[Offtopic] Ipads

Wed Mar 2 12:23:47 EST 2011

Hey Roland, funny isn't it? I can't stand lugging the bulky iPad around. I do a lot of the same things on my iPod touch that fits in my pocket.  ;)
I am not sure that the "bang for buck" comparison between desktops and notebooks in the early stages is fair in this context. Yes those arguments were had, and it was about creating a mind shift from static machines to mobility and constant access, but to me in this case it is simply about comparing the bang for buck between one wireless mobile device and another. Unless I have missed something?

I have found some great apps to use in class, I use the iPad for sitting on the couch and researching/emailing etc, but it seems that the common opinion is that the "iPad does not replace the users primary computer"  (http://www.ipadsforeducation.vic.edu.au/userfiles/files/iPad%20Apps%20for%20Learning,%20Educause,%20Feb%202011.pdf). 
So it appears to be that you need both. Can we (schools&parents) really afford both?

In the present conversation about iPads I would really like some contributions / advice about:

1) There is a government funded trial of iPads. This has been at no cost to the parents. Why aren't people waiting to see the results of the trial? What is the rush?
(Although if you look at http://www.ipadsforeducation.vic.edu.au/  there is absolutely no mention (that I can find) about exactly how they intend to measure/quantify the results of the trial.) I suppose a "trial" is not a "study"?

2) I agree that tablets seem to be the way we are going, and they are going to be with us everywhere, but Android devices are going to be all over iPads in the next couple of months/years, so why lock into Apple now? I can see the value of the locked down App Store etc for Primaries, less so for Secondaries. Are people locking into Apple? Will you accept a mix of devices? (I believe this is generally regarded as IT heresy. ;)  ) Again - why rush?

3) The iPad is very much a personal device.  Put yourself into the position of a "working family" to borrow a phrase, a notebook can be easily used and shared amongst family members with appropriate security and separation of work. More than one family member can use the device if needed. We have had some issues in my household with younger brothers wanting to play with my daughters iPad. Family harmony dictates that we have a policy of sharing just about everything. This has been a bit of an issue when 3 year old starts meddling with daughters school work, rather than simply playing Angry Birds.

4) I am trying to use the iPads in the Science classroom - schools often have lots of money/resources/experience tied up in Dataloggers and other peripherals (microscopes etc) which almost universally use a USB. Must we need to double up and have both notebooks for hooking up peripherals, and iPads for recording and reporting, or just use one device and sacrifice something?

These are the questions that are in my mind at the moment. It seems that indications are you need/want both, I ask - can we afford both? ATM I think that while the tablets certainly do some things much better than others, when it comes to using existing infrastructure and support, notebooks are currently more flexible.

I am also interested in the concept of using the tablets for reading e-Text books. I have actually ditched texts books this year as I couldn't see the value in them anymore other than a source of "busy work" left at the last minute for when I am away. I rarely used them in the past couple of years and actually had parental complaints that they weren't being used. If you have a tablet and the whole internet at your fingertips, why bother putting text books on them? I like having a textbook myself for ideas and course outlines, but I no longer see the point in the students needing them - either printed or electronic.

I really appreciate the opportunity these lists give to discuss my concerns with you folk.

Cheers
Cameron

Sent from my iPad

On 01/03/2011, at 10:38 PM, Roland Gesthuizen wrote:

> You have hit the nail on the head Tim about it not being a replacment for a laptop. It is something quite different that does what it does, very well.
> 
> In fact, I can vaguely recall a similar debate many years ago when laptops first started to trickle into schools and some teachers wondering why would you need one when a desktop had more grunt per dollar than lugging a smart brick around. Some mental shift?
> 
> Regards Roland
> 
> On Tue, Mar 1, 2011 at 3:35 PM, Tim Kitchen <tkitchen at strathcona.vic.edu.au> wrote:
> It has been interesting reading the discussion on this topic. I think Roland makes a good point when he says the iPad is not a laptop replacement. It's also not a shared device, not suited to a class set, however I now can't imaging teaching or learning without one.
> 
> I've just blogged the following on the topic ...
> 
> http://timkitchen.net/ipads/
> 
> Ta
> 
> Tim Kitchen
> Strathcona BGGS
> 
> On 26/02/2011, at 4:42 PM, Roland Gesthuizen wrote:
> 
>> Having jumped from an iPad to a netbook school .. the things that the iPad does well (eBook, battery life, robust etc etc.) it does blindingly better than a netbook. During a recent meeting, I had a word document for discussion open on both my laptop and iPad (shared by DropBox of course) .. you can guess what I handed around during the meeting to reinforce a point about something that I wanted us to delibrate on. I see the same happening when groups of kids are working on iPads (oddly enough, it is easier to see what they are doing and keep them on task as the tablets sit flatter on the desk).
>> 
>> I think we need to stop thinking that the way we prefer to work with our laptops as educators will directly map onto how students should use and work with tablet devices. Yes, they are not laptops .. but then again, laptops don't fit as well into the cooperative learning spaces that we are building for students.
>> 
>> This is the clincher and increasingly convinces me that when it comes to 1:1 computing, tablet computers are the way to go. All that a classroom perhaps needs then is access to a lab or couple of desktops for specialist tools and some legacy applications.
>> 
>> Sadly, Flash is dying and not because of Apple. Increasingly HTML5 is taking over, just a matter of time.
>> 
>> You raise a very good point about the future of huge school IT networks and the need for continuous connectivity beyond a school LAN. I do have a concern, how do we disassemble and redirect the energy we have tied up in this empire of wire?
>> 
>> Regards Roland
>> 
>> On Sat, Feb 26, 2011 at 1:22 PM, Paul Chandler <paul.chandler at une.edu.au> wrote:
>> 
>> I think to truly drive the pedagogical change you can envisage these devices creating, they need to be the 3G version and GPS enabled - many schools are hamstringing any developments by locking them to their wireless infrastructure (due to cost).
>> 
>> I often find myself wondering what the difference would really be if a school provided each student with a netbook, 3G modem and some credit and did away with the large proportion of their LAN infrastructure.  I rather suspect that the cost differential wouldn't be very much.
>> 
>> 
>> -- 
>> Dr Paul Chandler
>> Research Fellow: Multimedia grammatical design and authoring pedagogy (Kahootz) project,
>> School of Education, University of New England
>> (Project website: http://www.une.edu.au/kahootzresearch)
>> 
>> located at Australian Children's Television Foundation
>> 145 Smith Street, Fitzroy, Melbourne, 3065
>> e-mail: paul.chandler at une.edu.au
>> Ph: 0400 198 187
>> Fax: (03) 9419 0660
>> Skype: paul.d.chandler
>>  I am pdchandler on Delicious
>>  Add me to your network
>> 
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>> Roland Gesthuizen - eLearning Coordinator - Keysborough Secondary College
>> 
>> "Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed it is the only thing that ever has." --Margaret Mead
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> Dr Tim Kitchen
> Head of Learning Technologies
> Strathcona Baptist Girls Grammar School
> http://timkitchen.net
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> Roland Gesthuizen - eLearning Coordinator - Keysborough Secondary College
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