Not a Toy, but a Tool: An Educator's Guide for Understanding and Using iPads - Softcover

Dr. Carrie Thornthwaite has given an excellent introduction to the use of iPads. She approaches this process with the mindset of both a K-12 educator, which she was, as well as an education professor. All of the apps reviewed are very affordable and excellent resources for making education interesting and interactive. Dr. Thornthwaite has provided educators with an excellent set of recommendations. -- Sammie Swor, professor at Belmont University, Nashville, TN, previous public school science teacher for 16 years and 20 years in high school administration Busy classroom teachers have so many demands on them today! Keeping up with technology gets pushed down on the list of to-dos. This book provides valuable information for all levels of technology expertise. The apps reviewed in Chapter 2 and 3 are outstanding! Creating quizzes for the iPad meets so many needs: quick assessments, student feedback, student understanding after a discussion! Language arts teachers can find several apps in Chapter 4 to meet the needs of their students in writing, vocabulary, and analysis. I recognize several adaptations in the apps of activities I assigned to students on a daily basis. This author provides a needed tool teachers can use today. Many schools do not have a technology coach or facilitator on staff to recommend appropriate apps. This book meets that need. -- Martell Souder, Ed.D., Middle School Teacher of the Year for middle Tennessee, Team leader for Donelson and Madison Middle Schools, adjunct faculty member for Trevecca College, Nashville, TN My goodness! What a JOY it was reading this book! It opened me up to lots of new ideas! As a foreign language teacher, I particularly liked Chapter 6, which bears relevance, not only to the everyday foreign language classroom teacher, but also to anyone interested in learning more about language. The author provides an in-depth glance into what each of the (reviewed) apps specifically offers the user. The collection of ideas provided by the author provides the catalyst of a great book! -- Martha Ann Hawkins, middle and high school Spanish teacher at Lipscomb Academy, Nashville, TN This book provides educators with a wide variety of available resources to enhance their classroom instruction when using iPads. The author has broken the book into sections that helps teachers easily access apps that are appropriate and specific to their instructional needs. As a reading specialist, I am always looking for high-quality apps that can be used to help students reach their highest reading potential. The organization of the book allows me to easily find the apps that I need for my students. The research that has already been done by the author will help me manage my time when using iPads in the classroom. I've been using iPads for a couple years, but now, with this information, I can integrate iPads more effectively into my classroom instruction. -- Laurie Love, reading specialist at Columbia Academy, Columbia, TN As a high school history teacher, I find this an extremely valuable book! As a Geography/History teacher, I particularly liked the apps in Chapter 5. Some of the apps provide primary sources, which is important in implementing Common Core. The other apps have given me innumerable ideas for lessons that I can use in my classes. I highly recommend this book for use by any classroom teacher. -- Amanda Elmore, Hendersonville High School, Sumner Country, TN Talk about iPads, this book itself is a learning tool that can be accessed by students, parents, and teachers alike! Students can be encouraged to reinforce their classroom learning simply by using the apps that are discussed here. Teachers will be released from hours of searching for appropriate learning tools to enrich or remediate their lessons. Parents will be able to choose apps that correlate with their child's academic curriculum. Students will gladly reinforce their studies because using the iPad does not seem like work. As a former teacher and a current mentor of novice and pre-service teachers, I applaud Dr. Thornthwaite's research! -- Bonnie S. Barker, M.Ed., Tennessee Academic Specialist, adjunct professor and former high school Mathematics and English teacher The author is obviously very educated and knowledgeable about iPads. As a kindergarten teacher, I found many of the apps in the elementary sections to be very helpful. I downloaded some and my kids love them! I have been using iPads in my classroom daily to assist me with enforcing and mastering skills that we are learning every day. It is great to have this book as a resource for broadening the activities that I've been using. The apps allow me to adapt my instruction to the many different learning needs of my students. With the help of this book, I have been able to teach and reach students that otherwise were having difficulty grasping and understanding new skills. With many of the apps, I've been able to break the skills down in a fun game type way of learning. -- Shelley Hatfield Cash, Kindergarten teacher, Robbins Elementary School, Scott County, Robbins, TN

iPads are powerful tools for engaging students, encouraging creativity, stimulating critical thinking, and making significant strides in learning. This book is part of a two book set that will allow educators to realize the full potential of the iPad. Over 200 highly rated apps are covered with specific ideas for classroom activities and teaching strategies.