General+Thoughts+on+iPad

First grade teachers are finding that there is no setup time when using the iPad with children. Normally it takes 30 to 40 minutes to get the netbooks turned on, logged in, and the software and sites located with the kids. In small groups this takes less than 5 minutes with the iPad.

I have found the iPad to be a very quick, convenient and easy-to-use tool. In that respect, I think that the iPad would be a very good choice for students. It starts up quickly, The Apps load quickly. Once set, all the preferences, log-ins, etc are all ready and set for good. I especially like how quickly I can access the internet via safari and how quickly I can flip between windows on safari without accidentally closing a browser widow or "losing" my place. I can turn off the iPad and come back three days later and all the websites I had open are still there. Similarly, with Dropbox or [|Noterize] or the [|Moodle] App, I can find and open what I need within seconds. In the classroom, this speed and convenience means a lot! With the current laptops, we spend a vast amount of class time loading and logging in; they are not a "quick use" or "quick look-up" tool. It is nearly impossible to spend a quick five, ten, or even fifteen minutes doing a short activity on the laptops. With the iPads, this seems possible. I also like the fact that it seems much harder to "lose" work. I loaded a pdf file from Dropbox into Noterize, and there it stayed. I did not have to worry about saving it (or accidentally //not// saving it). In fact, I spent about five minutes trying to figure out how to delete it.

Now, I also realize the iPad's current limitations, especially in science. I use many fabulous online simulations and web-based review games. Almost all of them, 99%, use flash. Though there are one or two Apps available like [|Coaster Physics] or the iPhone App, [|Mitosis] that are comparable, most science Apps that are currently available are either for the younger student or the college student. I expect that eventually more Apps will become available as more science teachers start clamoring. (If I knew how to create the Apps myself, I would!!) In the beginning, however, there are still be some valuable web-based simulations that would either need to be done in a computer lab, on a computer at home, on laptops, or in the class room as a demo from my computer. Similarly, our Vernier probes would still either need to be used with a computer or with the hand-held Vernier LabQuests.

Some of the teacher tools seem very useful, such as TeacherPal and eClicker host. I am interested in seeing a demo of eClicker host and Airsketch. They look neat but I can't really tell since I haven't seen them in action.

Overall, I really love the iPad. It would meet most of my classroom computing needs, but not (as of yet) quite all. With that understanding, I would definitely consider the iPad to be a welcome tool in my classroom. Kamie //PS: Since I gave up my iPad, I have thought of so many different ways that students could use it in my classroom. It is a very creative tool! I love being able to type or use touchscreen features.// //In a MacBook, I would miss not having the touch screen or stylus option for both myself and students.// //I especially want to note that I __really__ love the camera feature of the iPad. If we don't go iPad, I will certainly think of other ways to get a camera into the hands of my students on a regular basis!//

One thing I really enjoyed was the convenience and efficiency of the iPad. It seems that it is much easier to turn on the iPad and start working or surfing the Internet than it is an on a laptop or a desktop. There is little time wasted waiting for it to load and its size allows you to easily use it anywhere. Like Kamie, I have been using Droboxand have found it to be a valuable tool to have on any computer. Additionally, the world of apps is constantly evolving and reinventing itself. Every day there is a new tool to enhance education. There are even organizers for our students as well as for ourselves. The machine itself is intuitive, sleek, and its simple design is gorgeous.

It is not perfect, though. Its incompatibility with Flashis unforgivable. Many games and online interactives require the use of a Flash Player and simply do not work on the iPad. YouTubeis just a shell of itself on the iPad due to Flash Player limitations. The iPad has no USB ports, so external devices cannot be attached, nor does the iPad have word processing software - a definite drawback in a writing classroom.

While I have enjoyed its ease of use and simple beauty, I still find my needs are better met by a laptop. For our students, on the other hand, the iPad could be an excellent tool to enhance their interaction with the curriculum and a great way to organize and engage reluctant learners.

-Brad

I have to second what most of the above users said about speed of use and sleekness. After using the iPad for a few months, I did not have the patience to wait for the tablet PC to even boot up. The iPad is the first personal device that I can actually imagine students using to look up a word or historical event in class. Every time we talk about that sort of "real time" research, it sounds great, but in reality takes too long and the class's conversation has shifted three times while the student you sent to your computer is still searching for that word or date.

