iPads-+A+Blessing+or+a+Burden?

=**The iPad-- A Blessing or a Burden?** = toc A Wikispaces page by Andrew Stoyanoff, Ashley Walden, and Lauren DeBellis

Summary:
In this Wikispaces page, we explore the use of iPads in a classroom setting, discussing their future in the educational context, their feasability in the classroom, and some applications that will prove beneficial for teachers and students.

The Fut﻿ure of Education?
While little evidence exists showing that kids learn more, faster or better using iPads in the classroom, a growing number of schools across the nation are embracing the machines as an innovative teaching tool. Often paid for with government grants and subsidies (some as part of the Race to the Top program), iPads are appearing in classrooms across the country. Whether the technology will become ubiquitous, a revolutionary tool like the overhead projector or white boards, remains to be seen. Proponents argue that the new technology allows students and teachers to “extend the classroom beyond…four walls,” creating a more interactive environment where kids can freely access course materials outside school hours. Critics cite mass teacher layoffs and budget cuts, arguing that money would be better spent to recruit, train and retain teachers. But the question remains—if cost were <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 90%; font-weight: normal;">not an issue, would iPads actually help students learn? As schools utilizing iPads conclude <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 90%; font-weight: normal; line-height: 19px;">their first school years <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 90%; font-weight: normal;">with the machines, more empirical evidence (either supporting or <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 90%; font-weight: normal;">challenging usage) will certainly surface.

<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;">Watch software developer Mike Matas demo... [|the first full-length interactive book for the iPad] <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;">//(Recorded at TED2011, March 2011, in Long Beach, CA. Duration: 4:35)// <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;">Many proponents of the iPad note that widespread use would pave the way for greener classrooms.

<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 120%; font-weight: normal; line-height: 19px;">**Useability / Feasibility in the Classroom**
<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 90%; font-weight: normal; line-height: 19px;">Tech blogger Aaron Summer is passionate about the use of iPads in the classroom. A few of his ideas are toplined below. More details and information can be found on his blog Stratepedia. log. ===**<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 90%; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">1. All-in-one video production **=== <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 90%; font-weight: normal; line-height: 19px; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> Ostensibly, iPhones, iPods, and now iPads //<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-weight: normal; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">networked cameras //. Video projects can be captured, editing, compressed, and delivered all from a single device. The iPad’s large screen gives plenty of room for video editing, and the overall process lends itself to a touch-oriented interface. ===**<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 90%; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">2. Dynamic presentation **=== <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 90%; font-weight: normal; line-height: 19px; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> The new HDMI video output lets you mirror //<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-weight: normal; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">anything // you see on your iPad screen to a high definition external display. This means video production made by students can be displayed and showcased on a big screen. ===**<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 90%; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">3. Distance learning **=== <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 90%; font-weight: normal; line-height: 19px; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Unlike the original camera-less iPad, the iPad 2 sports front- and rear-facing cameras–and built-in video conferencing support via Apple’s FaceTime technology. This is a fantastic opportunity for schools to bring in guest speakers and provide practice in foreign language study. ===**<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 90%; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">4. Augmented reality field trips **=== <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 90%; font-weight: normal; line-height: 19px; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Imagine pointing your iPad 2 to a building, a work of art, a zoo exhibit, or a rock formation, and instantly getting more information about your subject, presented alongside what you’re watching! ===**<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 90%; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">5. A textbook revolution **=== <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 90%; font-weight: normal; line-height: 19px; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Will an upstart publisher will emerge to define what the tablet-based textbook will look like, giving students an affordable, enriched product while keeping authors compensated? this might be possible with the iPad 2′s speedier Safari web browser.

<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 20px; font-weight: normal; line-height: 23px;">**iPad Apps for Students and Teachers**
<span style="display: block; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 13px; font-weight: normal; line-height: 19px; text-align: left;"> Many applications, or "apps," exist for the iPad. Although some are rather expensive (i.e., Pages, a word processing software, costs $9.99 per iPad to download), others are inexpensive or even free, (i.e., Evernote, a program that syncs your notes between devices). Although in an ideal world every student in the class would have an iPad, in reality a teacher is fortunate to have just one for the entire classroom. Nevertheless, there are ways to use just one iPad to benefit the entire classroom. Some teachers use applications such as iBook in conjunction with an LCD projector to display the e-text of a work, such as // The Great Gatsby //. In classrooms that have the advantage of a class set of laptops, the opportunities are obviously more robust. On an [|Idea Board], students may respond to a teacher's question, by drawing or writing a response. This could obviously be used in all classrooms, from solving an algebra equation, to drawing a flow chart of historical events, to diagramming a cell.

//<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;">Two other blogs to check out: //

 * || <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;">__Duke University's Center for Instructional Technology__ also reflects on iPad applicability in the classroom: http://cit.duke.edu/2010/04/ipad-for-education-early-impressions/ ||
 * || <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;">http://www.ipadinschools.com/is a blog published solely to tout the benefit of the iPad in edcuation. Check out the list of apps tailored to elementary, middle and high school levels! ||