App Classroom Management for Devices

Kids are smart.  Bottom line.  They know how to get around on all kinds of devices, even if it's their first time.  One thing that I have learned is that they want to be on all the apps, all at once.  Including the apps that all they do is draw or color or just be on the camera to take selfies.   

I tried different ways of managing what apps they were able to get on during morning arrival and after activities have been completed (depending on the subject we are currently working in).  But as all teachers know, some students are audio learners and most are visual learners.  Therefore, just saying "you can get on ___," did not work as well as you think it could. I finally had a couple of my parent volunteers make an iPad Poster with velcro and printed out pictures (on card stock then laminated) of all the apps that we have available on our iPads. I change out the apps based on what we are learning or doing in class each day.  The students then do not argue with me because the poster says exactly what they can be on. Score.  The kids love it because eventually it became yet another responsibility of my classroom helper.