A quick guide to iPads and classroom communication

Classroom communication is very important. It allows students to build relationships with classmates and teachers, and increases their confidence.

Many dismiss iPads and similar tech because they think it stops people talking to one another, but this couldn’t be further from the truth! iPads are quickly becoming an essential tool for classroom communication, and we’re going to prove it. Take a look:

Why is classroom communication so important?

Whether it’s one-to-one or in a large group, teachers should be encouraging their students to communicate openly and honestly throughout the school day.

This will vastly improve the learning environment, and help a strong classroom community develop.

Classroom communication is vital for building self-esteem. For students, knowing they’ve been heard and their thoughts appreciated gives them a huge confidence boost. This will help them when it comes to exams, self-image and in everyday life.

It will also boost the overall performance of your class – if they’re more confident they’ll answer more questions, and won’t be afraid to ask questions if they are stuck.

Improving communication between teachers can also benefit students. By being in constant contact with each other and being able to share resources, teachers can make informed decisions about the education of individual students.

How iPads can improve classroom communication

So, improving classroom communication is a must, and we know that iPads can make learning more engaging. Why not bring the two together and see what happens?

Here are a few examples of how this interactive tech can help students communicate:

Teachers and students

iPads provide a paperless method of submitting and marking work, which also enables immediate feedback.

Instead of forgetting the homework they did in the days between submission, marking and return, they’ll find out their results straight away. This is great if students aren’t so strong in a subject, as teachers can help them almost immediately.

iPads make it much easier to hand out work, and share notes with children who were sick or absent. And, because everything’s electronic, there’s no excuse for ‘I forgot my exercise book’ – great!

These devices also facilitate anonymous/private communications between teachers and students. This allows students to raise issues that they may feel uncomfortable doing in person, e.g. bullying reports, personal questions, or for sex-ed classes.

Student-to-student

iPads can help students communicate with each other in many ways.

It’s easy to share documents with each other for group projects and answer any questions friends may have about their homework. Students that are nervous about speaking in the classroom may feel an online debate is easier to get involved with and contribute more.

You could also set up a partnership with a foreign language school to help your students learn more about life in another country and the language itself.

SEN students can use iPads to help them communicate with the rest of the class too.

However, these interactions will need to be monitored closely for improper use, such as sharing inappropriate content and online bullying.

Teachers

Teachers can easily share documents as and when needed. This is especially useful during meetings and when reviewing student behaviour. These shared files could include:

• Meeting agendas
• Lesson plans
• Emails from parents
• Behaviour reports

iPads can help centralise systems, like the register, and make teacher’s lives much easier.

They’re great devices that can be used for the whole classroom, teachers included, so why not try them?

Ask Utility Rentals how iPads can help your class communicate today!