While there's currently no version of Microsoft Office for iPad, a young software firm, hopTo Inc., is providing iPad users with a convenient workaround.
hopTo allows users to create, open and edit Office documents on the iPad before saving them to the cloud. The current version supports both Word and Excel files, with PowerPoint slated for an upcoming update. CNet's Lance Whitney has put the app through its paces, and his findings are positive.
"You can access files and documents from Dropbox, Box and Google Drive. A representative for hopTo told me the company plans to add support for Microsoft SkyDrive in the near future. You also can retrieve files from your local computer by installing a File Connector program. For now, the program works only on Windows PCs, but hopTo said that Mac support is coming soon."
While the app's performance is garnering positive reviews, its most valuable feature may be its price. hopTo is currently available in The App store for free.
I found this recent news story of interest and wanted to share. Perhaps, it might be a writing prompt for your students.
Imagine reaching the summit of Mount Everest. Now, imagine reaching it TWICE in one week. Anshu Jamsenpa, of India, set a new women’s record for a double ascent of Mount Everest in one season. Even more amazing, this is the FIFTH accent of Mount Everest by Jamsenpa! At 29,028 feet, some say it is now 29,035, Mount Everest stands about 5 1/2 miles above...
It’s no secret that social studies regularly takes a back seat to other academic subjects. If teachers are honest, they will admit that they struggle to find time to teach social studies, and if they do, it’s crammed into the last minutes of the day, or perhaps creatively combined with other lessons.
What if there was another way to approach social studies? What if there was model that could provide students with meaningful, relevant social studies instruction, while at the same time...

UCLA’s 2015 survey of US students found that “interest in political and civic engagement has reached the highest levels since the study began 50 years ago....

In a technology driven, infinitely connected world, the roles of teachers and parents in the learning process are changing. Good communication is arguably more important than ever before. A teacher-parent relationship that’s in sync is the best way to create a positive experience and learning environment for each student. So how do...

“The more that financial education initiatives are developed, both in and outside of school, the more important it is for governments and other stakeholders to evaluate and prioritize such initiatives and to scale and spread good practice.” — Andreas Schleicher
To thrive in today’s innovation-driven economy,...
As summer vacation nears, principals begin scrambling to fill teaching positions. College graduates start sending out resumes and trying to interview for jobs. Working with final interns (last semester of the program), I have begun to explore how to help these aspiring teachers land a job, preferably at a school of choice. Part of this process (we also work on crafting a resume), involves successful interviewing. To gather information on the topic, I started asking principals to speak to my...

“Like many things with parenting, it’s a near-impossible job description, but most of us do our best with it (and beat ourselves up if we get it wrong).” — Justine Roberts
“Parenting is probably the most important job most of us will ever do,” says Justine Roberts, Founder and CEO of Mumsnet....
Flag Day is coming, a day to honor the flag of the United States. Flag Day is June 14th.
“Memorable learning is the consequence of creative teaching, and creative teaching embraces the arts. If you are fortunate, you had a few creative teachers—ones like those who challenge students to write long division raps, choreograph geometry dances, perform World War II radio commercials, and paint literary quotes on ceiling tiles.”
(From: Creating Meaning Through Literature and the Arts)
As a teacher, picture how you...
While I shared his tale during a few presentations, I never committed the story of “Joe” to writing. I feel his story can inspire and perhaps encourage adults (teachers, parents, coaches) to help young people reach their potential by setting up the proper conditions. Gifted students, for instance, often spend half the school day or more learning curriculum they already know―hardly the conditions for excellence to blossom. In Joe’s case, he knew the curriculum (as evidenced by...