilly.com.
  • Cohen, Michael (2012). Take Control of Getting Ready for iBooks Author. TidBITS Publishing, $15 ePub and PDF formats. How to use the free iBooks Author app on Macintosh to produce multimedia rich iBooks for the iPad. iBooks Author is a free app but it only works on Macintosh!.
  • Engst, Tonya. (2012). Take Control of Your iPad(includes all iPad models and iOS 5.1). TidBITS Publishing Inc., EPUB and PDF versions, $14
  • Fehily, Chris (2012). iPad: Visual QuickStart Guide. Peachpit Press, Print $20, ebook, $15. Peachpit is giving a 35% discount off the list price of any Peachpit book for class participants. At checkout, right before entering credit card information, t enter the coupon code UE-23AA-PEUF.
  • Rosenzweig, Gary (2012). My iPad, 4th edition. QUE Print $20, ebook, $16. Step-by-step instruction for completing several iPad tasks.
  • Wang, Wallace (2012). My New iPad, 3rd Edition. No Starch Press (O’Reilly), Print $25, Ebook, $20. Helpful introduction to iPad apps and features. A discount code is available at The code isIPADFUN and it's for 40% all sales. It's valid from now until August 15, 2012.

Sources for Free Apps

  • AppsFire: Deals of the Day Available both as an iPad app ( an RSS feed or daily email reminder for best free apps and price drops in the App Store. Apps may be free for a limited-time only or on sale for a limited-time only
  • AppsGoneFree list of 5 or 6 freeiPad apps available through iTunes Store. Often the lists contains apps with educational value.
  • FreeappAlert . Daily Web-based list delivered via email or RSS. It lists commercial apps that are free for the day. Often these apps have educational value.
  • Fun Educational Apps ( “Best iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad Apps for Kids.” Sometimes free apps are listed. Subscribe via email or RSS feed.
  • Walsh, Lay (May 13, 2012) 8 Great Free Web Resources Focused on Using the iPad in Education

Movies of iPads being Used by Students in Classrooms

For educators and students alike, iPad features such as quick startup time, long battery life, intuitive-interface, and seemingly endless inventory of free or low-cost educational software applications make it a powerful and engaging learning companion. Here are some video examples of iPads being used withelementary school age children:

  • Colosi, Richard. Richard Colosi’s first graders at Canandaigua Primary School in Canandaigua, New York. He uses iPad text-to speech to strengthen reading fluency (Echo Reading with iPad and literacy (iPad in Literacy: Using the iPad in the Classroom
  • Martin, Abigail. Kindergartenteacher Abigail Martinat Frank Porter Graham Elementary, Chapel Hill, NC has her students work with a magnetic letter app to learn math (Using the iPad to teach the math concept "before" and “after”
  • Mitchell, Larry. Larry Mitchell’s fifth graders at Badger School Elementary in North Pole, Alaska, work with iPads throughout the school day(One Transformed Classroom

About the Author: Carol S. Holzberg, PhD, , (Shutesbury, Massachusetts) is an educational technology specialist and anthropologist. She writes for several publications, works as District Technology Coordinator for the Greenfield Public Schools, and teaches in both the Licensure program at Hampshire Educational Collaborative (Northampton, MA) and online in the School of Education at Capella University. Send comments or queries via email to: .

Holzberg & Dichter, iPad Workshop, June 26-27, 2012-iPad ResourcesPage 1 of 6