Does your school use iPads?

[samintx]

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/teachers-m...15468.html

I can see their drawback. I don't like to carry around an iPad. I much prefer my AIR.

[silvarios]

http://mjtsai.com/blog/2016/05/23/apple-.../#comments

Yeah, that's a link to a link to a link, but I find the iPad in schools failure interesting. I think part of it is the simple fact that closed platforms are not the right product in an educational or work environment. Traditional PCs* can be locked down just fine, but the breadth of usability is simply amazing when compared to something like an iOS device.

*PC as in personal computer.

[cbelt3]

Ultimately it's all about the inclusion of devices into the school's curriculum and overall educational workflow. IMHO, tablets are 'consumers' of information. Schools are all about creating and sharing knowledge, hence the preference towards a laptop. However, history is filled with technology failures, not because the technology was bad, but because the technology was not properly integrated with the school's requirements, curriculum, teachers, and support structures. Too many school boards threw computers at teachers who had no training, no funding, no software, and no reason to use the damn things. So they sat in boxes.

It's an outlier, but my youngest son's (private) school has used student laptops since 9th grade. The entire curriculum is handled electronically, assignments, scheduling, coursework, grading, etc. The students are all 'differentiated learners' (Dyslexic, ADHD, etc..) and the level of structure and organization that an electronic environment offers gives them a better chance.

[Paul F.]

We have more than 100 iPads now in this K-8 school. We have found that they are OUTSTANDING for K-3, less useful, but still useful, in grades 4-5, and by about 6th grade, not very useful.

An iPad IS NOT A TYPING DEVICE! If you want to generate content; AN. IPAD. IS. NOT. THE. RIGHT. TOOL!

If you want to expose the kids to media you have created, or let them play a HUGE variety of educational games, then the iPad is an extraordinary tool.

We also have more than 225 Chromebooks.
They are not very useful in K-3, fairly useful for 4-5, and SPECTACULARLY useful in 6th to 8th grades. In fact, we'll be ordering 60-90 more this summer.

The Chromebook is NOT an iPad. It is not good for younger hands, and is not a "touch device" (at least, not the ones we can afford).

They each have their uses.
I skimmed parts of the linked article... they're trying to use iPads for the wrong uses, in the wrong grades, so of COURSE they're not finding them useful. Right in the picture it shows an iPad with the keyboard input menu up - the very thing that the iPad is NOT GOOD AT (no matter how Apple likes to downplay that). It's not a surprise that the 7th through 12th grade classes they surveyed were not happy with the iPad... that's not where it shines.

[silvarios]

What about a touch and type convertible device, seems like the best of both worlds.

[DavidS]

I have not (yet) read the article, but my son and daughter both have them in Middle School (6th and 8th grade). My son gets most of his homework via iPad assignments. I gave him an old bluetooth keyboard to pair it with. He also has an iMac, but then has to transfer any documents back to the iPad.

My special-needs daughter is technically in 8th grade but in an individualized education environment. There are a fair number of apps that she uses as well. She is non-verbal, so they try to use apps to help her express herself and make choices. I think it's usefulness is variable.

[Ombligo]

my district has been pushing iPads for a few years. Next year was suppose to be the final rollout going to all upperclass high school students (about 5000) but a few weeks ago it was announced that only ninth and tenth graders getting them (essentially that means those that had them will get them, but no new users).

Since it started the high schools have been arguing against them, and asking for chromebooks. The district IT director and one school board member have pointedly ignored and downplayed the teachers arguments. To make it even worse, some newly adopted textbooks are flash-based and won't run on the iPads.

This year was interesting as many students and parents refused to take them. I expect there will be even more refusals next year as the replacement costs are high for damage or loss (a lost lightning cord is $20).

The district took this route and are somewhat trapped as they did not upgrade any desktops, which are now six years old, 2mb RAM and 32-bit - definitely showing age.

IMHO - iPads were a huge mistake at the upper levels.

[Lew Zealand]

Our grammar school has Chromebooks and they are ideal. Little Zealand can do his projects in school or at home using his Google account with equal ease and on very old Mac equipment too (which is all we have at home in terms of laptops).

[hal]

very informative posts from our members in edu - thanks

[Article Accelerator]

I found macdailynews's take on this item interesting:

http://macdailynews.com/2016/05/23/maine...ool-ipads/