“One student played the piano with a shortened keyboard on her iPad,” Busch reports. “Another student read a book on his iPad. Another student listened to Spanish words. Bertrang pointed out how definitions of words could be found on the iPad… ‘Students won’t have to buy $100 calculators anymore either,’ Bertrang added.”
“The iPad – a wireless, touch screen, tablet-sized computer – was released in early April by Apple Inc.,” Busch reports. “The school district allocated $267,748 to its technology fund to become what is believed to be the first school in the country to have the devices at a cost of $479 each.”
Busch reports, “The money will be used to buy 320 iPads with extended, two-year warranties for students and staff, create Wi-Fi (wireless) infrastructure including routers and access points plus professional development (staff training).”
“Bertrang said the school has only received a small number of iPads so far but expects to get all 320 before the current school year ends,” Busch reports. “iPads will be distributed to teachers this spring. Summer staff development workshops will be used to decide how iPads will be integrated into classroom curriculum.”
Busch reports, “Educational technology and K-12 online learning consultant David Glick said iPads are capable of replacing textbooks and calculators while offering online research capacity.”
Full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: Boom! The first of many to come.
[Thanks to MacDailyNews Reader “jax44” for the heads up.]
Very nice…
This is going to be a huge trend. The reading experience on the IPad is really much better than a book. The dictionary, and search tools are just a touch away.
now all we need is for bob jones to put their textbooks on the iPad, then we could integrate it into our school.
It’d be great if everything on the ipad screen could also appear on the VGA output. Better yet, if the user could choose not to output some things.
High school students will inevitably use it to surf for porn, heck my friend found her 10 yr old son searching for “boobs”.
Personally I don’t really care but I know some parents are going to be irate and hire lawyers. I wonder what’s being done regarding this.
The dominoes are falling, and over the next few years they will begin to fall faster and faster.
No one can stop them now!
@ twilightmoon–
Any kid that would use an iPad to surf for porn, is already doing so now with the Internet anyway.
This isn’t anything new.
If parents are concerned about that, they need to take personal responsibility as parents and be involved in their kids’ lives.
When the text books are available , the ipad will really take off!
You can restrict the sites the iPad can access.
@Paul
It would be nice if that were not the only thing integrated at your school.
My kid carries a backpack full of books.
All of those books could be on an iPad.
All text books have errors and need to be updated.
School book publishers really need to invest in the iPad.
You are so correct Hotinplaya. I’ll be jumping on the bandwagon for my students.
I think deepdish said it better
“School book publishers really need to invest in the iPad.”
How about mixing in a little Grand Theft Auto with all that research and calculation? Boom!
@Heroin
According to Democrat Howard Dean, head of the Democratic National Committee, they do. Just look for the service providers… janitors, lawn crew, cafeteria workers, dorm room cleaners, etc… Kind of like what you would find amongst a hotel’s staff!
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132×1637094
What it will come down to is what can the school cripple or restrict vs. what it is used for.
Start with a blank screen. Add the textbooks, calculator, iWork and any other tools needed. They could easily restrict the stuff they do not need as an educational tool.
How this is going to be done will be very interesting.
Interesting that so many commenters here are first asking about how to restrict what students can access.
I was slightly puzzled at “Summer staff development workshops will be used to decide how iPads will be integrated into classroom curriculum” They buy the tools before they’ve figured out how to take advantage of them? Cool school!
And @Javier, “The reading experience on the IPad is really much better than a book” I’m a Mac-lover too but is this really true? Several advantages, I’m sure. But “better” than a book from the point of view of the reading perspective?
@Twilightmoon “Hire lawyers”? To do what? Get richer than they already are, on a wild goose chase?
People are so concerned that kids might do more they might be creative heaven forbid. Just so stupid really. Why can’t kids be fought true history and be fought to dream and take chances and be bold seems all they want to do is dumb down kids restrict things they do.
The ipad could be one awesome creativty tool and who knows what might come up with
@NHL,
I noticed that too.
It comes from knowing real kids, not the idealized types that inhabit your imagination.
The great thing about kids is that they don’t have big heads full of nonsense about what a computer should be, and what a device can’t do. They are really good at thinking of something that you didn’t think of.
These are the people this platform is for, not us crusty old hackers.
@ ChrissyOne,
“… not us crusty old hackers.”
Oh, you’re not all that old. But crusty …
@ChrissyOne
“These are the people this platform is for, not us crusty old hackers.”
Right on, Crusty!
I hate my school district. They are so f*cking bakwards — we are using pentium 4 machines running windows 98 and every week or so a virus swamps our network!!! I’m moving to this high school so I can get a real f*cking education !!!
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I know it’s a rant but I’m jealous
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Ahh, pleeeaaase, beloved Americans, could you please calm down a bit AND DO NOT BUY ALL THOSE IPADS PLEASE! You know, the rest of the world has to wait at least two months longer, and I happen live in a part of this rest of the world. Can you remember how it feels having to wait? It’s not fun!
Is there a “gold star” sticker from Apple, for being first?