The iPad.
Ok, I just got finished lavishing love on my papery books, those things I can beat to hell and spill coffee on and dog-ear and love to pieces for very little investment and only a little obsessional fetishizing. And now there’s the iPad. (Shaking fist to heavens, “Damn you, Apple!”)
This article is a response to two of my own articles. The first questioned the use of iPods or iPhones in the classroom or as tools for education. The second questioned the use of ebook readers as replacements for books, or technology as a replacement for the good, warm smell of a pile of old paper and pencil shavings. And now there’s the iPad. (More fist-shaking.)
I’ve been reading all the hype and heated debate since Steve Jobs’s (two “s”s or just one?) announcement of the larger, faster, more Applicious device. Will it be useful? Who will want one of these things? Where is the USB port? Is Apple trying to take over my life? Lots of questions, lots of opinions. Here is mine: whatever else, this thing will be awesome in the classroom.
I happen to be lucky enough to be a part of a school that uses lots of technology, and we are able to afford laptops in the classrooms. Not every kid has one, but teachers can roll them in on carts should they feel the need. Students spend a small but very real amount of time managing remote drives, logging in or out of the intranet, waiting for wireless signals or even verbally encouraging Windows XP to move faster, already. It’s lunch time! “Laptop schools” are few and far between. We are not one, for a few reasons, I’m sure. I am not an expert, nor do I have any data to support my next claim, but I will make it anyway: being a laptop school is very expensive. It’s expensive for the school, it’s expensive for families (should they need to purchase the equipment for the students), and it takes up valuable time in class dealing with the complexities of Windows (or even, forgive me Steve, OS X). Current so-called “tablet PCs” are delicate and quirky and not useful enough and too expensive.
From that standpoint alone, the iPad seems like a winner for schools. Here is a functioning computer/ebook reader/internet device that can do pretty much what you need it to short of any kind of serious video or sound editing. From what I can see, high school and middle school students spend most of their time word-processing in some form. Texts, IMs, Facebook, email, internet. In the classroom that’s mainly what they do, as well: word-process. Sometimes there is an assignment to create a visual presentation or work with spreadsheets. Oh, and Apple is going to sell a Padified version of iWork on the App Store. School use, check.
Educational apps are around the corner, there is no doubt in my mind. Good ones, too, not just flash card programs. Apps that help students record data in science labs, that let them collaborate on text files, that have interactive comics that talk to them in Mandarin, that keep their assignments for them and pop up little reminders about this or that, that store their notes and their thoughts and their little rantings and ravings. And that’s just the moody high school kids. Essentially, the iPad is a device that can be what people want it to be, it’s tactile so kids will love it, it’s made by Apple so it will be free from major glitches (I know, I know, but for the most part, it’s true), and most importantly, it’s cheap. Relatively. For the cost of a single “tablet PC” in a place like Malaysia or Cairo, you could pick up four or five of these. That’s huge.
“Tablet schools” are the new laptop schools, and they are imminent. In my earlier article, I was mainly skeptical about student’s use of the iPod touch simply because it is so small and lame when it comes to word-processing or speedy web browsing or any kind of cool document creation (like presentations). My opinion is now obsolete.
And I can imagine a text book looking fantastic on that screen. I hope it won’t replace books entirely, because as a carnal lover of books I would want kids to learn how to write in their books, but it is a giant leap in the right technological direction. Tech directors everywhere, lower your up-turned noses and look into this.
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I couldn’t agree with you more. Everyone is bashing this thing because it doesn’t have flash, or multitasking, or a webcam…but guess what, it’s not used for that reason!
It’s a way to access quick media and write easy documents to print out. And hey, perhaps in the future kids will all get an iPad and just swipe their work from it to the teacher’s iPad. It could work.
If all those people who bash the iPad want all those features, well, then don’t get an iPad! It’s not meant to be a laptop! Go get a Macbook and leave the iPad to do what it does: begin the [good] tablet industry for education and personal use…not business use (though I could see it happen sooner or later…)
Very Interesting article. I have been watching the entire hula over the IPad on line since early yesterday. I think people are missing the point of this device.
Your ideas about education and other possible uses for this item are spot on.
I think that people aren’t being fair to either Steve Jobs or the IPad itself by rushing to judge something thats been barely announced, mush less released.
The only real judge will be the end users who buy this and find many ways to use this we haven’t even thought of yet.
You can my ideas on Tech on media at my blog;
http://kennethlawson.blogspot.com/
I am not an educator or a proponent of apple technology but I am 100% facinated by the iPad and it’s uses outside the view of a hardcore tech crowd. All great breakthroughs in technology adoption are rarely related to hardware specs and generally are irrellavent to the target audience. The iPad has such a large developer community thanks to Apples iTunes/App store model and this paired with the extremely small learning curve of the iPhone OS equals the recipe for great potential. Many people (I’m assuming educators fall into this group) don’t have the time or interest to learn the inner workings of new technology, it just needs to do something useful like save time or improve on the old. With nearly no time needed to teach the basic operations of using an iPad/iPhone the masses that were not sold on leveraging technology in new ways will have less resitance. If these same people can then apply their knowledge and experience to these communities (ie students) by means of technology, the potential becomes mind boggling.
I couldn’t care less about the specs or features lacking in an iPad but what it will do on a growing user population and the economic potential it brings to developers is VERY, VERY, exciting.
