mLearning- The iPad is Changing Schools

When this article was written, it had been about 2 years since the iPad was first realized. Apple has sold approximately 64 millions iPads in two years. According to the author of this article, while this many units sold in this time frame is no small feat, the iPad itself won't make the difference. What is truly needed is a rethinking of the "how" and "what" in schooling. According to Kaufman, teachers must become much more learning facilitators and coaches and the idea of singular subjects as curriculum should change.

While much like a computer, the iPad can be used for much of the same things: doing research on the Internet, taking notes, writing papers, creating presentations, shooting and editing a video, and taking advantage of the many applications (apps) being developed for learning.

This article gives examples of some schools providing iPads to specific groups (grade levels or classrooms). For example, the Detroit Lakes school board purchased 244 iPads for every single fifth grader in Detroit Lakes Public School Districts, as well as every 5th and 6th grade teacher. Two additional carts holding 30+ iPads each will also be purchased for Roosevelt Elementary and High School. The cost for this initiative is roughly $105,000.

In Uitca High School students are going to be connected, every student will be given an iPad on the first day of school in the fall.

The North Folk Local School District is leasing 560 iPads 2's at a cost of $74, 500 per year for four years, with the option to buy each for $1 at the end of the lease. Teachers district wide will also receive an iPad. The devices are being paid for through textbook and Title I money.

According to this article, the traditional pen-and paper school test could become a thing of the past. The iPad has the potential to optimize learning outcomes for students. At some school the enthusiasm for adopting and implementing iPad is  overwhelming. There are even a few schools making iPad mandatory for all students.

According to this article, new Zealand may be the first country to have all students have iPads in a 1:1 program that requires parents to provide them. In Britain there has even been, for the first time, a pilot of an exam administered on iPads.

This article is informative and encouraging for technology usage in the classroom. From my readings concerning the iPad it seems to be a growing trend in  our educational systems and society at large. I would hope that school boards and administrators will continue to see the need to put these devices in the hands of teachers and students in order to "keep up" with the digital age we are living in. I think it is an exciting time to be in education, especially education technology. I like the idea of a generation who are "tech savvy" and current in their technology awareness and experience.