Vision Underway...

            For my final vision project, I will be creating a blog focusing on iPads with a series of posts similar to what we have been doing in class.  This is something that will be ongoing that I can share with my colleagues.  I will begin by talking about why we should be using iPads in the classroom and how we can successfully implement them.  I will be focusing the majority of my blog posts on looking at apps that are versatile and can be used across a wide range of curricular areas.

          

Image taken from h3dwallpapers.com

   I am using Blogger to create this project and I’m finding that since I am familiar with it now because of this course, the program itself is easy to use.  Though I wanted to play around more with formatting and styles this time around, so I have been finding myself spending a lot of time making sure that it is visually appealing.  I also want it to be rich with content without it being overwhelming.  I am finding that there are so many apps out there that narrowing it down to specific ones I want to share is definitely a struggle.  I am 

hoping to group them together under specific purposes so that readers can decide which app is most useful for them in a specific topics area such as story telling apps. 

           

    I find with this project, I am looking to fellow colleagues to find out what apps they use and love in the classroom.  I am also considering professional development that I have attended as well as am searching online.  I want to showcase apps that I would actually use in the classroom or library that are simple enough and can be used in a variety of creative ways.  When searching, I found so many apps that were very specific to certain topics or subject areas and maybe in the future, I will focus more on specifics, but for the launch, I want readers to at least be able to find one app they may be able to implement in the classroom. 

            I am well on my way with my blog and it is coming along nicely.  Exploring these different apps is motivating me and getting me excited to share them with my staff so that when we do launch our iPads in September, we will have lots of choose from.  A big part of me is glad that we are not launching until September so that I can consider the research that I have done in terms of why we should iPads and how we can successfully implement them.  I would love to lead this launch in the fall!

Image taken from vivid apps.com

       

      I can share one app with you that I have come across that you will see in my blog.  It is called Strip Designer. Strip Designer is an app where you can create your own comic strip by either drawing your own images or using the pictures from your photo album.  You can then change up the filters for effect and add speech bubbles to really give it that comic book feel.  Strip designer provides you with over 100 templates and once you have chosen a layout that you are happy with, you can just pop your pictures in.  There are 12 different styles of speech bubbles you can choose from and once you decide you just click on it to drag it where you want and then double click to add text.  You can also add stickers which are like large sound effects for additional impact. Once you are finished, your comic story will be automatically saved once you leave the app (vividapps.com).

Here is a video tutorial showing how the app works:

Strip Designer Introduction

References: 

YouTube. "Strip Designer-- 1 Introduction". Online Video Clip. YouTube, 7

     July 2013.