One Year of iPad in Schools

Posted on April 7, 2011 by mkaufman

Now that a year has past since Apple introduced the iPad it’s no longer ‘new’ to talk about the fact that more and more schools are using iPads. Every week I see more articles mentioning this – in fact, not only are they being used in schools but people are finding very creative uses for them.

Here are a few from this week:

A company (Safe School Security) has made an iPad application for bus drivers to use to take attendance on the bus. The application has the bus route management system programmed in to it so the location and time of when a child entered the bus can be logged.
This article (from last week) in the Omaha World Herald discusses how schools in Nebraska and Iowa are using the iPad for learners of all ages - http://www.omaha.com/article/20110330/NEWS01/703309893
This article talks about a charter school in Colorado that has found a way to get iPads for all students - http://www.thedenverchannel.com/news/27384567/detail.html
This Florida school district has received a $1million gift. They are planning on using the money to provide every student an iPad in August when they return to school. The donor said the gift was intended to change the high school and the community.
The University of Southern California (USC) has announced the release of an iOS application for use in the college of education. It will be used by new teachers in training. ”This new app gives our MAT@USC students the ability to do their learning from almost anywhere, while preserving the quality of the learning environment our faculty and administration have worked so hard to create,” said USC Rossier Dean Karen Symms Gallagher. ”This is a big step forward for the program, our school, and teacher education.“
This is a bit more than a week old, but a Minnesota School Board has approved more than $1.1million to buy 1450 iPad 2s (and a bunch of other stuff) for an initiative they call Project REAL.
Another article a bit older than a week is about a high school in Massachusetts that is planning on providing students. Students and teachers at Burlington High School next fall will be helping to break new ground in Massachusetts on incorporating technology in the classroom. The school will be distributing Apple iPad 2s to students for use at school and at home. The district plans to acquire the computer tablets in a three-year lease-purchase with Apple, and then provide them to be used for free to all students who choose to participate.
The Waiting for Superman folks have released an iPad application that ‘teaches’ why education is important and brings light to some of the issues facing schools.

and supposedly, the President of the United States is using an iPad 2.

And just for fun here is a video I think is worth watching.

This is about man that is implementing iPads in a school in Scotland – Fraser Speirs. Here is his application for Apple’s Distinguished Educator.

and the video on this page talks about paperless classrooms and the use of the iPad.

iPads to Pay for Themselves

Posted on February 10, 2011 by mkaufman

In an article I read recently it said a private Tennessee school will require all students grades 4 through 12 to use iPads next year. They believe the program will pay for itself within three years. The school is a private school and will give students and their families an option for how they would like to participate in the program.

One of the primary motivators for the school to use iPads is to transition to digital textbooks. They believe digital textbooks are easier to use, lighter to carry, and cheaper for families. The other interest in getting digital text books that they are more interactive and can be updated to contain more current information. The school believes digital textbooks are more engaging than paper.

The school is still working out issues such as the initial cost for the 1,000 iPads it plans to purchase as well as getting teachers to plan the transition away from paper textbooks.

“There are a handful of teachers who are still struggling with the idea of electronic books. It’s certainly a personal preference,” the school’s technology director said. “Even people who prefer a (conventional) book see the advantages of an electronic version.”

Students will have the option of buying their own iPad or leasing the iPad from the school on a three year lease (at which time they will own it). From the school’s perspective the cost of an iPad can be compared to the cost of several text books. An example text book for advanced psychology sells for $130 and weighs 10 pounds. The online version is updated regularly and costs $50.

“We fully expect, not immediately, but over time, the savings they have will make it a wash at least as far as cost,” the school said.

One of the advantages of going to a device like the iPad is there is almost no learning curve for students. Today’s students are “digital natives,” and teachers can learn from them, their 62-year-old superintendent noted.

“I think the future will be where the actual wall is a computer,” he said.

Many school districts will continue to play the conservative wait and see card. But for this one school they are committed to moving ahead with the iPad and getting students using them as soon as possible.

Deploying iPads in Schools

Posted on November 20, 2010 by mkaufman

Since receiving a comment under the iPad Videos post about the deployment of iPads in Schools I thought I would post the following list of resources.

I have found a few resources on the web that have helped me to understand how people are using the iPad and what applications they are using. The best resource for philosophy and strategy I’ve found is by a guy named Fraser Speirs who is implementing a 1 to 1 program at Cedars School of Excellence in Greenock, Scotland. His blog is pretty awesome. And, I just found out about this resource he’s put together. It’s a question and answer site and covers a lot of ground so if you are deploying iPads in any way this is a great resource.

