iPad Rules and Other Things to Start the Year

Today marked the first "official" day back for professional development. We don't "have" to be at work but if we aren't we have to make the day up later so off I went. We spent the day catching up, learning about our district's new math units and reviewing again for the hundredth time what the common core standards are and why they are important. Between today's PD and the week long PD I attended two weeks ago about teaching math I feel more confident about teaching math this way. I was always a kid who hated math growing up and even now it is NOT my favorite subject so I have always made sure that it is one of the best parts of our day now I may even believe my excitement as well!

In an attempt to prepare for the new year in addition to the professional development meetings all this week I have been preparing for how to start my year with iPads. Will I use the same parent surveys? How will I have kids interact with the technology the first few days as we learn about each other and about our class? So many things are whirling around in my head about all of this and it seems to be keeping me up at night in anticipation. Am I the only one who feels the same anticipation as a teacher that they did as a child? New year, new adventures ahead!

One of the things that I want to be sure to explicitly teach day one is the rules for how to use and care for our iPads. I made these posters using D. J. Inkers graphics. I love them!

                           

There are 13 slides in all, these super heros are flying through the clouds in the sky above my apple tree bulletin board. You can see them at my Teachers Pay Teachers store here.  I will give the first 10 people who want them and comment below with their email addresses the posters for free. (I have no idea why this paragraph will not align left! ARGH!) I also have these posters available for chromebooks and for BYOD classes as the rest of my grade level is going to be using CBs this year in a 1:1 enviornment.  

My apple tree bulletin board is a paper tree with the kids' Apple licenses on it. They move their license to the baskets below the tree at the end of the day if they are taking their iPads home with them and they move them back to the tree when then come in in the morning if they remembered to bring their iPads back. It is a quick way to check attendance in addition to whether they remembered to bring their iPads back to school. While it would be just as quick to look around the classroom to see who is absent or who has their tablet, this makes them feel more responsible and I like that they are then in charge of taking attendance and such this way. 

Here is what the Apple license looks like: 

My kids last year loved their apples and were so happy to move them each day to indicate if they were ready for the day or not. I hope you like them too! If so, grab it here for free. 

I need to add another branch at the top of the tree and more leaves to the tree but I love how the kids love this wall. In the clouds above the tree are our iPad rules as the super heroes are flying through the year. In this photo you can see the sink to the right and the TV to the left. To the right of the sink is the college wall and the door, to the left of the TV is the library. (There is a small space under the TV and that is where I am debating whether or not to add our Dog Gone Good News wall there or not.)

So this is my classroom, I love it and I hope you think it is as wonderful as I do!