Teachers Tout IPad In The ClassRoom By Glenn Letham Expert Author Article Date: 2012-01-06 Some good news for you parents who decided to drop an iPad2 under the Christmas Tree this past holiday season as research out of Wake Forest University is showing that a single iPad can make a huge difference in the classroom. One has to also think that parents may indeed want to take up a collection fund at the start of each year and outfit their child's class with their own, dedicated iPad. Imagine, a class of 25 kids could have one with a small donation of just $20 per child/family - heck, why not? The government may not invest in education but that doesn't mean that us parents have to also! Interesting to see that some of the top learning apps for iPad in the classroom are Geography / Geo apps! Some of the research findings show: just one iPad allowed teachers to design creative lesson plans tailored to individual learners. For those having troubles focusing on reading, when the teacher showed the student how to download books on the iPad, he read with focus for 20 minutes each morning!  Teachers have commented that "Tracking student growth through apps, pictures and videos became more efficient for me and more interesting for the children. Using the iPad in class started as a luxury, but quickly became a normal part of their learning process" Top 10 apps for use with elementary-school students:  Google Earth: (all ages) Take a virtual field trip to anywhere through this app that uses global satellite and aerial imagery with a swipe of a finger.  DoodleBuddy: (all ages) Students and teachers can use this across all content areas as a whiteboard equivalent to paint, draw, sketch and write.  Story Buddy: (K-2nd) This app allows kids to create, read and share stories that they create with the iPad.  Stack the States: (2nd-6th) An animated, game-based way to learn state locations, capitals, shapes, abbreviations and nicknames.  Geocaching: (3rd-6th) In this global treasure hunting game, participants hide and seek containers, called geocaches, outdoors and then share their adventures online.  Numberland HD: (PK-1st) Twin heroes teach numbers using the Montessori Method.  Corkulous: (2nd - 6th) This app allows students to collect, organize and share ideas through notes, labels and photos.  iThoughtsHD: (3rd-6th) This mind-mapping tool can be used to sequence ideas, write mind-maps, organize thinking and assess interrelatedness.  Coin Math: (K-3rd) Students learn both sides of a coin, how to add them and how to pay for something with the correct coins.  StarFall ABC's: (PK-1st) Students learn to recognize letters and develop skills as they begin to learn to read. Comments About the Author: Anything Geospatial: Tracking developments affecting GIS, geospatial technologies, location-based services, mapping, google earth and google maps. Published by the creator and editor of GISuser.com & LBSzone.com