Basics of the Apple iPad

Apple's addition of iWorks for the iPad gives more portability and accessibility to basic software used in many classrooms.  The Pages application allows you many of the same tools as Microsoft Word such as advanced font options, tables/charts, page layouts and hypertext links.  I especially like the Media Browser function which allows your text to wrap seamlessly around any images you insert.  The sharing of iWorks files with Microsoft and other software users is easy with the option to save files in MS Office, PDF and other formats. In addition, you can use iCloud to automatically save and share your documents with multiple devices to access anywhere.  The Box is a similar online storage service with an app available on the iPad.  The auto-save feature prevents file loss and the undo feature provides the teacher a means of looking back through previous changes within the document, tracking the student's thought process and progression of the assignment.  The iPad can also print your documents wirelessly through AirPrint.  The iPad's ability to function much of the same way as a traditional desktop makes it invaluable in the classroom.  One of the negative aspects of the iWork version for iPad devices is that the applications are sold individually ($10 each), while sold as a software suite for the Mac OS.  Another caveat is that documents created with elaborate formatting may not convert correctly to Microsoft Word.

The iBooks app for iPad organizes your books and media by "collections" and displays them on a virtual book shelf with a real "library" feel.  You can easily arrange items according to your preferences and move within these collections by swiping the screen.  The Kindle app for the iPad provides the same basic book reading function as iBooks with minor differences.  Most of the differences boil down to user preferences such as the setting which allows a black background with white text.  Kindle provides a simpler view and minimalistic feel.  Books can easily be purchased within the iBooks app.  However, when downloading books from Amazon, you cannot purchase through the Kindle app and must do so through Safari.  For my own purposes I prefer the iBooks application.

Safari remains the fastest and most secure way to browse the Internet via the iPad.  Safari has offline reading features, a "big picture" tab view of open tabs, iCloud tabs and a unified smart search field.  On the other hand, because iPads do not support Flash or Java, Rover is an alternative, free app that will process those web site contents through a proxy server and stream it to mobile devices.  Rover has another great feature in that it filters web site content for the student user.  One negative side I personally found while using Rover is that many educational websites (pbskids.org and several other well-used educational sites) that are frequently used in classrooms were blocked.  Every time I tried to go to one of these sites a message popped up directing me to send a written request to the website owners asking them to partner with Rover.  This seems like a long, aggravating procedure a teacher would have to go through to make previously approved web sites accessible through Rover.  However, although I prefer Safari, there were some nice educational games and activities available directly through the Rover App.