Part 1 How my family use our iPad

Learning starts at home. My family and I have been adjusting to our new iPad, 6 weeks ownership to date. This blog post sets out how we have been using it so far. The next post will outline lessons I think I have learnt from my family for using the iPad with my class. Finally a post on what really happens when the iPad meets my class.

Father 43 (Me)
Teacher and Tech Geek. Buys anything with a plug according to his wife.
Uses it for casual surfing of the Internet for information, especially if in a hurry. It has replaced the Mac laptop which had that role up until the iPad purchase. Uses Twitteriffic and Flipboard to access Twitter. Pressreader to access Newspaper.




Downloaded a smattering of games but none have engaged him for long.

Mother 29 (again)
A social user of the web, email, Facebook, shopping and celebrity gossip.
Uses the iPad to read the Guardian using Pressreader. Will occasionally check email if the Mac laptop is being used. Will not use the iPad to shop on the Internet as She finds it takes longer and the screen is smaller.

Son 4
Uses the iPad independently and with Dad. He requires far less help when using the iPad than using Windows 7 as his mouse control is still developing. When choosing what to use his favourite apps are. Whit Woo, this upscale from the iPhone filters appropriate You Tube content. He loves Disney songs and vehicle videos at the moment.




He will also choose to use Find Me. Another upscale from the iPhone which asks him to choose a picture from a wide range of pictures.




He will also choose to use a range of singing stories such as The Wheels on the Bus, Gingerbread Man and the Three Little Piggies. Some of these allow you to colour in the pictures as you listen to the story although both children stop singing to colour in.







If He is using the iPad with His father He will listen to a talking book, although He often loses interest half way through. He loves using Drawing Pad to create simple pictures.




Drawings are then uploaded to the family open Blogger account via the email transfer. He likes seeing these online as the website is a link on his page. Other family members will often talk to him on the phone about what is on his blog which adds value to his work.




Daughter 2
She loves using the iPad and has a range of educational games she enjoys. At the moment her favourite App is Lunchbox which is a basic counting, colour matching and simple puzzle program.




She also enjoys Animal Matching which is a memory game with sounds. The lions roar and sheep baa.




Family Management
As the iPad doesn't have different user logons we have two pages of Apps that the children can use independently. This is fine at the moment but will be inadequate for older children. I suspect that in future they will have their own devices.

In my next blog post I intend to look at the lessons I have learn't from family use and how these might impact on using an iPad in my Junior year 3 class.

I would love to hear of any other family or class iPad experiences with children.

Kids apps pages







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