Cheers.
One of the more thoughtful posts I’ve read on this topic. Thank you. I share your excitement and will be following the use of this carefully.
Doug
Oh, I think most English teachers would now recommend two s’s as the possessive form of a noun that ends in s.
I’m a college professor and the iPad will revolutionize the way I teach my classes. I take a laptop to class, very heavy. I take books to class, very heavy. I take a notes to class…not so much heavy bt considering everything else in my briefcase it adds up.
One product that I can carry in class and read notes from, moving around the room rather than staying at the podium. I can use it for attendance, grades, notes, and internet.
If you are on board with technology in the classroom and your school has the budget which way do you go? iPad is making the waves but what about Kindle dx?
iPad or Kindle dx: Which is better for education?
http://www.pcworld.com/article/188239/apple_ipad_vs_kindle_dx_which_is_better_for_education.html
In my mind, there is no comparison. The Kindle DX (or the vanilla Kindle 2, for that matter) does what it does very well, but its limitations are embedded in its design. Kindle is not a do-all gadget. It displays text beautifully. It is for long-form reading, where eye strain is an issue. The keyboard on the bottom is a joke when it comes to annotation. The internet built in is a kind of afterthought. The iPad, on the other hand, promises to be fully tactile in a way that the Kindle is definitely not, it is (hyperbole alert) INFINITELY flexible with regards to what it displays on screen: video, full color, multi-touch, etc. The keyboard alone trumps the Kindle, even though it isn’t built for heavy typing loads. But for kids to be able to explore multi-media textbooks, download ebooks, manage their calendars and assignments, keep in touch with friends (social networking is cool and in some cases, useful), and take a break and have a little fun (everyone needs down-time), plus anything else the developers can dream up… It just doesn’t seem like a fair comparison, when it comes down to it. Don’t you think?
The iPad will be a force to reckon with in the world of education. I have written a couple of post on my blog about the iPad and it’s impact on education. You can read them at http://www.edutechnophobia.com/. The most popular post I have describes six things the iPad will change. It can be read at http://www.edutechnophobia.com/2010/02/six-ways-the-ipad-will-transform-education/.
I couldn’t agree more…I am most intrigued on the education apps that have yet to be developed and you touched on it. We need apps that will enhance the learning environment and that will be solid tools for the classroom. These tools (apps) used on the iPad will rewvolutionalize the classroom. I showed my fourth graders and we talked about the possibilities. Just in the 15 minute brain storming they were able to come up with some good ideas that they would like to see. Its going to be exciting to see what comes o the iPad in the classroom.
Anyone interested in the iPad and its impact on education should check out my blog dedicated to the topic: http://www.ipadintheclassroom.com
Schools purchasing the iPad will be great for Apple. Unfortunately schools have enough problems that they deal with (not having to do with learning or teaching the kids) that there isn’t enough resources or incentive to commit to implementing the use of the iPad across the entire school. The iPad is a somewhat great device for reading and games but a waste of money because the cost to service them when they break (and they will when you’ve got to be rushing to classes) would be astronomical if the school loans them to students. With what limited budget schools have and the inevitable breakdowns that will occur, is it smart to invest thousands in an iPad?
Just sent this e-mail to our ICT Co. I am definitely FOR ipads in the Primary school.
Good reasons to bid for ipads instead of netbooks.
1 They have a 9 hour battery life, so will last all day. No need for loads of cable. (Unless the netbooks are top of the range, the battery life is poor – and how would we keep them charged in the day?)
2. No keyboards to get full of germs, just a quick wipe with an anti bacterial wipe and they are lovely and shiney again. A couple of key boards could be bought should we need them for SEN
3. The screens are large to share with a talking partner, during collaborative work.
4. Movie clips are crystal clear and run smoothly
5. If we had GPS model (at an extra cost) they would be amazing for geography field trips – Ask to see it working on my iphone – amazing!
6. No more wasted expense on class novels that, as my Kensuke’s kingdom, which are now tatty and unreadable. Just a quick download and we have them. Many many classic books are free! Every word has a dictionary defination when you click on it
7. The new pages software is beautifully simple – a million times better than publisher.
8. Think of all the new and amazing children’s Aps available and those that are yet to be produced in the next few years. Ask Nikki to show you the ones she has for her kids on the iphone.
9. Daily newspaper updates for free (ask Nikki to show you again)
10. WE can download for free as many ‘coffee break French, spanish etc’ programmes as we like using the ipod function from itunes. There are also loads of free education movies for the curriculum.
11. They will fit easily into trays (in protective covers of course)
12. Imagine bbc iplayer’s planet earth and News reports as they happen straight to the children’s desk. Horrible Histories – as a reward LOL (head phones of course!)
What do you think? Any more ideas?
P.S just seen a fab You tube clip of a kid playing a piano on it!
Sue x x
That’s a great list, thanks for sharing, Sue. I think some of those reasons apply to the high school realm as well. The challenge in the high school or the middle school is the ability of the machine to handle text input. I suppose BT keyboards are simple enough solutions. I think it is also important to see that the iPad is becoming a machine for content creation as well as content delivery. To strengthen those two aspects of the platform simultaneously would be ideal. I’d love to see a 1-to-1 iPad situation. People are trying it out in various places, we’ll just have to wait and see.
Found this link by Pearson Education UK. You might find it interesting!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Kgqdu_0S84
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