Running Header: Theorizing the iPad

Theorizing the iPad Vygotsky Style ETEC 511: Foundations of Educational Technology

Jaime Peters

Submitted To: Dr. Franc Feng and Dr. Stephen Petrin March 1, 2014

Theorizing the iPad Dear Alexander Luria, I am compelled to write this letter to you, Alexander, relating the secret details of my trip to the future. Three weeks ago I finished building a time machine. Hoping for every ounce of luck I could muster I entered the time traveler and held my breath. As if by magic I, Lev Vygotsky, arrived in the year 2011. What I am about to tell you regarding the way children are educated in the future is all true machines run the school! One particular machine particular sparked my interest the iPad. Apparently it is the latest techno-gadget from the Apple corporation. The iPads rectangular shape is no more than 19 by 24 centimeters and with a thickness of about 9 centimeters it should hardly seem capable of all it can do. The front is a flat black screen, which seems quite unassuming, until it comes alive with the hit of a button. Once powered-up, the user merely touches the screen to launch programs and maneuver around the devices many capabilities. The first classroom I visited where iPads were in use did nothing to ease my skepticism. I was shocked to see a classroom of learners, each sitting at their desk zombie-like, pointing, tapping and swiping at a device that, despite its many functions, cannot interact with the student on a human level. Sure there was noise coming out of it music, binging, even the occasional monotone voice, but nothing that compares to the benefit of face-to-face interaction. I overheard students talking about angry birds. Strangely enough it was a game they were speaking of. This was initially an ah-hah moment. So they use educational games to enhance their learning. How intriguing, I thought. My ah-hah moment was

Theorizing the iPad quickly shattered as a student relayed to me the purpose of this ridiculous game. These students were all sitting, independently, playing a game that requires very little logical thinking and no interaction. What wasted potential!

Although the devices size is convenient, it is also one of its downfalls. The small screen would hardly be large enough for two people to collaborate over, never mind a larger group. Even as I tried to pear over the shoulder of one student I experienced difficulty seeing the screen due to the glare from the overhead lights. This small deterrent would make any student want to have his or her own iPad instead of sharing one device (and as such interacting) with another student. Despite my negative initial assessment, some short interviews with students and teachers have me reshaping my thoughts. The iPad is able to run apps (short for applications) that can be purchased inexpensively and downloaded directly to the device. The matters of downloading and the Internet are too expansive to discuss here, but let me assure you, Alexander, it is amazing beyond compare. The touch-screen interface affords ease of use for any age and eliminates the need for external components to help type or maneuver about the device. Available apps are numerous. Many apps are able to enhance childrens learning as they are currently quite the novelty. Apps, surprisingly, do encourage social 2

Theorizing the iPad interaction, but of a different nature than what we experience in 1924. There are apps that enable the device to permit synchronous or asynchronous interaction. Facetime allows students to converse with anyone across the globe. GoogleDocs permits that sharing of written work. YouTube facilitates the viewing and posting of material, some of which is helpful for the student learning experience. I realize these app names mean nothing to you, Alexander, but they accommodate student interaction in a way I could never have imagined. And so, I have concluded that the iPad is not the educational Achilles heal I first thought it to be. If used correctly by students and teachers alike, it does have the ability to foster and develop the social interaction that is necessary to help children learn. However, I remain cautiously optimistic as it takes intention to use the device in a collaborative manner. Too easily I could see students becoming lost in themselves if they are not encouraged to use the iPad as a social interaction tool.

Sincerely, Lev Vygotsky