The Canby School District in Canby, Oregon is writing about their experiences deploying iPads and iPods. This is a pretty good resource for the kinds of things you are looking for about deployment.

Here’s another resource from a school librarian about the experience of implementing iPads in school.

There are a few school districts writing about their experiences using iPads in the classroom. They are: Berthoud Elementary School and Franklin Academy High School.

There are probably more but that’s a good start! If you know of other resources that can help people deploying iPads in schools understand some of the complexity and solutions available please leave a comment below.

iPods to iPads

Posted on November 1, 2010 by mkaufman

Until recently I didn’t realize that numerous schools were using iPods for learning – not just for listening to music but as a study tool/aid and as part of classroom learning. If this is true, that teachers and schools are finding real learning value from iPods, it makes sense this can lead naturally to finding iPads in these same schools at some point.

It makes sense that people would enjoy the small form factor – however in my opinion, the iPad is a better learning tool because of it’s larger screen and better user experience. If the iPod makes a good learning tool then the newer, more powerful, iPad should make a better learning tool.

In a recent article about the iPod in school, Joe Morelock, the director of technology and innovation for the Canby School District in Oregon, shared how he started a pilot program of iPod Touch devices in a single third-grade classroom. The pilot’s success led to the district setting a goal of providing every third-grade student with access to an iPod Touch.

This graph, just one from that article, shows the number of students that meet or nearly meet the math requirements on a standardized test are much higher for the iPod Touch classroom (left circle).

The Canby School District is extending the iPod program by providing iPod Touches for all third graders district-wide during the 2010-2011 school year. In addition, pilot programs using iPads will run at the elementary-, middle- and high-school levels.

Perhaps most importantly, both students and teachers love using the devices:

You know that little boy who came up to us this morning? He loves the iPod Touches. They have made an incredible difference in his math work. He has Asperger’s, and before the iPods, he could never sit through a math class. The kid absolutely loves math now and gets As. He sits himself up at the front of the room — he likes to be by himself — tucks his foot up, leans on the desk and goes to town on math. It’s simply amazing. — Gale Hipp, sixth-grade math teacher. [Note: Link added.]

And simply:

This is the most fun I have had teaching in the last 25 years. — Deana Calcagno, fifth-grade teacher.

In another article I read about some Vancouver schools testing the use of iPods as learning tools.

What do the iPods offer?

They allow students to repeat drills, dig up research material or view short video lessons on hard-to-grasp concepts. All at their own speed, without disrupting others, freeing up teachers for more one-on-one attention.

The hands-on activity engages brains, often better than a teacher’s monotone and overhead screen might. Students can repeat a lesson until they truly “get it,” minus the embarrassment they may feel in front of classmates. their peers can race ahead, even play one of several skill-building games.

The iPods also let students whose home lacks a device or wireless Internet access master technology and learning styles they surely will use in the years ahead.

“It’s a totally different way” of classroom instruction, said Kara Beu, one of several King teachers who received special training this summer. “It’s not so much teacher-controlled, it’s children-controlled, which has been kind of nice.”

In my point of view the iPad would be the most logical step beyond the iPod. How long with that take? We’ll see!

Sources:

Schools in Australia Going iPad

Posted on October 9, 2010 by mkaufman

It looks like school boards and departments of education in Australia are going for the iPad. In this article in the Delimiter, it says there are many schools testing out the iPad – some with formal policies and some on a trial basis.

Western Australia’s Department of Education and Training revealed this week that some schools in the state were displaying an increased interest in iPads and tablet devices, purchasing the handheld computers independently to trial in various education programs.

“The department does not have a policy on the use of iPads or Android-based technology at this stage, however some schools have bought tablet devices to trial in various settings,” said departmental chief information officer Bevan Doyle. “There appears to be a level of interest in this technology for educational use.”

The Queensland Government confirmed that a dozen “small” schools are involved in a trial where “handheld” computers – and other devices such as computers, data loggers, MP3 recorders and USB microscopes — are used as education tools to compliment and enhance science classes.

The Tasmanian Department of Education’s official stance on iPads or similar devices is that not enough time time has passed to give the technology serious consideration. “As the technology of iPads is so new, the Department of Education has not yet had a chance to consider their potential use in the department or in schools,” said a departmental spokesperson.

Since the school year in Australia is different from the US I imagine they will have some experience to speak of before many of the US schools. We’ll keep an eye out to see what they report.