Using free iPad apps to create stunning classroom presentations

Creating epic, visually stimulating presentations is a goal I definitely set myself whenever I’m preparing a new lesson plan, and I’m sure it’s something many of you do as well. It takes time: tweaking, reinventing and reviewing each presentation slide, whether they’re created using PowerPoint or Apple’s Keynote.

But do they have to be so time-consuming? And what alternatives are there to save us time while injecting creativity?

I’ve been experimenting, simply by using an alternative presentation, and found that learners became more reactive to the content. It seems that this slight deviation from the way I usually deliver my lesson was successful in raising their engagement levels.

If you’re fortunate enough to teach using an iPad or have a mobilised classroom of iPad learners, you’ll be surprised at the availability of high-quality apps for use in lesson delivery.

Here’s a round-up of our recommended free iPad apps that both you and your learners will want to add to your list of must-haves!

Flipped classroom explained: why it works

Earlier this year, ExCel London played host to the Bett Show 2013. I attended the show, like many passionate about the transformational power of learning technology, to get an insight into the development areas new technology suppliers have been concentrating on over the past year and what this could mean for teaching and learning.

This year’s three-day conference focused on the recent changes in education and the escalated need for schools to strengthen their provision of teacher training and information. Web-linked coaching, turbo-charging professional development and plenaries on what head teachers need to know about the high impact (but high-risk) world of mobile learning – these were just a few of the sessions on offer.

Yet, while teacher training had a rightful place in this year’s agenda, it was difficult to ignore the discussions taking place in conference sessions, in social lounges and around the many coffee bars outside the main hall and on the exhibition floor. The ‘flipped classroom’ for me was the real focus of attention and drove many of the conversations I had with delegates.

The interest around flipped learning has not just happened overnight. The evolution of classroom resources and mobile applications has primed our behaviour, but it is only since senior leaders have identified the learning opportunities offered by mobile technologies that we are starting to see real traction.

But what really is a flipped classroom, what isn’t it, how is it achieved and why does it work?

Can flipped classrooms improve student performance?

What if traditional techniques of classroom teaching and homework were swapped around?

For some years now, teachers have been looking at changing the way classrooms work and how they can integrate modern technology to let them spend more time guiding students from the side rather than lecturing to them from the stage.

Rather than using homework periods to consolidate teaching that happened in the classroom, flipped learning means that students are responsible for absorbing information at home and consolidating it in the classroom.

Will flipped learning replace traditional lesson techniques?

One of the hottest topics in education at the moment has prompted educationalists throughout the UK to consider the application advantages of reversing the traditional lesson structure. Commonly termed ‘flipped learning’, it has quickly become a trending theme at networking events, conferences and throughout social journalism circles.




In this article we offer guidance and support to teachers who want to implement flipped learning into their classroom.