Recently, I read a great blog post by Eric Curts about the Amazing Mobile Features of Google Classroom. In it he talks about some features that are unique to teachers and students who use G Suite apps on mobile devices like an iPad or a smartphone. His collection of tips are well worth checking out, but they are not limited to Classroom, because there are lots of other great ways to use Google apps on mobile devices. To that end, here are some of my favorite iPad tips for teachers.
1. Explore/Research Tool
On the web, the Research Tool that many loved has morphed into the Explore tab. It's a sidebar that pops out on the side of your screen to let you do different things like some quick research on the web. This feature is not yet available in Google's mobile apps, but many recent iPads have something just as good - the ability to use Split View or Slide Over. This lets you have two (or more) apps open on your screen at one time. With Split View, you can quickly mimic the Explore tool on the web by having Docs open on one side of your iPad, and Safari (or Chrome) open on the other. What's more, when the Google apps for iOS get updated some time in the near future, iOS 11 users will gain the ability to drag and drop text, images and URLs from other apps right into their Google apps while working in Split View!
2. Voice Typing
When Google added Voice Typing to the web version of Google Docs it was greeted with universal praise. However, some people forgot that this option already existed on mobile devices for some time. On the iPad, it's called Siri Dictation and it's available on the iPad 3 or later, and on the iPad Mini 2 or later. Simply tap the microphone on the keyboard and your words will turn into text quickly and accurately. On the web, Voice Typing is only available in Google Docs, but on an iPad you can use it in any of the Google apps that allow text input. This is great for kids that need that extra accommodation or even for slow typists. For more ideas on why you should use voice typing, read Kasey Bell's blog post, 7 Reasons You Need to Try Voice Typing. Note that you need a WiFi connection to use Siri Dictation.
3. The Camera
Eric touched on this in his blog post on Google Classroom, but one of the major advantages to having a mobile device like an iPad is the ability to shoot photos and videos anywhere and at any time. For me, it is one of the most important apps on your iPad. It means you can do things like collect photos from your entire class in a shared Drive folder. Students can add images that they took to their writing projects and Science reports by adding them to Docs or Slides on the iPad. The camera feature also lets you do photo scavenger hunts or share paper based learning with everyone via a collaborative Slides presentation. Of course, you don't need to take photos if you already have images saved on your Camera Roll. This means you can add a cool design from Adobe Spark Post, an image from PicCollage Kids, or a green screen photo from DoInk, and "app smash" it into your Google app of choice.
4. Templates
If you go to docs.google.com you will have the option to create a Google Doc from one of several pre-made templates. You get things like Science reports, letters, essay outlines, resumes and more. The same is true for Slides and Sheets. However, these options exist on the iPad too. Simply open Docs, Slides or Sheets app on your iPad and tap the red plus button to create a new file. Then tap Choose Template. Here you will find the same selection of templates that you can access on the web. They can be a great way for students to get started quickly on a new project and have the added bonus of being styled with great fonts and images to save you time with the design.
5. Google Expeditions
A class set of Google Expedition headsets and smartphones is more expense than many schools can afford. However, did you know you can use Google Expeditions on iPads? Well, you can! If you already have a cart of iPads in your school, you can absolutely take advantage of Google's virtual field trips using the free Expeditions app. The experience is not quite as immersive as you get with a VR headset, but your students can move the iPads around in the air to explore the scenes that you direct them to, (just like they would with the headsets), and all from the teacher's iPad. What's more, a recent update to the Expeditions app added an annotation tool for the teacher to draw on the screen to highlight areas they want students to pay closer attention to.
Wait, there's more!
So, are you feeling inspired yet? Like I said above, these are just some of my favorite tips for using iPads and Google in the classroom. Stay tuned for part 2 of this series where I will dig a little deeper and show you some more ways that you can make the most of using Google on iPads at your school.
Jonathan Wylie (@jonathanwylie)
Digital Learning Consultant, Grant Wood AEA
Digital Learning Consultant, Grant Wood AEA
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