As a writing teacher I am scared about the lack of a keyboard, and I love and use Voicethread and Youtube consistently. I am very worried about the iPad not using Flash. In my opinion, an older MS student, a 7th or 8th grader for instance, needs a laptop. Last year I had 2 - 3 students in each class who brought iPad's daily, and for keeping track of assignments and taking short notes, it was wonderful; however, when it came time to write a short story or a three-page-essay, with multiple drafts, and color-coded transitions and topic sentences, etc., it was a bit of a nightmare. They struggled to type efficiently, print at school, and make edits without losing work. An increased level of sophistication in the later MS years demands a more sophisticated device, in my mind. - Hannah

The iPad is capable of just about everything I would need students to do on a day-to-day basis. It is perfect for organization, in-class notes, group work, outlining and revising, and even active reading. It has immense potential for engaging otherwise reluctant readers and writers. For larger projects and writing assignments, I would recommend a laptop; it's an easy enough fix to allow students to bring in their computers from home or to have additional Mac carts available for the classrooms. I agree that some students might want a keyboard, but those are readily available. I like that students could also handwrite and do voice to text. Like Hannah, I had about 5 students who consistently brought in their iPads every day last year, and they seemed to really like it.

What I would be in favor of is individual iPads plus Mac carts to be shared among classrooms. Or, for the eighth grade, I think we could allow students to follow a university model and bring in whatever device they choose. By eighth grade, they are capable of managing their own technology. If we had a number of students bring in laptops, the Mac laptops at school would go much further to both students who do not have laptops of their own or students who have less expensive technology like iPads but need a laptop for an assignment.

I am not concerned about the lack of USB. They will go the way of floppy disks and CDs as cloud computing becomes the way we do things. With apps like Evernote and Dropbox, there is no problem storing or accessing information on both one's iPad and one's laptop/computer.

What I like best about iPads: the price, accessibility, ease of use, student familiarity, and student interest. Like Hannah, I know students would actually do some of the things we want them to do, like look up unknown words, if they had an iPad. (And I would feel a whole lot less guilty if I didn't make them carry around huge dictionaries that they probably don't use anyways...) What I am worried about: incompatibility with websites or programs we already use (but I really do believe this will change as the iPad becomes ever more increasingly the device of choice -- everyone's going to have an app), incompatibility with our own PodNet (students who brought in their own devices last year had trouble with our network, and I know students last year and in this coming year who are purchasing 3G plans so that they don't need to depend upon our network.)

Again, I think the university model would work in the eighth grade. However, if a uniform device is required, then I would support MacBooks.

--Laurie

From the Learning Center perspective, the iPad is portable and easy to use. Attaching a keyboard makes it considerably easier to use - without an attached keyboard, it would seem difficult to use on a daily basis. It's quick - those apps are amazing and seem to appear out of nowhere. There seems to be an undending supply of apps for students with learning disabilities - flash cards, math practice, spell checks and many more. Enlarging print while reading novels, annotating the pages and printing out notes by date and page number is very useful. Matching page numbers on my iPad to the students iPad allowed me to read along with students who require larger print. The dictation audio function was usable. I wasn't able to get a book reader to work. I'm sure that's me. It's compatability to the Mac (all of my students seem to have both) doubles the output. Documents are visually small on the screen and somewhat difficult to fill in because of the size. It seemed odd to have such a small device in my hands - I worry about the fragility of the device with Middle School students. Although, almost all of my students have an iPad and none have mentioned that they broke it - yet. I would like a chance to use it the first weeks of school when the volume of work load from students would give me a better perspective on how the iPad would handle. Do you think we should get together for a few minutes as a user group to share information, because maybe some of what we think is good or challenging might be because we didn't use the app to its full potention? - Cheryl Vaughn

I love the portability and the ease of use of the iPad. I also think the apps are awesome, but I need to do more searching for good apps for the learning of the French language that are age appropriate.I personally get frustrated with typing with my finger. A keyboard would be a must for those of us who use home row and are efficient typists. However, hunting and pecking with a finger does not seem to bother students. Accents are also a problem when typing in a foreign language. I am uncertain as how to make accents, but every time I try to type in French, it autocorrects everything I am typing. I imagine there is an easy fix for this problem???? I am also concerned that sites that use Flash do not work. Lastly, my students need a device on which they can easily Skype. Recent news came out that says Skype on the iPad will be available; however, it is still in the works. Facetime is awesome, but only if the people we are calling have a Mac. -Neelie

I like the i-pad because of its many fuctions. The camera, video, and ease of accessing the web. My students would normally be accesing websites, my moodle, and watching videos that I create or that I direct them to. I know that there are already apps that would be useful and more to come as demand increases. I would hope that the students would get a case and maybe even have the option of a keyboard. Getting used to the the touch screen would take time, but most students could adapt easily.-Jeff B.

