The excitement when walking into a classroom of children knowing that they are about to have an hour and a half session, using iPads, is palpable.
Preparing the iPad workshop
When preparing for the workshop, it is important to understand what level of knowledge the class has. The important thing to remember is that you are not teaching new subject matter; you are there purely for the iPad knowledge.
I always do a pre-assessment on the class’ knowledge to ensure that I will be teaching them something new.
Setting expectations
We start with the children deciding on rules for using the iPads ranging from: having clean hands; no food and drink near the iPad; to being gentle when touching them.
The children are put into groups of two or three depending on the size of the class. Depending on the subject matter being covered, it can be better to mix boys and girls in groups. Sometimes it is better if the children are divided into same sex groups.
Introducing the iPads and apps
The next stage of the workshop is to introduce the apps to the class. I often start with a game that relates to the Chag or topic I will be covering in the session. The children are allowed 5 minutes to play the game. Sharing becomes apparent at this stage and I often see where problems may arise in the next stage of the workshop and can adapt my plan
to overcome these.
Content Creation
I then introduce the content creation app. I most commonly use book creation apps, comic strip apps or video creation apps. The children then have about an hour to create their digital work using all media available to them.
Wrapping up
We wrap up the session with a show and tell session where the groups come up to the front of the class to show everyone what they created. This is an opportunity for peer assessment and the children enjoy seeing what their friend’s have created. At the end I do a post assessment to see how much the children have integrated their knowledge over the past hour.
The creations are then shared with the parents with emails from the teacher.
iPad Workshop availability
We currently offer workshops in South Africa and the United Kingdom. To find out more information or to book a session please click on the relevant country.
About the author
Nicole Mandelberg is married with 3 children and lives in Johannesburg, South Africa. She qualified at the University of the Witwatersrand with a BSc in Occupational Therapy in 2000. She has worked in private practice with children with learning difficulties as well as teaching study skills to high school pupils. She also teaches Taharat Hamishpacha and now runs iPad workshops for primary schools and parents.
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