Graphic Novels, In App Purchases and The Walking Dead

So I think I've figured this out, and it should be no problem but I had an issue today with some purchases and I wanted to share. 

One of the main uses for the iPads at Turning Point is as an eReader. The pads hold many more books than we can fit on our tiny bookshelf, they are current and shiny to our readers, and because we can share one iBooks account library among 10 (maybe more) iPads it is more cost-effective than buying a class set of books. 

However, that last bit of math only works if you can actually share your library. It took us a little while to figure out how to share the libary across a class set of pads, but I think we've done it. So wasn't I surprised when I stumbled upon a different way many companies are choosing to sell their eBooks. 

Now I should briefly explain - I've been a proponent of graphic novels in the classroom for some time. I think they're interesting for some reluctant readers, but also think that they're simply a new part of the canon that deserves to be discussed in a classroom much in the same way we study poetry, drama and the novel.

Knowing that, it is no great surprise that I investigated options for graphic novels. Now you can buy graphic novels at the iBooks store, and I did that first. But some of the most current material is published by more independent book sellers - companies like Dark Horse press, and IDW publishing - as well as comiclogix, the publisher of the eComic "The Walking Dead". Now these companies, for whatever reason, don't sell their books via the iBook store. Instead, they each develop their own app, or potentially, for a serial like The Walking Dead, they develop the series its own app - the Walking Dead app looks like this...

You download the app (no problem for us - download it to the account at iTunes and it pushes the app to the class set of apps) - and then you download the books inside the app, for a few dollars an issue (like a comic book) or a few more for a collected set (a volume). Originally I was worried about this because I wasn't sure how well I'd be able to share these books. Unlike iBooks the comiclogix app is a little more secure and passwords and accounts can be cumbersome at best. Nevertheless, so far it is working out well. I have successfully logged onto the same account on two different pads with no problems - the purchases volume was waiting for me when I opened the new pad. I will now try to install it on all of the pads. 

I will let you all know how it goes. Does anyone else have any experience with the in app purchase option presenting a problem to their classroom? Any benefits? 

iBooks Oops! Finding Limitations With iBooks.

If this project is about learning, then I guess I'm doing well. And if the root of all learning is making mistakes, perhaps epic mistakes, then I am excelling! Let me explain. 

I am an English teacher, and as an English teacher in an alternative setting, I am always looking for books. Not just any books, though. They need to be high interest (I have reluctant readers, mostly). They also are received better if they are new(ish). Perhaps most importantly, they need to be cheap - like most English departments, the book budget starts small and shrinks daily. Thus my excitement when the possibility of using iBooks came about. 

This near perfect solution would work in so many ways: they could be current; they could be high interest; and they could never be stolen/lost/damaged (we allow students to sign out paper books, but we do not let them sign out the iPads). It seemed like a perfect system, and I still think it will work out great. But I have identified an issue. 

I recently stumbled upon this issue in a round about way. Here's my story.

I started by preparing a list of books I wanted to buy, and I downloaded the samples of these books - this way I could peruse the material, determine if it was suitable for class, and go from there. So I chose a book - From Hell, a graphic novel by acclaimed artist Alan Moore. The reviews were convincing - the text was compelling (the story of Jack the Ripper), I liked the idea of using a graphic novel. Great. Until I got home one day and decided I had better read the whole thing - all I'd read was the prologue (what was included in the sample you can download before purchasing from the iStore). So wasn't I surprised when I read the 3rd page after the prologue, and found a rather explicit (if short) sex scene! Now my students are almost all over 18, so this may have been fine - if I didn't get a GRAPHIC NOVEL! 

Nowhere in the description to the book did it mention these types of scenes, it wasn't rated for Adults Only, and without the ability to browse through the entire book (as you can with a traditional book in a brick and mortar book store), I was taken completely by surprise. The prologue included a pair of old men talking and walking by the shore, how was I to know what was coming? 

Needless to say, my students won't be reading From Hell, at least not as part of their school library. I went through the iPads and deleted it from them all. Fortunately, iBooks doesn't require you to purchase a class set (up to 10 iPads can share one purchase - so a "class set" is much cheaper this way) - but I will be more leary going forawrd, particularly when it comes to buying Graphic Novels. 

Does anyone have any ideas for previewing eBook purchases before spending any money? Am I going to have to go to a brick and mortar store, peruse the hard copy book, then retire to my quarters and purchase the now vetted title via the iBook store. I think it's my best option at this point - I just don't want to spend any more money unnecessarily. C'est la vie. 

