Kindergartners and iPads.. Can this work?

I don't know how many staff development days or conversations I have had with other teachers about using iPads in my classroom. During the conversation, I am always so excited and ready to try using iPads with my kindergartners. However, when I get back to the classroom I begin to feel overwhelmed. I look at my lesson plans and I can't quiet figure out how to incorporate iPads. Then I begin to think about those students that are prone to breaking things, always dancing or moving around, and love to not listen; thinking about those students with an iPad makes my head hurt. And last but not least the thing that causes me the most anxiety is working the iPad in front of my students. I don't seem to have a great working relationship with the smart board in my room! I can't imagine what an iPad would be like. Needless to say, I have never had the confidence to begin using iPads in my classroom until tonight. 

As I began searching the web for a blog that talked about iPads in kindergarten, I wasn't thinking very positively. The first few blogs I checked out were no help at all. Then I found the gold at the end of the rainbow a blog called Digital Kindergarten. This blog is fantastic! There were so many helpful ideas once I began to look around. The thing that was the most helpful was one of her LiveBinders entitled:  Teaching with Technology in Kindergarten. One of tabs talks about how she uses iPads in her kindergarten classroom all day. She talks about how she introduces the iPads to the students and what a typical day with an iPad looks like. After reading this post, I am now positive I can do this with my students. 

There were also tabs in the LiveBinder that showed the apps on her iPad, the best apps for teachers, and how to use bloom's taxonomy with an iPad. I am so excited about this blog! I have already learned so much. I am looking forward to using the iPads with my students. Hopefully, I will get along with the iPads and they won't give me as much trouble as my smart board does. http://www.livebinders.com/play/play?id=796199

iPads

I am so excited that I found a blog post that gives me seven tips on how to get started with a classroom iPad! We have iPads available at our school but I have never checked them out because I am intimated.

I felt this blog post was very easy to read! Out of the seven tips, I felt three of the tips were helpful. The first tip talked about the home button. I didn't realize that you can always push the home button and it will take you right back where you started. Yeah! I am happy to know I can’t mess up the iPad.

The second tip that was helpful was tip number four. This tip talks about watching a video tutorial. It gives a link for basics about the iPad and the Apple iPad tutorial. I never knew there were visual guides or tutorials to reference if I needed help. I am looking forward to reading the article about the basics and watching the tutorial.

The third tip I found helpful was tip number seven. This tip was great because the writer suggested that we follow her blog. Also, she gave a few other blogs that she suggests to follow. I am looking forward to checking out the blogs she has suggested.

After reading this post, I feel better about introducing my students to the iPads. 

Here is the link for the post I read: 

http://technologyinearlychildhood.com/2013/08/24/seven-tips-to-get-you-started-with-your-classroom-ipad/

Nervous!!

I am a little nervous about this blog! I have never had a blog or thought to have one. Hope it goes well! :)