The iPad has a bazillion positives that have already been mentioned, so I won't add. It's a cool piece of hardware. However, it wouldn't be the best for 8th grade due to ... Do I think that the iPad2 is a great piece of technology? Yup. Is it better suited for our school and our method of teaching than the tablet? Yup, especially considering the price. Is it the perfect tool for 8th grade, specifically US history? Nope. I can;t imagine someone researching and producing a quality NHD project on an iPad alone ... or even predominantly on an iPad. I had a student try to do the Constitution Facebook on an iPad last year - crash and burn. The lack of flash capability is a major issue as well - using an collaborative bulletin board on lino just won't work, and I don't know what app will replace it.
 * the inability to multitask - students need to have a browser window (or more) open along with a word processing or a multimedia platform
 * the challenge of moving files form one spot to another - drop box is great, but not on a bus heading to Racine Prarie
 * the lack of flash applications - sure, there's an app for everything, but almost every online application used in 8th grade involves collaboration, and I haven't seen much ability to do that using the available apps - I could be wrong, probably am, but that's my story
 * challenge in typing quickly - enough said

My choice in 8th grade - university laptop model. They will do it the next year, so why not in 8th? Platform is secondary (or tertiary) in my mind - so long as a kid has a laptop that has net access, runs flash, and has a camera and mike, I'm ready to rock and roll.

Chuck

I like the functionality of the iPad. The concept of less is more applies to this device. It is logical and intuitive. The apps that I played with like keynote took minutes to learn, had an instructional guide that walks you through the process (never have I seen something like this in PowerPoint. The help button only allows you to search endlessly to find the answer to one tiny question.

The down side of the ipad2 at this time is the lack of adobe flash. It looses it's interactive punch with the intent (hard to down load non utube videos). Another downer that probably already has an app for it is the lack of a stylus feature with the unit. There are probably styli that exist- but I did not get the chance to work with one. This is a minor drawback

The kids will likes using the ipad2 because it resembles the iPhone (without the phone of course) and text pretty well with it.

PowerPoint presentations can be saved in keynote with the click of a button. I tried it in several of mine and did not loose functionality unless there were flash components imbedded.

You can multiple task with much greater ease with the pad. Cutting and pasting takes some getting used to but I find the tactile approach a bit more intuitive

Kip

I got an iPad2 in June, after watching Chuck and Laurie play with one in DC in May. I've already planned out a couple of specific uses for it in my classes: I'll be recording every band with GarageBand, I'll be videoing them with the camera app, I'll use it to teach the music composition class in the fall, and I've already loaded a SmartMusic app (it's a message reminder so far, but I'm working with our SmartMusic rep to explore creating a fully functional app of SmartMusic itself).

I also like the camera. Every year I encourage students to video themselves and watch/listen for places to improve their playing. With an A/V-enabled device that would be an easy thing to do (and I could make it a specific assignment!).

That all being said, I'm OK with the university model, because tablets and laptops can all run SmartMusic now and most have onboard cameras and audio recording capabilities. The downside to tablets for me is PCs don't have a program nearly as good as GarageBand.

--Dain

I think for a younger student (5th grader) that the iPad would be a great tool. The iPad is not a tool you can do everything on, but you certainly can get online, save to the cloud, use it for recording homework assignments, etc. and taking notes. I second Hannah's comments from above about the lack of keyboard making it more challenging for writing longer papers. I see the iPad evoloving as a piece of hardware for student learning, and while it cannot do everything, it's convienent size and portability makes it an easy tool for a young MS student to access and handle. I do not think that a 5th grader would need the power of a tablet or another lap top. Plus, if LS is doing iPads, this would help with the transition.

--Will

Short version... I would be happy with these. Long version... I don’t think one can compare a laptop to a IPAD2 it’s apples to carrots. There are trade offs to both when you compare them.


 * The pros** to the ipad for Middle school students/teachers:
 * Long 10 hour battery life. This will be huge for your afternoon classes.
 * Small - students carry lots of things with them to class and home something small is helpful
 * Speed of which it wakes from sleep for quick class tasks
 * While we will have to give up some things due to it not being a full laptop... However, "there is an app for that" seems to be said more often the not. I am really impressed with the plethora of subject related apps as well as apps we could use for creative assignments/assessments that are designed for the IPAD.
 * Cost - I like the idea of these being integrated for 2 years at a cost of 250 a year. I think that with a limited device like this you would not want it on a long 4 year cycle.
 * Greater classroom flexibility with apps that could be easily added to your course at little or even no cost.
 * Built in camera that is integrated into many apps
 * Significantly restrictive OS which means that there would be less chance of crashes.
 * Quick and easy collection of homework with apps like dropbox.

Does not have the full capabilities of a laptop / however a laptop does not have all the pros listed above.
 * Cons:**


 * Lastly, misconceptions:**

Youtube and Vimeo both work on an iPAD2 You can get a keyboard for typing you don’t have to use the screen keyboard at all times. There is lack of USB support, however, you the device is extremely well setup for cloud based computing.

Out of the two devices we had to look at this summer, I was most pleased with this one. I am excited and ready to try them out in my class if anyone knows where I can get 18 of them or 70?

-- Michael