I have a 3 year old son just about to turn 4. He has used an iPad all his life, and he has certainly learned a lot from it. If the iPads are used as part of a well rounded curriculum ,I am all for them...
Excellent comment! Well thought out.
I've said it before, everything I've read about the iPad in education from autistic children to Medical students, the iPad improves learning!
Since everyone is giving their opinions I will give mine. Good teachers are definitely a part of a good education. I will not argue that. This is just one part. Parents play one of the biggest roles in developing kids. Parents need to be involved or the greatest teacher in the world will not make a the difference. As for technology...for those of you that say books are the future can get together with the stone tablet folks and find a cave. iPads or equivalent are going to drive a higher level of learning. More kids engage and relate to this technology. It also offers great opportunities to keep content relevant. Studying with my daughter last night she tells me that Saturn has 16 moons according to her text book. She says "doesn't Saturn have over 50?" and of course it does it has 62 that have been identified. Point being the text is outdated like in many schools. With current advancements content needs to be updated frequently. The cost to update text books would be and is cost prohibitive. Most school systems are struggling with how to move forward which is a more complex issue than most think.
Very good point, Tech. That point, in of itself, should win the argument that every child should have an iPad!
P.S. Of course, there are many, many more points, too.
It isn't the teacher's job make the student give a damn. If you care about what you're doing you'll get a lot more out of it. Whether you've got iPads or books or anything else.
And all that happens at home. It begins with the parents.
I thought I heard they were paying for this with a 25 year or so bond issue. If that's true, then they'll be paying for it for over 20 years after they don't work anymore.
First, it will be interesting to see how all these iPads fare "in the wild" while in the hands of kids without a vested ownership interest. Will they take care of them as well as if they were their own? Even if the answer's yes, I would think the batteries will fail after 3-4 years max. Power adapters and cords may also have a relatively short life-span. On the plus side, this might cause Apple to build more durable iPads, and maybe even iPhones, in the future.
Second, does anyone else think $200-$300 for the curriculum software seems high?
After 2 years the tablets will pay for themselves with the amount of book costs that are saved. Year 3-5 the school will be saving big money using tablets. That's not to mention that it offers a superior learning experience compared to a $200 textbook.
How often do schools buy textbooks? Most of the core subjects haven't changed in years, sometimes decades.
The iPads are replacing paper books that can't be updated, not teachers. The costs of instructional books are horrible, ask any college student that has to buy them.
I'm curious what the cost breakdown is really like. We have no way of knowing how the licensing terms are set up or what other costs will be attached in terms of infrastructure. Quite a few of those books see very minor year to year changes. Consider college textbooks. A common technique is to change the order of things to ensure that students must purchase the latest edition. I think it's difficult to evaluate this without a real cost analysis.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Quadra 610
You know what would be a revolution?
SELF-MOTIVATED KIDS.
It isn't the teacher's job make the student give a damn. If you care about what you're doing you'll get a lot more out of it. Whether you've got iPads or books or anything else.
And all that happens at home. It begins with the parents.
You're looking at that in adult terms. You'll generally find that kids are motivated to learn and explore. Their brains are set up for it. In terms of absorbing curriculum designed by adults, part of that is parenting. Your suggestion is to ignore one thing though in favor of another which will inevitably vary by its nature.
Comments
I have a 3 year old son just about to turn 4. He has used an iPad all his life, and he has certainly learned a lot from it. If the iPads are used as part of a well rounded curriculum ,I am all for them...
Excellent comment! Well thought out.
I've said it before, everything I've read about the iPad in education from autistic children to Medical students, the iPad improves learning!
P.S. Your son is very fortunate!
WOW! WOW! WOW!
The replacement of textbooks is a major opportunity. This could be just the tip of the iceberg.
And it takes advantage of their ecosystem.
And what enterprises could they invest in to take advantage of their cash?
They might use their cash to finance bonds for poorer districts to buy their tablets.
No competition from Amazon
And the interactivity that will enable people to communicate remotely.
And upgrade the textbooks much much easier
But think of the trees whose life will be spared, and the water pollution from the sawmills.
Yep, Flabingo...agree. I think the bleaching and glue used to make the books is way up there in pollution area.
And there is the oil and gas used to transport books that sometime weigh more than an iPad.
Since everyone is giving their opinions I will give mine. Good teachers are definitely a part of a good education. I will not argue that. This is just one part. Parents play one of the biggest roles in developing kids. Parents need to be involved or the greatest teacher in the world will not make a the difference. As for technology...for those of you that say books are the future can get together with the stone tablet folks and find a cave. iPads or equivalent are going to drive a higher level of learning. More kids engage and relate to this technology. It also offers great opportunities to keep content relevant. Studying with my daughter last night she tells me that Saturn has 16 moons according to her text book. She says "doesn't Saturn have over 50?" and of course it does it has 62 that have been identified. Point being the text is outdated like in many schools. With current advancements content needs to be updated frequently. The cost to update text books would be and is cost prohibitive. Most school systems are struggling with how to move forward which is a more complex issue than most think.
Very good point, Tech. That point, in of itself, should win the argument that every child should have an iPad!
P.S. Of course, there are many, many more points, too.
Best.
SELF-MOTIVATED KIDS.
It isn't the teacher's job make the student give a damn. If you care about what you're doing you'll get a lot more out of it. Whether you've got iPads or books or anything else.
And all that happens at home. It begins with the parents.
First, it will be interesting to see how all these iPads fare "in the wild" while in the hands of kids without a vested ownership interest. Will they take care of them as well as if they were their own? Even if the answer's yes, I would think the batteries will fail after 3-4 years max. Power adapters and cords may also have a relatively short life-span. On the plus side, this might cause Apple to build more durable iPads, and maybe even iPhones, in the future.
Second, does anyone else think $200-$300 for the curriculum software seems high?
What a great move to correspond with Apple's decision of refunding millions for kids' in-app purchases
Seconded; enlightened observations.
After 2 years the tablets will pay for themselves with the amount of book costs that are saved. Year 3-5 the school will be saving big money using tablets. That's not to mention that it offers a superior learning experience compared to a $200 textbook.
How often do schools buy textbooks? Most of the core subjects haven't changed in years, sometimes decades.
The iPads are replacing paper books that can't be updated, not teachers. The costs of instructional books are horrible, ask any college student that has to buy them.
I'm curious what the cost breakdown is really like. We have no way of knowing how the licensing terms are set up or what other costs will be attached in terms of infrastructure. Quite a few of those books see very minor year to year changes. Consider college textbooks. A common technique is to change the order of things to ensure that students must purchase the latest edition. I think it's difficult to evaluate this without a real cost analysis.
You know what would be a revolution?
SELF-MOTIVATED KIDS.
It isn't the teacher's job make the student give a damn. If you care about what you're doing you'll get a lot more out of it. Whether you've got iPads or books or anything else.
And all that happens at home. It begins with the parents.
You're looking at that in adult terms. You'll generally find that kids are motivated to learn and explore. Their brains are set up for it. In terms of absorbing curriculum designed by adults, part of that is parenting. Your suggestion is to ignore one thing though in favor of another which will inevitably vary by its nature.