One of our problems when using mobile technologies is that most of us have “polluted” our iPads with many apps that we don’t even use.

Sometimes we buy an app and it doesn’t really do what we thought it was supposed to do or we can’t really figure out what it is supposed to do!

We all know that there are plenty of apps in the App Store!

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• An app to play a game
• An app to create some flashcards
• Book apps
• Writing apps

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Oftentimes, we try to organize our multitude of apps into logical categories or folders but that can be confusing too, because sometimes we use an app for more than one kind of thing – so we are faced with asking ourselves, “So which folder should I put it in?”

The Solution?
We need to access all app activities in ONE PLACE – in a SYSTEM of instruction, in a system that connects one lesson to the next so we do not provide stand-alone instruction in a vacuum.

This way our learners understand how each lesson connects to the next one, and the previous one.

Bottomline: We need to have a system of instruction in one place that connects one lesson to the next so that we do not provide stand-alone instruction in a vacuum.

This system is called the iPACT Research-Based App System which is founded on the research-based teaching framework called T.H.E. P.A.C.T.

The iPACT offers a starter set of 211 instructional templates – aligned to the Common Core Standards in the areas of LANGUAGE, READING, WRITING, SPEAKING and LISTENING. These vital four components are the four modules of T.H.E. P.A.C.T., which are Learn About, Read About, Write About, and Talk About.

The iPACT is designed in a way to differentiate instruction for diverse learners of any age – authoring instructional templates at different levels of representation and complexity.

This system of instruction will grow and grow with various in-app purchases so you can customize your system overtime.

And, what’s unique about the iPACT App System is that you find everything in ONE PLACE.

This greatly helps our instructors and anchors our learners.

Bottomline: The iPACT App System offers instructional templates for diverse learners that can be customized overtime in ONE PLACE.

Now another problem that we have with many of the apps we tried to use on our iPad is that we are not quite sure how the iPad activity links to the standards or learning objectives we need to teach in our classrooms, learning centers or work settings. Meaning, why are we doing this app activity.

The solution is to have alignment to the standards directly in the app itself, like in the iPACT. So it leaves no questions as to why we are doing what we are doing with our learners. Then we often have trouble even figuring out what the app activity is.

Or what it can offer us as instructors along with our learners. Meaning what is this activity? The solution is to have detailed explanations as outlined in the iPACT available in each app activity so we know what the activity is and what features are available to us in the app activity.

And we also need to know how to use the activity in a way that offers learning objectives or lesson plan goals not just using an app activity for the sake of using an iPad to keep kids or adults busy or entertained. Rather we need to know how this app activity fits into our instruction in a way that’s measurable, “learning with purpose”, I call it.

The solution is to have a resource bank of learning objectives and sample lesson plan goals for each app activity as seen here in the iPACT App System, so that we have teaching guidelines that serve as a compass for our app instruction.

The iPACT App System offers you all of these and more in 217 instructional templates systematically aligned to the Common Core Standards to teach vocabulary in the Learn About module, build comprehension of informational text and literature in the Read About module, access brainstorming and composing writing activities in the Write About module and support and enhance more formal speaking skills in the Talk About module.

Bottomline: The iPACT App System has a resource bank of learning objectives and teaching guidelines for the app instruction that are aligned to the Common Core Standards.

The iPACT App System gives you the WHAT, WHY and HOW of UDL instruction so that you can reach and teach each learner of any ability.