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iPads in the Classroom



Introduction: As new technologies enter the marketplace, many are tested in the classroom to see if they improve the learning of students or make the teachers job a bit more streamlined. But, even today, technology like personal computers are sometimes only used to type papers and keep track of grades. In order to use a technology to its fullest extent, it should add to the classroom in a new way and allow the students and teachers to do things that they couldn’t do before. Does Apple’s new iPad allow for new innovation in the classroom, or is it just “cool”?

Specifications: The iPad is 0.5 inch thin and weighs only 1.5 pounds. It has a 9.7 inch backlit screen that can be viewed from 178⁰. It has a touch screen and up to 10 hours of battery life. The iPad comes with built in wi-fi, but can come with optional 3G. You can connect it to a full keyboard, projector, or TV by purchasing additional adapters. (2011)

Advantages:

Elementary Education The advantage is the paperless world that is evolving around us every day. A student can replace 30 pounds of paper with 1 ½ pounds of computer. Never again would a child be able to say I forgot my book at school. The advantages of safe and responsible use of an I-Pad for students start with speed and completeness of communication. An example would be on assignments. A student does his assignment on the I-Pad. The parent is copied on everything that the student does allowing for a much more detailed interaction of the parent in the educational process. The parent has the assignment and the due date enabling them to review with the child when and what is being turned in.

Another advantage is that the parent has the assignment and the due date enabling them to review with the child when and what is being turned in. The parent has the ability to give immediate feed back on what will be turned in without the typical excuses that come up when asking kids for and about home work. Many times when a parent reviews with a child on a daily basis they hear that there is no home work due tomorrow or that’s not due until next week.

The parent will be equipped to deal with these replies and many more. I think that after reviewing some of what is to be turned in a parent who desires to will be able to make clear expectations for their children. The parent will also have at their finger tips the results of completed work. A simple daily 5 minute review by a parent with a child would be much more complete because it will be based the facts of grades received, assignments due and what is to be turned in, exams to take, and more. The typical way a child responds to questions of do you have any homework will be replaced with how was you day at school and lets review it together which enhances parent/child interaction.

Secondary Education There are many advantages to using an iPad in a middle school or high school. At Presidio Middle School in California, a pilot study is underway in an eighth grade algebra class. The students were given iPads, instead of textbooks. The regular textbooks were converted to ebooks by the publisher and extra features were added in such as walk through explanations for each problem. At first, the student’s grades in the class were not as good as those students in the regular textbook class, but after the teacher pointed out that the iPad was a tool and not just a “magic bullet” the test scores started to improve. Students liked the fact that they could review videos of teachers explaining each problem as many times as they needed in order to understand. Test scores are equal in the class with and without the iPads, but more important to the teacher, students who previously were not interested in math are becoming more engaged. (Barseghian, 2011)

Also, because of the portability, teachers can take them along on field trips to add to what the students are experiencing on site; or to prepare them in the bus on the way there by using the 3G option to access the internet. (Fryer, 2010) Other interesting uses include: viewing presentations on a projector, using an app like ‘eclicker’ to ask the students questions and have the answers tabulated immediately, speech to text and speech to action applications, using ‘Mobile Mouse’ to control your room’s desktop computer from anywhere in the classroom, and using ‘Idea Sketch’ to make mind maps. (The Ultimate Guide To Using iPads In The Classroom, 2010)

Disadvantages:

Elementary E ducation There may also be the advantage of learning of children’s issues that are very sad. Perhaps the kids who are having bad situations at home will communicate with teachers in a way that allow them to predict or raise a red flag at a certain type of behavior. The common form of communication of texting may be able to be interfaced to Ipads to allow parents more information on what kids are talking about.

There are certainly disadvantages to technology. There seems to be no end to way people can misuse it. It can become a very big distraction with kids texting, listening to music or surfing the web when they should be in school. There is also an issue with things being permanent so to speak. When something is written on paper in the heat of passion, anger or whatever it can be simply thrown away. Digital media allows a message or words written in haste to be broadcast to the world. This leads to regret, hurt feelings, and worse yet the issue of cyber bullying. Another thing I see as a disadvantage is the verbal communication is becoming weaker. Kids are relying more on technology instead of communicating verbally with the teacher.

Tennessee School in Knoxville has required iPad devices for all students at 4th to 12th grade. Its technology director Jim Manikais described that it is designed to allow the students to “use that technology whenever they need it”. For parents of students at the school who cannot purchase an iPad, a rental package has been put in place for $200 per academic year or $20 per month over twelve academic months. On the school’s campus, Facebook and Twitter will be blocked, and monitoring plans have already been discussed. Even though there is a high possibility that the iPads could be misused by students, they are still excellent sources for technology in education. iPad comes standard with accessibility features that help people with disabilities experience all that it has to offer.

Secondary Education The number one disadvantage to iPads is their cost. At $499 apiece, it is difficult to outfit a whole room with one for everyone. Some districts would even have difficulty providing one for each teacher, but besides the cost issue, there are other issues as well.

The iPads do not have the capability to print (unless it’s to a specially configured printer) and the interface for the touchscreen keyboard does not work well. The iPad is not meant for typing papers, but only for short blog postings and emails. Also, an iPad cannot multitask like a traditional computer. Multiple windows cannot be kept open side-by-side. For these reasons, it cannot take the place of a laptop or desktop computer. (Woyke, 2011)

The iPad makes a fair ereader, as some schools and universities have experimented with giving students iPads to use instead of purchasing textbooks. Although, overall the students liked using the iPad as an ereader, many were frustrated by the size of the screen and the difficulty in taking notes “in the book”. The notetaking application is not quite as intuitive as it could be. (Woyke, 2011)

Conclusion:

**Cassie**: I feel that the technology is on its way to becoming something that will eventually be found in all classrooms. I’m not sure it’s there yet, and the cost can be prohibitive, but I can forsee a time when the students can have all of their textbooks as ebooks and the collaborative functions of technology like the iPad become commonplace.

**Blanca**: In my opinion an iPad is a very useful piece of technology that can and is used for many purposes. It is academically used in elementary as well as secondary schools. It helps students be more prepare and gives them accessibility to the internet when needed. Even though it is expensive many schools are making it possible for students to have access to one. It is very practical and convenient to use. I would buy one for my older kids if they weren't so expensive.


 * Bibliography: **


 * (2011). Retrieved Febraury 9, 2011, from http://www.apple.com/ipad/design/ **


 * Barseghian, T. (2011, January 30). A Day in the Life of the iPad Class. Retrieved February 9, 2011, from The Huffington Post: http:www.huffingtonpost.com/tina-barseghian/ipad-class_b_815165.html **


 * Fryer, W. (2010, November). iPads in the Classroom. Retrieved February 9, 2011, from Moving at the Speed of Creativity: http://www.speedofcreativity.org/2010/11/30/ipads-in-the-classroom-by-jonathann-reed-and-sharon-parsons-cmtc10-edapp/ **


 * The Ultimate Guide To Using iPads In The Classroom. (2010, December 7). Retrieved February 9, 2011, from Edudemic: http://edudemic.com/2010/12/the-ultimate-guide-to-using-ipads-in-the-classroom/ **


 * Woyke, E. (2011, January 21). Pros And Cons Of iPads In The Classroom//. Retrieved February 8, 2011, from Forbes: http://blogs.forbes.com/elizabethwoyke/2011/01/21/pros-and-cons-of-ipads-in-the-classroom/ **