To Tweet or Not To Tweet

Well, I guess we know where this is going. By now, most of us know what Twitter is, or at least we know that it exists. Like Facebook, and MySpace before it, Twitter exploded onto the psychic consciousness of my students far faster than I could adapt. Leave it to the TLLP to bring me into C21!

As part of this project we have added a Turning Point twitter account (@TPointHWDSB) - and we have been slowly learning how we can use this. Fortunately, the Twitter app for iPad is extremely easy to use and we have learned how to "socialize" without too much trouble at all.

For now we are using the Turning Point twitter account as an announcement tool - since we are only two classrooms within a much larger college, and since our alternating schedule means that we don't always see every student everyday, it can be difficult to inform all of our students about upcoming events. So, we use Twitter for that - with it we can 'tweet' out to quickly advise students about changes to the day, to celebrate milestones (credits completed, OSSDs earned, etc.), and for various community notices (job postings, college presentations, etc.). Since most of our students have either a smart phone or a computer (often both) at home, and because Twitter is used on both devices, it's a fairly simple way to get ahold of our hard to get ahold of students!

We are also considering using it as another curriculum delivery tool, but we have some reservations. Because it is such a new medium, the board is not yet equipped with a Twitter policy, and the only advice we've received from the scant teachers using Twitter in class is that it's important to ensure students only 'tweet' the school account with a 'professional' Twitter account. Sadly, because our students are often transient and usually scattered, this extra step has the potential to slow this process down to the point of making it cumbersome.

Thoughts? Any advice on using Twitter as a curriculum delivery tool would be welcome. 

TeacherKit, the almost perfect teacher app!

So we've just finished the first week of school, and so have wrapped up our first week of using the tablets in the classroom. So far, the iPad is performing well - great even. Battery life, functionality and portability are all even better than anticipated. Last year we were using a combination of paper files and Lenovo laptops to do the same job - and the weight and battery life are both night and day improvements (no offense to Lenovo. They make a great product but it's apples and oranges).
So far, the app I've been using the most is a free one from ITWorx, it's called TeacherKit. It's a slick looking teacher app that will hopefully replace my paper attendance as well as my mark book.
So far I have set up my classes and entered some marks...manually entering each student into each class is tiresome, but we usually have to do that anyways in our alternative setting since we are not directly connected to a school board server. One of the many joys of working in a satellite site.

Also proving frustrating, I can't figure out how to produce any reports with it (monthly attendance reports would be great) but otherwise it works very well. The interface is very nice looking and so long as my pad is not loaded with excess stuff (I had to delete some movies) it runs well with little to no lagging. It would be nice to be able to move students from class to class, but the grade book is super easy to use and allows for a much more portable platform - useful for observational reporting (the bread and butter of the alt ed classroom.
I'll report back in a while, but so far this app gets a level 3. ;)

Math Ref

Math Ref is an app that contains 1400 mathematical formulas with explanations. Very handy app that includes calculator. This app could be used with any subject that includes math.

The Google World

One of the concepts we will be working with this year is the google universe. Is it effective to introduce our students to the google family of  applications?  StudentS often come to us with childish email addresses and no access to a personal computing device. With the google world we could look at setting up an adult. Email address that could be used for school and employment. As well,the google universe will allow us to introduce them to time management applications like calendars and reminders. Google will offer them a place to store work without needing a USB key, or any personal device through their email. The students can learn google drive, current, blogger, I google, and google+.

Hopefully, the google world will give students who do not have personal access to home computing a chance to experience all the possibilities the tablet world has to offer.

Zite app

The Zite app we believe will be useful for our students. It is a news app that over time you can mold it into following news stories and themes that are appropriate and of interest to out students. When you use Zite, you can create custom headings for its news search engine to find. These articles will be sent to your Zite. When you read them, you have the opportunity to ask for more from that author or along that theme. As well, you can state you didn't like the article. The app will continue to search for articles based on what you read and what your response were to each article. Eventually, you have a custom news source for your students.

Teacher Pal app

We were looking for a good app that you could use for attendance and other admin duties. The Teacher Pal app is very basic. It does allow for easy attendance and mark tracking. Though it will not be that advantageous to our set up as well will have to enter attendance into the school board system separately. Thus creating duplication. There is a PowerSchool app that is available and next year our board will be using that as their main data entry program. So hopefully, this will improved once that takes place.

Cloudon app

We discovered a free app called Cloudon. This app allows you to view all document formats on the ipad. As well, you can view and alter google docs. This may be a game changer for us in regards to ipad use. Many of our students will have a Google account that we will use for school. The concern was that the ipad would not view these documents. That problem is solved. As well, Cloudon can view PDF files.