I feel that Ipads are important to better our education. Online books can be downloaded with the newest information in them at the press of a button, whereas with textbooks, even if you buy them new every year, the information is already two years old. Textbooks also waste a ton of paper and are not very environmentally friendly. According to the Association of American Publishers school division, the average text book for students in grades 9-12 weighs 5 pounds. In our school, students have six classes, this means that if students have homework in every class, they have to carry home 30 pounds worth of books a day! An Ipad weighs just 1.33 pounds, imagine how much stress that would take off of students poor backs. There are also more benefits from an Ipad other than just it being 28 pounds lighter, and more eco friendly. Internet is also just a click away allowing students to research topics and search for unanswered problems. Ipads come with Pages, which is just like Microsoft Word, so students would be able to type up their work without having to leave class and be unsupervised. Overall i think you can see that Ipads are clearly the better choice over textbooks. MRW
At the very least I would like to continue having updated computers and have our existing technology updated. For example, we have Microsoft Powerpoint but it is from 2004 and is not fully compatible with the newer versions. I think it is important to have monies allocated to the tech dept. for the maintenance and updating of software and for replacing outdated computers.
It would be nice to have SmartBoards in each classroom with packages of software for each grade level and subject. Charlotte
I absolutely agree that iPads hold more value in our school system than textbooks do. Textbooks are expensive, quickly outdated and hard to replace. iPads are a paperless solution that are easily updated and, in the long run, cost much less. I certainly wish that e-book devices had been around when I was in high school and especially in college. Each semester I spend hundreds of dollars in textbooks alone, and the cost of electronic books are always less--plus they're available for immediate download. And the ability to search for a specific term/phrase in the entire book without spending hours turning pages? GENIUS! I know half the time my boys won't bring their homework home because it's "too heavy" and "too much to remember." With all their books available in one device, they wouldn't have the excuse to skip their work.
iPads would serve a larger role than just book-replacement. They would act as a catch-all for assignments, daily organizers, alarms, etc. With the ability to draft documents and the technology of wireless keyboards, students would no longer be stuck at home on a weekend with their first draft of an essay stuck on the school server. Even the portable jump drives I furnished the boys at Christmas are broken or lost already. I honestly think many students' grades would improve as the result of utilizing iPads district-wide. I know my grades have, and I don't know what I'd do without my iPad. =) -Amanda
I have to back up what Charlotte said about the inability to function on some platforms with outdated software. The Office package we are running at the school is in desperate need of an upgrade, some of the items I receive from the state are not accessible on school computers.
Beyond that. The generation of students that we have in front of us today are tech savvy, tech interested, and very tech intense. There is much discussion about whether or not this is appropriate. It is appropriate. As someone who as used the technology to connect with the students in my classroom while on the road I can attest to the tool that it is. We know we are hampered by our poor bandwidth. Not only would an upgrade there increase out ability to communicate with them while they, or we, travel, but it would also add to the amount of time students can spend with instruction or decrease the amount of time they would spend looking for information. I think we have all experienced how long it takes to find information with the length of time involved in accessing information.
I also believe that the computer as a communication tool is invaluable. This blog is a perfect example of people coming together at their convenience to share their ideas. There is no reason that this same technology can't be used in the classroom. I appreciate the exchange of information that now happens due to the tools for communication we have before us and am continually looking for ways to have those tools used more efficiently.
I feel that Ipads are important to better our education. Online books can be downloaded with the newest information in them at the press of a button, whereas with textbooks, even if you buy them new every year, the information is already two years old. Textbooks also waste a ton of paper and are not very environmentally friendly. According to the Association of American Publishers school division, the average text book for students in grades 9-12 weighs 5 pounds. In our school, students have six classes, this means that if students have homework in every class, they have to carry home 30 pounds worth of books a day! An Ipad weighs just 1.33 pounds, imagine how much stress that would take off of students poor backs. There are also more benefits from an Ipad other than just it being 28 pounds lighter, and more eco friendly. Internet is also just a click away allowing students to research topics and search for unanswered problems. Ipads come with Pages, which is just like Microsoft Word, so students would be able to type up their work without having to leave class and be unsupervised. Overall i think you can see that Ipads are clearly the better choice over textbooks.
ReplyDeleteMRW
At the very least I would like to continue having updated computers and
ReplyDeletehave our existing technology updated. For example, we have Microsoft
Powerpoint but it is from 2004 and is not fully compatible with the newer
versions. I think it is important to have monies allocated to the tech
dept. for the maintenance and updating of software and for replacing
outdated computers.
It would be nice to have SmartBoards in each classroom with packages of
software for each grade level and subject.
Charlotte
I absolutely agree that iPads hold more value in our school system than textbooks do. Textbooks are expensive, quickly outdated and hard to replace. iPads are a paperless solution that are easily updated and, in the long run, cost much less. I certainly wish that e-book devices had been around when I was in high school and especially in college. Each semester I spend hundreds of dollars in textbooks alone, and the cost of electronic books are always less--plus they're available for immediate download. And the ability to search for a specific term/phrase in the entire book without spending hours turning pages? GENIUS! I know half the time my boys won't bring their homework home because it's "too heavy" and "too much to remember." With all their books available in one device, they wouldn't have the excuse to skip their work.
ReplyDeleteiPads would serve a larger role than just book-replacement. They would act as a catch-all for assignments, daily organizers, alarms, etc. With the ability to draft documents and the technology of wireless keyboards, students would no longer be stuck at home on a weekend with their first draft of an essay stuck on the school server. Even the portable jump drives I furnished the boys at Christmas are broken or lost already. I honestly think many students' grades would improve as the result of utilizing iPads district-wide. I know my grades have, and I don't know what I'd do without my iPad. =)
-Amanda
I have to back up what Charlotte said about the inability to function on some platforms with outdated software. The Office package we are running at the school is in desperate need of an upgrade, some of the items I receive from the state are not accessible on school computers.
ReplyDeleteBeyond that. The generation of students that we have in front of us today are tech savvy, tech interested, and very tech intense. There is much discussion about whether or not this is appropriate. It is appropriate. As someone who as used the technology to connect with the students in my classroom while on the road I can attest to the tool that it is. We know we are hampered by our poor bandwidth. Not only would an upgrade there increase out ability to communicate with them while they, or we, travel, but it would also add to the amount of time students can spend with instruction or decrease the amount of time they would spend looking for information. I think we have all experienced how long it takes to find information with the length of time involved in accessing information.
I also believe that the computer as a communication tool is invaluable. This blog is a perfect example of people coming together at their convenience to share their ideas. There is no reason that this same technology can't be used in the classroom. I appreciate the exchange of information that now happens due to the tools for communication we have before us and am continually looking for ways to have those tools used more efficiently.
Ms. Pate