I am loving this ipad thing and I know I've just touched the surface. Since Friday with my ipad, I have downloaded apps, taken pictures, written emails, taken (amazing) photos at work to be used at school, watched Netflix in bed, and experienced the happy frustration of I-feel-really-stupid-because-I-can't-figure-out-how-this-thing-works-but-I-know-it-will-be-so-cool-when-I-do.
Happy sigh - again.
First app to download? Flashlight. The one I downloaded also has a "fire" option. The fire is a candle. The best part is that when you hold the ipad vertically the candle burns normally, the flame is straight up - when you turn the ipad horizontal, only the flame adjusts. snort, heehee! (For those of you who don't have an ipad - or an iphone - normally the entire image would adjust its orientation.)
Second app? a level.
And can I just say, thank goodness for my students! I got a super training today in class on stuff I had not yet discovered. Fabulous. They were so patient about letting me figure things out too. And it seems like a fair trade - they trained me on this - then I showed them how to fold an accordion properly.
So far... here's what I love about this ipad thing:
It is small - fits in my purse.
I can connect to the internet with it.
I can take amazing pictures with it and it displays the images large enough that you can see what is actually going on.
I can take images at work, put them in dropbox, and they magically appear on my laptop! (Thanks Melanie!)
I love that I can hold it vertically.... or horizontally depending on my mood. The image flips, even a 180°.
The classrooms at school are smart classrooms - which means - I can use my ipad to connect to the overhead projector in my classroom to show a powerpoint lecture for class. Not only that BUT (while it's projecting) I CAN BLOW UP THE IMAGE ON THE POWER POINT TO SHOW DETAILS!!! Oh this is amazing! My wonderfully patient students showed me that trick (among others). happy sigh. This feature alone - well - I think it will revolutionize teaching. Because of this - I can upload instructions on the projector so that they can follow along and leave it as all instructions, or, blow things up to show major details and zero in. When I think back to what I started teaching 16 years ago, I had a chalk board and an overhead projector (computers were for grading) in my classroom. What I could have done back then with this technology! This is incredible. I feel blissful - grateful, and so appreciative of what is now possible. This makes teaching so easy! Almost magical. I can sit on my cozy couch, while it is snowing outside, with all the books I own for reference, the internet for reference, and be able to put together a fabulous lesson. Unbeknownst to the cats, they love this too. There are a lot more snuggling opportunities.
I feel so privileged to be living now with these opportunities.
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