Is the iPad Ready for the Classroom? Not Quite Yet

I am a lover of all things Apple. I have an iMac desktop computer, a MacBook Air, and pretty much every type of iPod Apple has ever made. My new iPad 2 is my pride and joy. Apple does make terrific products. However, just because something is cool and attractive to kids, it does not mean that schools that use iPads will have higher student scores on state tests. I am concerned when I read that several schools and school districts are jumping on the "iPad will revolutionize education" bandwagon. Schools are getting grants and using district funds to purchase iPad sets for one or more classrooms. However,there are several questions that need to be answered before spending money on this technology. Is the iPad ready for the classroom? Not quite yet.

Here are a list of questions that need to be considered before the purchase of iPad sets is a valid expenditure of funds. The comments in italics are my views on each question.

1. Is there a body of valid research (other than anecdotal) indicating that the use of iPads significantly improves student achievement? The iPad has not been in use long enough for us to have this data.

2. Is there an existing instructional need which can only be met by an iPad rather than an existing school computer? For example, the graphing calculator filled an existing need in the math classroom. It allowed students and teachers to manipulate numbers and graphs in a way that was not possible before. This was a valid expenditure of funds to purchase technology. The need existed before the purchase was made.

3. Are course and curriculum programs available now for the iPad? Developers are in the process of working on educational programs but the current focus is primarily on the college market. This is also true for textbooks. Yes, it would be nice if students could have their textbooks downloaded to the iPad but that is no more than a vision at this point.

4. Are existing educationally-researched lesson plans available now that use the iPad as an integral part of the lesson? I remember when my school first received 5 computers in each classroom. We were required to create lesson plans that included technology. I can see the same thing happening with the iPad sets. "Now that I have these, what am I supposed to do with them?"

5. If teachers are expected to create lessons for the iPad on their own time, will they be given compensation to do this? If not, the iPad becomes an additional burden for teachers, rather than a useful tool.

6. Is there an existing body of academic apps, other than games, currently available for purchase? Again, this will change dramatically within the next year or so, but at the moment pickings are slim.

7. Is teacher training on the iPad budgeted into the cost of iPad sets? If it isn't, the iPads will not be used effectively, because teachers may lack the necessary skills and the necessary time to learn those skills.

Most of these issues will resolve themselves in the next two years. Why not wait to purchase iPads until then? They aren't going to disappear! Having been in education for over 30 years, I've seen many cases of schools buying technology too early. See my article "Evolution of Technology in the Classroom" for more details.

Is the iPad ready for the classroom? Not quite yet. In two years it will be a different story, as many of the above questions will have been answered. In the meanwhile, a much better use of tight budget money is to invest in quality teacher training. The impact of that investment will last much longer than the short lifespan of an iPad. Research consistently supports that the teacher is the most important influence on student learning in the classroom.

Unfortunately, I have watched professional development programs being gutted in many schools/districts which then spend a great deal of money on technology. The teachers are expected to learn how to use the technology by staying late after school. They are also required to create lesson plans that artificially use this technology. It would be funny if it weren't so sad. Trained teachers make the difference in student lives, not gadgets.

Barbara is a professional speaker, seminar/workshop presenter, staff development trainer with 32 years of classroom experience.

Her book, A Teacher's Book of 10s: Best ways to Do Everything in Your Classroom, will be published in the summer of 2011.

Contact Barbara at http://www.barbaratoney.com