When Steve Jobs introduced the world to the iPad, it was a marvel that had the potential to make big change.

It was visually stunning. It was tactile. It shortened some work from minutes to seconds.

The iPad’s possibilities in education were seen quickly and have developed over time.

It’s easy to say that tech is just a tool, but if we don’t seek how we can leverage its potential, we’re shortchanging our students.

In our weekly half-hour #DitchBook chat (10 p.m. Eastern, 9 p.m. Central, 8 p.m. Mountain, 7 p.m. Pacific), we recently discussed how we can “Ditch That Textbook” with the iPad.

A Storify summary of all the tweets is available here, but here are 20 ideas that stuck out to me most:

@Ajarn_Adam It’s cool, still prefer @MioGlobal Alpha for Heart Rate…best I’ve used hands down! #ditchbook#healthed#edtech

— Lundgren Health (@LundgrenHealth) September 18, 2015

1. Heart rate tracking — PE and health classes aren’t exempt from solid tech integration! Students can track their heart rates while they exercise using these heart rate monitors OR for free with the Instant Heart Rate app and a smartphone camera!

@peerlessgreen I love @puppet for multiple images with voice and @Seesaw for capturing single entries in a learning journal #ditchbook — Angela Gadtke (@MrsGadtke) September 18, 2015

2. Log your learning — Seesaw is a digital portfolio app that lets students document and share what they’ve learned. Angela mentions using the Shadow Puppet app to pair video.

A3 We used the video camera on our ipad to video Ss talking about tech at school. Linked to QR codes. #ditchbook pic.twitter.com/ziMjsZfRDj

— Karly Moura (@KarlyMoura) September 18, 2015

3. Link up videos with QR codes — QR codes are ideal for linking students with iPads to anything on the web. When students talk about what they’re learning on video, a picture and QR code on the wall turns learning into an interactive multimedia journey.

I use plickers a lot. Great for RtI and exit understanding. #ditchbook — Tonya Cargill (@mrscargill1129) September 18, 2015

4. Visual formative assessment — Get quick feedback from students even if they don’t each have iPads in front of them. Print cards with codes from Plickers and give them to each student. Students hold the cards up, and a teacher scans them from the front of the room with a smartphone or tablet. Plickers gives instant results.

A4: Love me some missions and minecraft!!! https://t.co/uzJYemKJuL #ditchbook

— Coach Ben (@cogswell_ben) September 18, 2015

5. Play in the virtual sandbox — Many students use Minecraft at home or with friends to build virtual worlds. Let that world and your academic content collide by encouraging them to create in connection to what they’re studying in class! 

A4 use thinglink with vocabulary tailor vocab to students. #ditchbook — Trever Reeh (@treverreeh) September 18, 2015

Love pic collage! #ditchbook We use it with @RemindHQ to send collages of pics to parents https://t.co/jVxcic49Dq

— Craig Yen (@craigyen) September 18, 2015

6. Quick photo newsletters/updates — Remind lets teachers send text messages safely and securely to parents and students. Pic Collage lets users create photo collages from their devices. Put them together and parents get a very clear image of the awesome happening in class!

Here are some notes from #cuerockstar Petaluma from @edcampOSjr session w/ media app smashing https://t.co/hvDaGNR4l4#ditchbook — Craig Yen (@craigyen) September 18, 2015

7. Smash some apps — Apps on the iPad don’t have to be used in isolation. In fact, when one app is used to make another app more versatile, you’re app smashing. The previous idea with Remind and Pic Collage is a perfect example. See more examples in this shared Google Doc.

.@TouchCast is an awesome iPad app for student creation #ditchbook

— Craig Yen (@craigyen) September 18, 2015

8. Interactive video shows — Speaking of smashing, TouchCast mashes up video and links to the web. Ever seen those images that TV news programs overlay next to the news anchor’s head? TouchCast lets students make interactive versions of those in their videos.

A3: Ss take pix of our anchor charts and compile then in @BookCreatorApp. Anchor charts at your fingertips when needed! #ditchbook — Lori Kutilek (@LoriKutilek) September 18, 2015

9. Quick reference books — Book Creator for iPad lets students easily create their own digital books. When they take pictures or notes and add them to an ebook, they’re making their own reference materials — no book publisher necessary!

