Mobile devices in instruction, the options of iPad in pedagogical innovation

Abstract

The presentation outlines Apple’s educational policy, focusing on the following aspects of innovation: - Development of 21st century skills; - Curriculum development based on the integration of a wide range of mobile infrastructure; - Informative assessment that supports continuous development of skills and abilities through ICT-supported methodologies; - Social and emotional connection within digital culture; - Creativity and innovation as integral aspects of educational development; - 24/7 access to educational resources; The presentation will illustrate the educational model realised with the help of Apple technol-ogy, Challenge Based Learning (CBL) through an overview of results of the Apple Class-rooms of Tomorrow - Today, ACOT), an innovation project launched in 2008 and realised in hundreds of secondary schools worldwide. This model uses a learning environment based on mobile computing, just-in-time learning, self-authored textbooks by teachers produced through the iBooks Author software and projects by students planned and executed with the help of educational software applications designed for iPads. The presentation will show CBL adapted for the iPad experiment in Eger: - creation of an ACOT environment complete with 1:1 accessibility to iPads by teachers and students, collaborative tools and 7/24 accessibility to learning content; - tasks selected to foster strategic thinking; - social issues integrated in the curriculum through local and global case studies; - interdisciplinary approach to arts and science subjects; - development of 21st Century skills; - extensive use of Web 2.0 technologies for teaching and learning; - continuous documentation of the teaching and learning process through developing dis-cipline-based and interdisciplinary knowledge building communities.