So I have been posting about the IPad and it's uses in the classroom. But we need to ask ourselves the most important question before getting these for the schools...
Do we really need them?
This is the question that needs to be asked by every school board before buying anything that is going to cost so much in monetary costs and time costs for set up. The school needs to find out exactly what it needs the IPad to do for the students and administration.
Students:
Do they need to read books on it?
Do they need to run the apps on the IPad?
Do they need internet access for the classroom?
What are they going to do with this IPad, besides read on it?
These questions are just the basics,, but if they are not ALL answered with the afirmative, then we need to stop ourselves and look at the answers. If the students are just going to read on them (both books and assignments from the teacher)and if the students are just going to be running basic apps, then they do not need an IPad. They can use an eReader like the Kindle Fire. It can do those things and is a LOT cheaper. This cost savings can help school boards decide on the implementation of this technology, especially in this economy.
Teachers and Adminstration:
Again, the same questions apply. What we have to take into account also is that if we keep the same technology for he students and the teachers, they can be Synched together in real time so the teacher can actively work with the whole classroom, literally staying on the same page. The adminstration really doesn't need any, because they can use the computers in their offices to do their work, since they are not actively teaching students.
So there it is. Do we really need the IPad inthe classroom, or can we use the eReader to do the same job.
Next time, we'll look at the IT department and see the cool stuff they can come up with to help the classroom that uses the IPad/eReader.
Hi Anthony,
ReplyDeleteI agree with your statement that "...we can use the eReader to do the same job." If the students are only going to be reading passages, they can use the Nook, Kindle Fire or other eReader. The iPad should be reserved for students who are doing more in-depth assignments, such as creating graphs or projects. Especially with the amount of money that the iPad costs, it is definitely appropriate to question their integration into the classroom.
Muneer
Anthony,
ReplyDeleteI recall reading an article somewhere that was all about a school that traded in their student laptop computers for iPads...and they wanted the laptops back. What does that say about the iPad? Is is just an expensive toy? An expensive educational toy?
I am not an expert on either of the two. Can one do more than the other? Or do they do the same things in different ways? Does one have more bells and whistles? In my experience, the more bells, the more things to possibly break.
I am "old school" in that I like text books. I took a class at the beginning of this program and ordered the online version of the text because it was cheaper...BIG MISTAKE for me. I need to have a paper version. I find them to be easier to finger through and search. While the e-version was easy to access from anywhere, I WISH I would have had the traditional version.
On the topic of digital storytelling from this week, I have a question that I am asking all of students in our class:
How much time should content area teachers spend teaching students how to use programs like Prezi or other digital storytelling platforms? I mean, in a time when we are given more content to cover and fewer hours/days to deliver it...can we afford to spend time showing students (those who do not understand) how to use the digital platforms? Or better yet, can we afford to NOT teach them?