[iPad] iPad use in the classroom

[fred54]

Hi all
Considering the use of ipads in our school but do not want to do it just for the novelty factor. I know there are standard uses for it but just wondering if anyone is using the iPad in any original ways in the classroom?

[ihaveaproblem]

Where I use to work there was 8 Ipads for staff to use. To be honest I think it was a waste of money. All the staff have their own school laptop and access to desktops as well if needed. The same for students, they've got access to laptops and desktops. The Ipads were just an expensive toy that had no practical use especialy after staff realised alot of the software they used on their laptops wasnt available on the Ipads.

Hopefuly someone else can show good ways they've been using Ipads. In my experience they had no place in a school.

[GrumbleDook]

There are a number of our local schools who have been using them as part of a mobile toolkit going round schools. Here are a few blogs from the schools.
Little Harrowden
Parklands Primary BLT
BLT Mobile Technology Toolkit at Trinity

And not forgetting the "interesting ways ..." series.
https://docs.google.com/present/view...v5_721gdk5jtd8

[jwpercival]

It would be well worth watching this video from the ACU ConnectEd Summit where Frasier Spears talks about his experience with iPad.
YouTube - Fraser Speirs: The End of the IT Department?

He also has an interesting blog which is worth a read too:
Fraser Speirs - Blog

We offer a free iPad loan programme if you want to borrow one. My contact details are in the signature below.

[fred54]

I had a good look at the links you posted and Fraser's ideas seem to be based around no limits on the technology, no restrictions on internet, no security on hardware which I agree is how we should be using the hardware. The blog item also seems to be geared towards primary school students. In reality I have to work within an LEA provided internet service which is strongly filtered (no youtube, no facebook, etc). It seems to me that in order to make the most of Ipads in the classroom we need that freedom of internet access and security which we are not going to get. In my experience, to get our staff to embrace new ideas and technology, I need to 'hook' them by establishing (at least) one thing that they normally do which will work better with the technology (in this case the ipad) before reeling them in with additional features. Having done a bit of research, I have yet to come across anything which will fulfill the criteria I have which is: Use the ipad without the need for additional major expense in a classroom to improve the teaching and learning experience at a secondary level and where the argument that an average PC/laptop could do the same job cannot be used.

I am not anti-apple and would love to incorporate the ipad into our existing setup and I remain hopeful that I can but at this point it does not look justifiable.

[jumpinjamez]

This seems backwards to me, the original question should be "What are our aims and what do we want to achieve?" if what you want can best be achieved by ipads go for it .

Dont buy a solution before you know the question.

I am afraid this happens in eduICT all the time - PDA`s ?

[russdev]

Saw think link on twitter other day with some useful information on schools using IPad..

iPads in Education | Scoop.it

While I agree about aims comment and buying for sake of something new. Sometimes you need to buy a product and see how it can be used otherwise computers would never had been used in schools. First time computers were used in schools people had to figure the best way to use them..

Russell

[SYNACK]

Saw think link on twitter other day with some useful information on schools using IPad..

iPads in Education | Scoop.it

While I agree about aims comment and buying for sake of something new. Sometimes you need to buy a product and see how it can be used otherwise computers would never had been used in schools. First time computers were used in schools people had to figure the best way to use them..

Russell

What makes a product worthy of thrwing off the principal of buying something you need though? The popularity, the media hype, the brand?

[eean]

I'm a teacher and I love the idea of iPads in the classroom. However, my concern is that there is a real lack of decent educational software out there. At best, you get some games - very few are adaptive, tracking, formative etc... and those that are: are EXPENSIVE and USE FLASH.

Personally, I'd give it a year and see what educational software comes out for the iPad/HTML5. What's there at the moment is pretty poor - I saw a case study that gave iPads to foundation stage children. The activities they were doing on them were really poor - which is a shame when there's some amazing (although flash based) software available from the likes of Q&D.
Also, Android is catching up fast and there are companies coming out with Education-specific devices.

[russdev]

Also just seen this via twitter as well.. iPads in Education

Don't get me wrong I don't advocate buying one for every student. But buying one and working out what can do is very useful. Yes you have to be prepared to fail you will buy something that might not work the best but I go back to my original point. The first time computers were used in a classroom the exact same was said why waste money when could be buying pencils..

Sometimes need to take risks. However risk can be reduced by having good relationship with vendors who can provide free equipment for you to trial things out on..


Russell

[Pete10141748]

I have just ordered (read: been forced to order!) a set of 30 iPad2's for this place, the idea being that we will give 1 to each teacher and let them have a month's 'play' with them, and see what they can come up with, at the end of the month we will have a quick meeting where everyone can discuss what they found worked/didn't work and trade ideas about how to best use the devices in the classroom.

The 30 will then be re-formed into one class set that can be booked out by classes when they want to use them.

It will be interesting to see what happens!

[uk101man]

I have just ordered (read: been forced to order!) a set of 30 iPad2's for this place, the idea being that we will give 1 to each teacher and let them have a month's 'play' with them, and see what they can come up with, at the end of the month we will have a quick meeting where everyone can discuss what they found worked/didn't work and trade ideas about how to best use the devices in the classroom.

The 30 will then be re-formed into one class set that can be booked out by classes when they want to use them.

It will be interesting to see what happens!

So no budget cuts then.....

I can not believe that your school has brought 30 IPad just to see if they can figue out what to use them for...

[russdev]

We don;t know how it was funded could be a special project funded with grants...

However as said might draw line at 30 would do 2 at most for a trial..

Russell