iPad English

How to capture a screenshot of your iPad

I use a lot of images in my PowerPoint presentations and have a wonderful program called SnagIt installed on my PC which enables me to capture all or part of what's on my computer screen. (Of course, if you don't have a screen capture tool, you can always press the PrintScreen key to send a copy of your entire screen to the clipboard, and then edit it with Paint, for example).

Unfortunately, there's no SnagIt app for the iPad, but it is possible to capture whatever's on your iPad screen. Just press the Power (or sleep/wake) button at the top right of the iPad app and the Home button at the same time for a second or so (see image above). The screen will flash white for a moment and you will hear the camera shutter sound. The resulting screenshot can be found in your Camera Roll album in the iPad's built-in Photos app. You can use Photos' Edit function to crop, rotate or enhance your image. For more advanced photo editing work, you'll need a third-party app, such as Photogene or Snapseed.

EXTRA TIP
Use the free Skitch for iPad app to add arrows, shapes and text to your images.

Defining Words with the iPad's Built-In Dictionary

If you're a learner or teacher of English, you've probably installed one or more dictionary apps on your iPad. But did you know that the iPad has its own built-in dictionary? Just touch and hold any word you want to look up and select 'Define'. A box will appear with a definition and other information about the word (part of speech, pronunciation, derivatives, and origin. This works with any text which is not in image form, including emails, web pages and articles (but not The Times newspaper app). And if you're reading a book with iBooks, you also get the option to search the web or search Wikipedia.

COMMENT
The built-in dictionary is really excellent—and it's a lot more practical than opening a stand-alone dictionary app (some of which require an Internet connection!) to find the meaning of a word. The only thing you don't get is the audio pronun,ciation. For that you will need an app such as Dictionary.com.

Connecting Your iPad to a Video Projector

If you're a teacher and are lucky enough to have a video projector in your classroom, you can use your iPad to show apps or other content to the whole class. However, you will need an Apple VGA adapter (29 euros but well worth it!) This video shows how simple the procedure is.

COMMENT
I've only had my iPad for a few weeks but have already discovered all sorts of potential uses in the classroom. This morning I used the Titanic Trivia app for a class quiz with my students. Check out the links below for more ideas.

ALSO SEE
• 5 Awesome Things You Can Do With an IPad and an LCD Projector (Classroom in the Cloud)
• Air Sketch – iPad to Projector – Wirelessly (The Masterplan)