In the 1980s our local superintendent made a huge production out of being the first district in the area to purchase and place 5 computers in each district classroom. This expenditure turned out to be a waste of money for many reasons. For more detail see my article, "Evolution of Technology in the Classroom: Will We Ever Get It Right?"
The most foolish part of this purchase was the fact that ZERO dollars were budgeted for teacher training and ZERO dollars for computer maintenance. There is the potential that the same thing will happen with many schools in their purchase of iPads. If you considering acquiring iPad sets for use in the classroom consider the questions below before deciding to purchase.
Is there research, other than anecdotal, that indicates iPad use significantly improves student achievement? "Kids love using the iPad. Their interest level is so much higher than before" is anecdotal evidence. It's interesting, but it can't be used to determine that the iPad increases student achievement.
Is teacher training included as part of the budget for iPad purchases? Learn the lesson that my superintendent didn't. Money for training is every bit as important as money for purchases. People don't use what they don't understand.
Is the cost of maintenance, covers, replacements and insurance included in the budget? Again, see the article "Evolution of Technology in the Classroom: Will We Ever Get It Right?"
How will the iPads be secured and where will they be stored in the classroom? This is a housekeeping detail that can be incredibly significant. Many classrooms don't have the secure space to secure these devices. If they are stored in a central area, then the teacher will have to go get them and then return them every time they need to be used.
How will the iPads be recharged and where will this done? My guess is that teachers will be expected to plug in 30+ iPads, charge them, then unplug them and put them into storage. A very time-consuming task. Is that how you want the teacher to spend her time?
How will the iPad apps be updated? Is there currently a way to add and remove applications in mass from school iPads? If not, will teachers have to do them individually or have students do the updates?
Currently, only certain HP printers can be used to print from iPad. How will students get information from the iPad to hard copy the teacher? This is an important consideration. I'm sure this will change in the future, but what about right now? If the students send the assignments to the teacher, is the teacher expected to print them out?
How long will iPads last under classroom conditions? This is an unknown at this point.
If the iPads are a class set how will one student's files be protected from viewing and changing by other students using that same iPad? There is no current way to set up safe files that other students can't access. Some schools use the "honor system" to keep kids from messing with another's student's files. This is not a good system, and impacts student right to privacy.
Will students be allowed access to email? If it is active, how will they be prevented from emailing their friends? If it's not active, how will they get information to their teacher?
iPad 2s have cameras. Can this feature be turned on and off? It would be great to have cameras for kids to use- sometimes. But for most class work the cameras should be turned off. You don't want kids taking pictures of each other, or even worse, a picture of your bottom when you are bending over.
What if a student deliberately damages an iPad? Rules will need to be set up, parents will need to sign permission slips.
Will students be allowed to download and remove applications? There are lots of "naughty" applications out there. How will this be policed?
Does the school have wireless servers and iPad compatible wireless printers?
Has money been put aside to pay for apps and app updates?
Will there be an iPad set available for every classroom? If not how will it be determined who gets them? If these are intended to increase student achievement, who decides who gets to use them? In an age when teachers are increasingly evaluated based on student test scores, this is a very important issue.
iPads do not have a keyboard of sufficient size to type essays. iPads are not intended for heavy keyboarding and it's very slow and tiresome.
Most teachers have still never seen an iPad, let alone know how to use one. If teacher training is not part of the budget, the iPads will not be used to their full potential. If teachers are expected, or required, to use iPads in lessons then they must be trained in how to use the device, given time to create lessons (preferably working with peers), and applications will need to be purchased that will fit the curriculum for which the iPad is used.
The Technology Fix: The Reality of Computers in our Schools, by William D. Pflaum is a fascinating book about the promise of computers in education vs. the reality of what actually happened. One of his major conclusions is that computers didn't revolutionize education because students didn't use them often enough.(An average of 1 classroom hour weekly.) Would each student have access to an iPad for a longer period than this? If not, then meaningful results are doubtful.
To me, there are far too many unanswered questions about the iPad at this point. I certainly think there will be educational application for its use in the classroom. However, in these tight budget times, I don't think iPads are a justifiable use of scarce tax dollars. Studies have consistently shown that the #1 factor in the success of a student is the teacher. Money put into effective teacher training provides a lot more bang for the buck than the latest gadget.
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
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