Independent School Educators' List (ISED-L): Re: ipads Lower School

Sunday, August 29, 2010

Re: ipads Lower School

I've always held that schools should sit back and watch how new tech =
tools perform for a few years, take time to evaluate how it can drive =
learning objectives, before they consider buying. Cheaper too.

Chris Delmar
Technology Program Director
Christ Episcopal School
109 South Washington Street
Rockville, MD 20850
301-424-6550=20

-----Original Message-----
From: A forum for independent school educators on behalf of Backon, Joel
Sent: Thu 5/27/2010 3:13 PM
To: ISED-L@LISTSERV.SYR.EDU
Subject: Re: ipads Lower School sls
=20
Len,

You raise an excellent question. I don't recall Apple positioning the =
iPad as anything other than a consumer product. Somehow, over the past =
few years, somebody has turned education into a consumer product instead =
of a professional service. "Give me 10 hours with your child at $200 per =
hour, and I guarantee I'll raise his or her SAT scores by 200 points." =
It reminds me of the old Castrol oil commercials. Buy the latest =
additive or lubricant, and you will see better performance.=20

I wonder how much of the current iPad craze in schools is about =
attractive cost and form factor. Certainly it isn't about the tools and =
applications because very few were designed for teaching and learning. =
No Logo, no Sketchpad, no Inspiration, no Flash, etc. I have a personal =
iPad, and I recognize the genius of creating a very portable personal =
information and entertainment delivery platform. One of the reasons =
Apple has been so successful is the understanding that their respective =
products can't be all things to all people. When I read critiques of the =
iPad written under the rubric of the laptop, I smile. It means the =
reviewer doesn't understand the product he or she is reviewing.

I'm not suggesting we, as educators, ignore the iPad or any other =
innovation, but in the spirit of Len's comments, why not buy a few, give =
them to students and teachers to use for a year, and after that year, =
ask them if and when the iPad improved their teaching or learning. Then =
we have some sage counsel from which we can make a more informed =
decision.

Joel

--=20
Joel Backon
Director of Academic Technology / History
Choate Rosemary Hall
333 Christian St.
Wallingford, CT 06492
203-697-2514

On May 27, 2010, at 2:27 PM, Len Doran wrote:

> I have to wonder why we continue to chase technology and not let it =
chase us. A parent asked me this morning if we still taught cursive =
writing. I wonder if we are moving too fast just to be trendy and not =
really looking at the educational values and, perhaps, consequences? The =
APPLE store at the local Mall seems to be mobbed, but I wonder how many =
people are buying IPads for the right reasons?
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> Len=20
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> -----Original Message-----
> From: Gary S. Stager <district@stager.org>
> To: ISED-L@LISTSERV.SYR.EDU
> Sent: Thu, May 27, 2010 12:54 pm
> Subject: Re: ipads Lower School
>=20
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> Just curious, why do you think that younger children need less of a =
computer?
> I have two iPads and I find their best use to be watching TV on them =
and looking=20
> p trivia while watching TV on my television.
> Knowledge is a consequence of experience and the richest experiences =
with=20
> omputers are when you construct things of meaning, beauty, purpose,=20
> ophistication, etc...
> The iPads have a long way to go in achieving that objective or in =
supporting=20
> roject-based learning.
> I've also written about the inadequacies of the iPad as a book reader =
-=20
> ttp://stager.tv/blog/?p=3D1189