The impact the iPad has in schools.....

The affect of the iPad worldwide is amazing.  It seems like everyone needs to have one of these new amazing tablets.  Now with the launch of the iPad 2 within the last couple of weeks that rage is starting all over again.  What a lot of people don't understand is the effects the iPad is having in our schools.  It is becoming more and more apparent how much technology is changing education.  Now Apple with this new tablet is taking it to another level.  Now you have a device that you can download apps dedicated for education and a device that will end up replacing textbooks and saving schools thousands of dollars a year.

Well not everyone is jumping up and down when it comes to using the iPad in schools.  The reality is the initial cost can be high.  The average cost of the iPad can be around $600 and Apple is only offering the standard student discount.  So most schools are not saving a lot of money but instead spending a lot in order to get these amazing devices into students hands.  I was reading an article published by the New York Times that talks about how schools are testing in limited classes the use of the iPad.  Many educators love the idea of the iPad and are embracing it.  Students are loving the idea of being able to carry around one device that will allow them to complete homework assignments, have all of their textbooks on one device, and be able to use it at school and at home.  Now many schools are talking about getting all of their students an iPad for the next school year.

I am seeing it first hand in classrooms at my sons elementary school.  Each grade level has one iPad that they rotate between classes.  Teachers love them, students love them, and most of all it gets kids excited about technology and what it can do for them.  In most cases the challenge is teachers that did not grow up with technology and are having to learn as they go.  Most students today are more tech savvy than the teachers and will know a lot more.  This can be tough for teachers, but it is important to understand that this is the future.  Once I know that my textbooks can be downloaded to a tablet I will be buying one that day.  It is tough carrying around all of these textbooks on top of everything else a teacher assigns.  It is amazing to see how one device has the possibility to change how students learn.

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