Thing 3 - iWork suite

Linking together effective productivity tools, the iPad, and literacy content is crucial when time is limited and content expectations are packed. After exploring the various tools I would plan to utilize Keynote .

Lesson objective: Students will conduct an author study and present their research using Keynote. Students will focus presentation on author's style, published work, and related works. 

Using Keynote offers a great amount of flexibility for the student. The application is already available on the iPad where they will be doing the majority of research. The intuitive nature of Keynote, the available templates, and ease of use make it a great fit for students. They can then focus on the content and information and less on format. 

I would plan on students posting this in the eChalk homework Dropbox after saving as a Microsoft presentation. This would allow for me to efficiently score using a rubric provided during the research process. Additionally I could provide email comments in a more timely manner. Students would also add the presentation to their Google Docs portfolio allowing student reflection at end of year. Allowing the different formats to be saved would allow them to make changes if needed regardless of their access to PC or iPad. 

Each tool has potential, but I enjoy the clean, professional product that results from Keynote. I find it very easy to use and really lets your content shine.