A4 One of my favs! Used @DoInkTweets app with kinders then 3rd grade buddies added text on google slides! #ditchbookpic.twitter.com/O1LsAGConY

— Karly Moura (@KarlyMoura) September 18, 2015

10. Green screen mania — When students record video with a green background, the Green Screen app by Do Ink lets them replace it with practically any backdrop. Put them on the moon, in a TV show or more!

A3: Use your camera with @ReflectorApp to turn your ipad into a doc camera!!! #ditchbook — Coach Ben (@cogswell_ben) September 18, 2015

11. iPad document camera — Show students what you see through your iPad camera on a projector screen. Reflector mirrors what’s on your iPad to a computer. When you use your iPad camera and mirror it to your projector, students see what’s coming through the camera. Instant document camera!

Love that the iPad can capture my Ss voices and stories even if they are pre-writers. They are still authors, news reporters… #ditchbook

— Angela Gadtke (@MrsGadtke) September 18, 2015

12. Young news reporters — Even the youngest students want to have a voice and a say in class. Even the simplest videos taken on an iPad can turn students young and old into video journalists.

Hey, noone has said anything about StopMotion yet #ditchbook https://t.co/69mpgKOssY

— Craig Yen (@craigyen) September 18, 2015

13. Stop motion video — Remember children’s shows like Gumby or Wallace and Grommit? They used stop motion animation — positioning items, taking a picture, moving them slightly and taking another picture, over and over. This technology is readily available and easy to do with the iPad! The Lego Movie Maker app is one tool.

Here are some ideas http://t.co/aYqsBKFfcT from @EdTechTV#ditchbookhttps://t.co/eW9jeLSHPl — Craig Yen (@craigyen) September 18, 2015

14. Adobe Voice — Video. Animated transitions. Voice overs. There’s a lot students can create with Adobe Voice. This post by EdTech TV offers some ideas. 

@KarlyMoura http://t.co/EVzbeh22pW here’s a iMovie trailer my first graders created retelling their fav Eric Carle story #ditchbook

— Amanda Young (@ajyoung53) September 18, 2015

15. Video book trailers — We love watching previews of our favorite movies in movie trailers. Why not let students create similar videos about their favorite books? The iMovie app gives students plenty of pre-designed tools to make it a reality. Here’s an example via Karly Moura.

My Ss love QR code scavenger hunts from http://t.co/uPTzvGWV8Zhttp://t.co/LUznMi7q6g#DitchBook — Matt Miller (@jmattmiller) September 18, 2015

16. QR code scavenger hunts — Scavenger hunts are fun by themselves. Add QR codes that display info, links and clues and it’s a brand new experience. ClassTools.net has a free QR code scavenger hunt tool that makes creating them a breeze.

The best of both worlds! #GAFE on the #iPad webinar by @ShakeUpLearning! https://t.co/C7PqYs3a1r #ditchbook

— Karly Moura (@KarlyMoura) September 18, 2015

17. Google + iPad = Excellence — The corporations of Google and Apple may not be best friends, but their products make lots of innovative learning possible. Kasey Bell of Shake Up Learning delivered this virtual presentation at the Education on Air online conference. (See if you recognize her assistant in the video!)

I use the camera the most. One project using camera and Geogebra is clinometers to find angle of elev.. #ditchbook https://t.co/pPnGEdulG7

— Mandi Tolen (@TTmomTT) September 18, 2015

18. Visual mathematics — Use images and the Geogebra app to measure and determine angles. Connect geometry concepts with students’ real lives!

Silly but Chatpix all the time for instruction and warm-ups. I use their favorites! Nothing like having Taylor swift get us going #ditchbook — Tonya Cargill (@mrscargill1129) September 18, 2015

19. Silly talking pictures — Chatterpix Kids lets you take a picture and identify where the mouth is in the picture. Then the picture talks with the words you provide.

Yogile is a fun tool for creating a photo gallery of student work. #ditchbook

— Jared Covili (@covili) September 18, 2015

20. Easy photo collections — Often, simplicity is best. Yogile lets anyone upload images to an album and then share the album. Albums give users a quick glance at all images. User accounts aren’t even necessary, although albums created without an account only live for 14 days.

[reminder]What apps did we miss? What ideas have worked for you?[/reminder]

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