Tablet's Becoming A Big Learning Tool In School

[BK_123]

Hi all. In many school iPad's are being rolled and replacing books, I do like the idea but why give every student in school's an iPad or laptop. Most of my younger siblings are getting iPads this year, When I was in school I wasn't given an iPad or laptop. What do you think about this..

 

[JackPanzer]

In my honest opinion, I have to say that is a great idea. Nowadays, computers lets us store a vast amount of information and resources.

However, for those tools to be useful for the purpose that are given for there is a little problem and those are the distractions. It is easy to install all kind of software in a tablet.

The best option would be an e-book with a little web browser, wifi, touch screen and the possibility to develop educative applications for them; after all, the e-ink screen is not suitable for gaming (low screen refresh) and batteries last longer with such a screen and is perfect for reading.

I have an Android tablet and I mostly use it to debug applications, browse the web and read documents, it hasn't any game installed.

 

[root]

My opinion is...
Ipads are f'ing brilliant, I really want one.

However my opinion of making few hundred dollar devices ubiquitous in schools.
no thanks.

Would be a lot more interested in making much lower cost machines.

Such as the OLPC machines, (entire PC with wireless for ~$100 - $200)
or the RaspberryPi, coupled with a monitor and mouse. ($35 cost for students plus an SD card, ($5 - $50 depending on size) (admittedly the school still have to supply a $10 keyboard, a $5 mouse and a $50 monitor on each desk...).

That can plug into a TV as a monitor for kids to take home -even if they don't have a computer at home, I'd imagine that most if not all people have a TV, (I'm not talking 3rd world countries here, because they aren't getting free ipads either!)


Another advantage of the OLPC and the raspberry pi is that they run Linux.
which essentially means free (as in Gratis) software.

Add to that the fact that those platforms, (the raspberry pi especially) actually encourage development and expansion of the software and programs that can run on the device.

Apple restrict and strangle the market place for software.

If commercial tablets must be used, I'd rather see android devices.

OLPC ~ $199 (and includes shipping to the 3rd world, so why not students in the 1st world?)
or Ebooks, (I can get a basic kindle in a local supermarket for ~£70
whilst generic android tablets go for ~£100
Nexus tablets are ~£200
Ipad mini £250
Ipad (wifi only) £329 - £479 (3g ~ £429 - £579)

So, I see the biggest problem with giving ipads to kids is:

Data, how do you get data to (and more importantly FROM) the device? -example margin notes, and other annotations.
this isn't an easy task on an ipad.

So do we assume that each child is going to get their own ipad and it'll be theirs for the time they're at school?
Sure, this might work ok in a rich neighbourhood, -but what about when you start seeing kids who need to walk through less desirable streets with $500 devices in their bags?

Is the school providing the device, or are the kids families meant to just get one?

If the school is providing the device, (so we don't have family income to worry about), and the devices are left at school (so there is no devices being "stolen" problem)
then how do you ensure that the devices are properly looked after? Lets face it, if you go into any school you're unlikely to find a text book that hasn't had a few "unofficial" annotations made in it...


so my opinion.
IT in schools great.
Schools rolling out cheap machines to replace textbooks, (thus lightening the average school bag weight), great

rolling out $500 devices when there are perfectly acceptable "designed for education" devices available for $50. -not so great.

I say $50 as that's the cost of the raspberry Pi, with a cheap keyboard, cheap mouse and small SD card.
(cases can, (and should) be made in Design and Technology classes)

 

[jmacavali]

iPads in schools are a headache that are not really the answer. There is no way to manage them cheaply, they only have 1 user and it's an admin, if they break you can't fix them, they are expensive and it practical use - the students don't really use them like you'd expect. (This is all coming from a tech coordinator of a school who has done lots of research and talked to lots of other tech coordinators - some of which have iPads and some that don't).

However, the new Windows tablets that run full Windows 8 - there's the answer that everyone should be looking at. Join the domain/map network drives/printing/etc/etc...

The best line I heard is: "iPads are for delivering content, not making it".

 

[superman22x]

One of the schools up here has had iPads for over a year now. I think it has been very successful for them. There are a lot more educational apps for the ipad vs other windows and android tablets.

 

[Guillermo Staggs]

I imagine if they put one in at my old school the kids would either break them or not use them for "School work" One bit. I do like the idea abit but only if they where able to block out all the nonsense of using anything else then school work on it limiting the students from using anything else that wouldn't benefit there education. Oh yes and imagine the kids stealing from other kids since these our high price items and selling them to someone.

 

[root]

One of the schools up here has had iPads for over a year now. I think it has been very successful for them. There are a lot more educational apps for the ipad vs other windows and android tablets.

I would challenge this.

Given that for the past 20 years the defacto standard in schools has been wintel.

and most programs that have been written for educational settings in those past 20 years will run on windows 8, (except the 16 bit ones obviously, but they were written a bit longer than 20 years ago). (anything made and compiled on windows 95 and upwards will likely run on windows 8).
plus educational establishments will already have familiarity, training and existing licenses for any applications that will run on windows.

Whilst what's available for Ipad has been limited to a few years of design, a lot just ported from the iphone to a bigger screen, some developed for the ipad, but most at cost. and probably still waiting to be approved for adding to any kind of state approved syllabus.

I would think that there are FAR more educational programs, (that can be run in non-metro mode) than there are apps for either Iphone, or android, (or iphone+android.) -of course this won't be true of all variants of the windows 8 type devices as the arm powered devices won't have all software ported and compiled for them.


(which of course is also true of my previous post championing Linux devices -there are less educational applications than other solutions.)

Truthfully if schools wanted to get tablet devices, and were willing to pay large amounts of money for the devices, they'd do better to buy windows 8 machines.

which will work seamlessly with their existing networks, existing printers, existing software, existing documents in proprietary formats, existing back office software for attendance etc, and existing group policies regarding access / program installation /restrictions etc...


Of course, I still argue that tablets are not needed. (laptops, or micro computers such as the Raspberry pi are "good enough")

the $199 OLPC is good enough.
the $100 OLPC tablet is even better for the money.

I guess what I'm saying is:
"as a tax payer, I want value for money"

As an It buyer I can get 30 ipads @ $500 each and equip 1 class with computers.
OR I can buy OLPC tablet at $100. except now I can buy 150 and equip the who school (5 year groups of 30 per class) with the same budget.

And I'm still likely to be able to exert more control over my Linux tablet as a more enterprise level tech than I could have over an ipad.

 

[rowcon123]

I like the Idea of a tablet in school but not an ipad it's just that school is is a tough place for something like an ipad and for something so expensive they will just break so if they can make something like an ipad which is cheap and easy to repair then it would be good in schools but not an ipad

 

[BK_123]

I like the Idea of a tablet in school but not an ipad it's just that school is is a tough place for something like an ipad and for something so expensive they will just break so if they can make something like an ipad which is cheap and easy to repair then it would be good in schools but not an ipad

The reason why they choose iPads because there are a lot more apps to choose from, easy to use, where as android are a bit harder to use and apps aren't as good..

 

[WYSIWUG]

What I think?

A WASTE OF MONEY!