iPad Algebra I Textbook

This year, Houghton Mifflin Hourcourt is piloting an Algebra I iPad textbook in select California public school classrooms.

The e-book, called the HMH Fuse: Algebra I, is more than just a pdf of the paper textbook. The e-book contains self-tests where students get feedback on how well they understand a section, videos where a nerdy-looking teacher figure explains concepts, and demonstrations where students can see how changing the m in y=mx + b affects the graph of the line. Here is a video that shows how the textbook works.

I will be interested to see the outcomes of this pilot project. How will the student learning with the e-books compare to the student learning with the regular textbooks?

Regardless of the outcome of this particular experiment, I do believe that this is the way that all textbooks will be going very soon.

iPad as a reader

While it is probably the simplest way to use the iPad in the classroom, today I used the iPad as a reader. We needed to review some trigonometry in my calculus classes, and our textbook does not have a good trig review. So, I found a great pdf file online that I linked from my website. Students were then able to access the 17 - page pdf (which had great pictures and examples) without my needed to print and copy all of those pages!

Students enjoyed being able to zoom in on different parts of the pdf. And the best part: students were focused on the lesson, not distracted by having the internet and iPad applications in front of them!