01.30.10
The iPad and ed tech. My thoughts
Now it’s here. After months of speculation and rumor, Apple has finally shown us its latest creation, the iPad. Since I am in educational technology, I will look at it from that perspective first. Would I get one? Sure. I was looking to getting an iPod Touch soon because teachers should have a Touch or iPhone in their toolkit, but I think I will wait for the iPad. I like the mobility factor, web access and access to a well established app store. I am not crazy about the absence of Flash or the camera, but the benefits outweigh its short comings in my opinion.
Here are my thoughts on a few areas in education.
Labs are so 20th Century.
The golden days of putting kids in a lab with a room full of computers are over. I am sorry to tell you this principals and administrators, but they are. Frankly, there’s no time. It takes time to get kids to the lab, settled in, software up and work done, and this is if there are no hardware or software bugs to hold things up. We have to then log off, straighten up and leave the lab. Time, time, time. A one to one solution is a must if you are going to take advantage of time and true collaboration. Cost is no longer a factor. Netbooks and now the iPad have changed the excuse of cost for a one to one solution. The iPad won’t destroy the netbook market, but it does offer a very valid alternative. If it had Flash, then it might be a different story.
Everyone is looking at the textbook option as a distinct advantage of the iPad, but we need to look beyond just reading a textbook. This platform has the ability to offer a highly interactive textbook experience. Something that allows students to interact with other students within the context of the lesson within the chapter. The absence, again, of Flash may be Apple’s way of forcing ed tech software companies to develop apps which I suggested to some company reps several months ago. I know a few good supplemental web based software programs that have to have Flash to operate. The iPad gives the advantage to the netbook on this one because some companies have already altered their sites to take advantage of the small screen. We want highly interactive and engaging classroom. Kids will not stay focused on lectures and neither will adults for that matter. Combined with other interactive technologies such as IWBs (Interactive Whiteboard), one could have one the most engaging classrooms where students cannot wait to learn. Google Docs and Zoho alone make the iPad worth placing in the classroom. Zoho has an iPhone app already and you can do some cool stuff with Zoho Notebook.
School administration
I am just thinking out loud here, but mobility is perfect for the on the go school administrator. The iPad allows the mobile school administrator the freedom to process and go. Attention ed tech software developers, administrators need dashboards in the form of apps. The need to be able to pull up the current status of say, test score data. Teachscape is definitely on the right road because they will soon be releasing their classroom walkthrough app for the iPhone. This is a major plus for the mobile administrator. Classroom walkthroughs are to be quick, in an out, getting a snapshot of the learning taking place in the classroom. A team of administrators can go through their school and with a good dashboard, began to compile the data and see what is gong on in a matter of minutes. They can then sit down and perform a more in depth analysis of the data for improving instruction. Real time access to data for discipline. Pull up a student’s file. Administer discipline and record the a incident. Until I get my hands on one, I can only speculate and hypothesize, but you can see the Ipad can definitely enhance education beyond textbooks.
Digital Divide
This is something that is not talked about much, but there is a belief out there that low income, under-performing students don’t “deserve” engaging cutting-edge technology. Whenever we talk about these types of technology, we believe that only the “good” kids should have them. The ” other” kids will tear them up, steal them or sell them. This perception has to change. Diversity also means a diversity of access. In reality, these students need the technology more in most cases. These technologies empower and inspire. When done right, educational technology makes kids take ownership for their learning, and they will go to the ends of the earth to protect their ability to learn. Only when kids become disconnected from the learning do they disregard it and the tools that they use. All of our talk of AYPs, testing and benchmarks along with the rationing out of technology has caused all lot of this disconnect. 911 emergency! Reconnect the community.