Point/Counter-Point: iPad in Education

I'd like my first blog entry to look at the role of the iPad in education. In class we examined if the iPad will revolutionize education. To set the stage I purchased an iPad 2 in March when they were first released. As a teacher I've found the iPad to be an effective teaching tool that increases student engagement, interactions, and perhaps most importantly truly starts to bring convergence of assistive technologies (AT) through Apple's universal design (UD) features and immense consumer appeal. The iPad has Apple's full suite of UD features and below is a link to a short video on the iPad in education and links to the iPads UD features.

(iPad in education) annotated by Lee Brentnell. Retrieved July 7, 2011, from http://www.apple.com/education/ipad/

Link to Apple iPad intro video:

http://www.apple.com/education/ipad/

(Apple Education Apps) Retrieved July 7, 2011 from http://www.apple.com/education/apps/

Link

http://www.apple.com/education/apps/

Universal access features of the iPad

(Universal access features of the iPad) Retrieved July 7, 2011 from http://www.apple.com/au/accessibility/ipad/

Link: http://www.apple.com/au/accessibility/ipad/

(iPad vision) Retrieved July 7, 2011 from http://www.apple.com/au/accessibility/ipad/vision.html

Link: http://www.apple.com/au/accessibility/ipad/vision.html

(iPad hearing) Retrieved July 7, 2011 from http://www.apple.com/au/accessibility/ipad/hearing.html

Link http://www.apple.com/au/accessibility/ipad/hearing.html

(iPad physical accessibility) Retrieved July 7, 2011 from http://www.apple.com/au/accessibility/ipad/physical.html

Link: http://www.apple.com/au/accessibility/ipad/physical.html

A serious issue in the use of AT by students in classroom settings that I've found is negative social stigma attached with “being” different. Many times in my teaching practice students who require AT will refuse; even to their own academic determine. As consumer products like the iPad become more powerful and take on many formerly separate electronic functions the line between consumer product and AT begins to fade. Here is an image that really drives home this point.

(Technology image) Retrieved July 7, 2011 from http://lolzombie.com/tag/80s/

I've had students who require AT use iPads (or iPhone) doing AT functions and they've become the class “expert” on the device. This is simply amazing from my perspective as a teacher. The exact same AT function that only a year earlier would have potentially made the student a classroom “outsider” in a certain fashion has made a student today into a key member of the classroom learning environment. There are many academic reasons that the iPad can and may revolutionize education, but I wanted to examine the human aspect which has impacted me professionally and personally. I've had parents contact me and break down in tears that their child enjoys school for the first time and comes home discussing what we did in class. If we as teachers can leverage the iPad in such a way, then yes the iPad will revolutionize education.

Thanks, Lee

References

(Apple Education Apps) Retrieved July 7, 2011 from http://www.apple.com/education/apps/

Apple.ca (July 7, 2011). iPad in Education. [video file] Retrieved from

http://www.apple.com/education/ipad/

(iPad in education) annotated by Lee Brentnell. Retrieved July 7, 2011, from http://www.apple.com/education/ipad/

(iPad hearing) Retrieved July 7, 2011 from http://www.apple.com/au/accessibility/ipad/hearing.html

(iPad physical accessibility) Retrieved July 7, 2011 from http://www.apple.com/au/accessibility/ipad/physical.html

(iPad vision) Retrieved July 7, 2011 from

http://www.apple.com/au/accessibility/ipad/vision.html

(Technology image) Retrieved July 7, 2011 from http://lolzombie.com/tag/80s/

(Universal access features of the iPad) Retrieved July 7, 2011 from http://www.apple.com/au/accessibility/ipad/