Getting Started with iPads: Lesson #1

I had so much fun working in a second grade classroom this week to help the teacher introduce their iPads! The kids were of course ecstatic too!

We began by telling the students we were going to discuss iPad rules, why rules are important, etc. etc. etc. I allowed the kids to start brainstorming any idea they though might be a good rule for us to have when using the iPads. Any idea they had, I added to our Popplet- one of my favorite apps/websites! There is a free version & a paid version (only difference- the paid version allows you to create an unlimited amount of Popplet projects- very worth it!!!!).

As we are talking and discussing and and brainstorming and shouting out rules, I had students begin to learn how to Sketchnote. 

Basically you draw pictures, words, doodles, whatever, to help remember content. 

Here is an awesome one from Sylvia Duckworth :)

and I love this one too!

When students Sketchnote, they tend to really pay attention to the lesson or conversation, stay engaged longer, and retain the information better. 

Here are some of the Sketchnotes the 2nd graders created as we discussed iPad rules:

This was surprisingly difficult for students (I thought it would be easy...) because they were convinced there was a "right answer" for these papers, and if they completed one drawing they were all done. Students are used to getting worksheets, filling out one right answer, and then screaming "I'M DONE!" from across the room and moving on to the next assigned activity. With Sketchnoting, you're never really done is there is absolutely no right answer... So I kept having to remind them to keep drawing, keep writing, keep THINKING when they would tell me they were finished! :) This *for the most part* kept them engaged for the entire lesson while I led this discussion about rules #win.

Whenever students would magically come up with a rule I knew needed to be a rule, I had them come up with a hand motion to go with the rule, and we came up with a chant ("iPad Rule 1 is USE CLEAN HANDS!") and we just kept adding them on as we went. Here's a video of the chant I've used with my class in the past (start it at 14:04). :)

Feel free to download the iPad Rules Sketchnote paper {HERE!} I hope you and your students enjoy it!

And you can also find my editable iPad rule posters {HERE!} 

Have a great weekend!!!!