Measuring the iPad's Potential for Education

Educators and analysts weigh in on how the iPad could infiltrate the hallways of K-12 schools
nationwide
By Bridget McCrea
01/27/10
Thans to the fact that Pinellas County high schools release early on !ednesdays" Catherine
#othstein didn$t e%en ha%e to si& school to watch the li%e feed of the '&&le iPad announce(ent
on her ho(e la&to&) *lued to the screen" this ninth grader fro( +unedin ,igh -chool in
+unedin" ./" was a(ong the (illions who got a first gli(&se of the re%olutionary new gadget at
shortly after 10 a)() Pacific today)
!hile the iPad$s ca&a0ilities wowed #othstein" a long-ti(e iPod and MacBoo fan" her initial
feed0ac ca(e with a hint of disa&&oint(ent1 23 can$t 0elie%e they (ade this without a ca(era"2
said #othstein" who reco%ered 4uicly after watching -te%e 5o0s &oint out all of the de%ice$s
functionalities) 2But oh well" the a&&s and the touch screen loo &retty cool)2 !hen ased a0out
the i(&act that these de%ices (ight ha%e on her education--either in or out of the classroo(--
#othstein answered" 2!ell right now we don$t really e%en use la&to&s in the classroo(" so
so(ething lie this would 0e a 0ig i(&ro%e(ent)2
The fact that ninth graders lie #othstein are so(ewhat 0las6 a0out a de%ice whose hea%ily
antici&ated launch attracted (illions of eye0alls around the world isn$t e7actly sur&rising) Call
the( 8aded" 0ut today$s K-12 students ha%e the world at their fingerti&s when it co(es to
technology" and are only li(ited 0y 0udget when it co(es to getting their hands on ite(s lie
'&&le$s new iPad)
K-12 teachers are a 0it (ore i(&ressed 0y the cross 0etween the la&to&-iPhone hy0rid" and told
us it could go a long way in hel&ing to connect educators with their students)
Bar0ara !i&&ich" a self-&roclai(ed 2digital i((igrant2 whose grandchildren chastised her o%er
the holidays for wanting to 2read2 the #intendo !ii console directions 0efore 8u(&ing into
ga(e &lay" said she nows firsthand 8ust how 2hardwired2 today$s students are for digital
connections)
2Change is ha&&ening so fast" and this ind of 9technology: is in (ost of our ids$ hands
already"2 said !i&&ich" curriculu( and instruction inter%ention coordinator for /i0erty Pu0lic
-chools in Kansas City" M;) 2The sooner we in the education field start to e(0race it and use it"
the 0etter off we$ll 0e)2
'shlee <it=o" a fourth-grade inclusion teacher at ,o(estead Ele(entary -chool in Cross%ille"
T#" said the iPad definitely has a &lace in the classroo(" 0ut with the de%ices set to launch at
>?@@ to >A2@ a&iece" she said she worries they could 0e cost-&rohi0iti%e) 2The note0oos we$re
using now costs a0out >1B0 each" 0ut the de%ices don$t allow for !e0 access"2 said <it=o" who
said she sees 3nternet access as a ey ad%antage for iPad users) 2The (ore that ids ha%e access
to the !e0 and other a&&lications" the easier it 0eco(es to teach the()2
's an educator" <it=o said she would consider &urchasing her own iPad to re&lace the >1"200-
&lus MacBoo that she currently uses in class 23 &ersonally wouldn$t 0uy a >1"200 la&to& for the
classroo(" 0ut it sounds lie the iPad would not only 0e useful and &orta0le" 0ut also (ore
afforda0le"2 said <it=o) 2The de%ice$s touch screen would 0e e7cellent" es&ecially if 3 could hoo
the iPad u& to (y &ro8ector) 3t would (ae classroo( &resentations (uch easier)2
/ie #othstein" 5) *erry Purdy" was also glued to his co(&uter screen on !ednesday afternoon"
only he was watching the '&&le announce(ent fro( a different angle) Based in !ellington" ./"
this &rinci&al analyst forMo0ileTra7 said he was not only enthused at the introduction of the
hardware itself" 0ut also 0y the iPad$s &otential as a new &u0lishing and de%elo&(ent &latfor()

Maing the iPad different--and &erha&s (ore useful within the educational field--fro( other
handheld de%ices" said Purdy" is the fact that it has its own software de%elo&(ent it) 2The iPad
runs on the core iPhone o&erating syste(" 0ut it is truly a new &latfor( with (ore screen real
estate and (ore (e(ory and storage s&ace"2 Purdy e7&lained) 2This will allow a whole new class
of ga(ing and educational a&&s to co(e to (aret)2
Te7t0oos" for e7a(&le" (ay loo and feel %ery different in a 8ust a few years" thans in &art to
the introduction of the iPad) 2!e$ll no longer 0e thining in ter(s of static &u0lications and will
instead 0e using dyna(ic content with ani(ation" (o%ies" %ideo" and other (ulti(edia 0uilt
into it"2 Purdy &redicted) 2!e$ll go fro( trying to feed P+. te7t0oos into &orta0le de%ices to
0uilding interacti%e" dyna(ic a&&lications that students can carry around with the()2
Co(&aring today$s introduction of the iPad to the 2007 de0ut of the iPhone" which at the ti(e
was not associated with a 0urgeoning a&& store" Purdy said educators should %iew the new
de%ice as (ore than 8ust a new &iece of hardware) 2This is really 8ust the 0eginning"2 he said)
25ust watch what creati%e de%elo&ers are going to do with this &latfor() 3t should 0e &retty
e7citing)2
'0out the 'uthor
Bridget McCrea is a 0usiness and technology writer in Clearwater" ./) -he can 0e reached
at 0ridget(cCearthlin)net)
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