I have been using the iPad for a couple of weeks now and have taken it to 2 PDs and used it to take minutes at 2 meetings. I have basically only used 'Documents to Go' and some of the games, mainly because the other things I wanted to use were unavailable because I was not connected with the web.
These are my thoughts:
After the initial euphoria of the idea of the iPad, I must say I am less excited about it now. While it has some positives, I think the negatives make it less than ideal as a resource for the students at school.
Negatives
The keypad drives me nuts when note taking or writing a sermon (the other thing I have been doing on it), as the apostrophes and dashes are on the other keyboard, meaning I am constantly switching between the two. I know the kids at very adaptable, but it may confuse some of the children. It is also very 'touchy' which would be an issue for our special ed kids.
The screen gets very dirty - I need to clean it multiple times a day.
The reflection of overhead lights is fairly distracting because the surface is fairly flat, even when on its stand. Fingerprints really stand out. Of course that is probably the same for all slates/tablets.
You still need to have access to the internet to access your documents/download docs via dropbox or email and this is part of our problem. You cannot access many other educational things at present without the internet (Google/Bible App/ABC) which is what we are trying to avoid.
It shuts itself down after a couple of minutes of inactivity - how useful is that in class? The separate keyboard also shuts down when that happens.
There is no ability to draw or add images to a document when using 'Docs on the go' so when at my PD I still had to use a text doc and my notebook - how would that impact on Maths/Geography lessons? Is there another App that could do both?
Multitasking is a pain. Because you can't have 2 apps open at a time/side by side, it is hard to do note taking etc.
The arrow keys on the additional keyboard don't seem to work with it, making moving the cursor to between words difficult at times. Our Spec Needs kids will find that particularly challenging.
Each device would have to be assigned to a particular student - you couldn't share them between multiple classes like a laptop trolley/netbooks.
Not having a Windows OS means they don't gel with our other computers.
Can't put a memory stick into them to transfer data.
POSITIVES
It starts up quickly - no logging on issues.
Very portable.
Lots of apps available.
Would be great to have a class set for creative writing applications (although see above re keyboard negatives).
ISSUES TO BE THOUGHT OUT
How do we reduce the use of the internet, especially if we have whole classes with these portable devices, plus more students/another building/more teachers next year? What training are we giving staff on other things to do that don't use much internet?
Are we going to train the staff about all the devices can do BEFORE we think of rolling them out?
We need to have policies in place regarding damage/misuse before we even start. Who will do this? Who will 'own' them and how do we monitor what is going on them if parents own them? Who will pay for extras like batteries/keyboards/covers/chargers etc? What happens if something happens to the device (warranty etc)?
Who decides who gets them? Will teachers have opportunity for training before needing the write a 'proposal' for how they will use them? What happens if 1 teacher at a year level wants them but the other doesn't? Who will deal with parental complaints if their child is in a class that doesn't have them? Who will monitor that they are being utilised effectively and will they be removed if they are not?
Would it be better to wait until the technology has developed a bit more so that we know that the devices (whether it be netbooks/iPads/other slates) are what are actually best for us as a school?
We still have to overcome the issue of lack of internet. Any device that we get will be affected by this issue. Are we better to spend the money on software that will extend and fully utilise the technology we already have?
Perhaps we need to restructure how things are done, especially in the primary school. Is it effective to give students from Year 4 down open slather to research on the internet, or should we be providing them with articles that they use to write their projects etc? What happened to books? Would e-books that are on the server better value at the moment?
The students seem to download a large number of images. Why don't we encourage them to draw pictures/headings etc?
Could students be asked to do more research at home rather than doing it at school?
Before we do anything, I think we need to do a detailed scope and sequence for ICT across the school.
The above are all my opinion and I would be happy to discuss any of the points (and be persuaded otherwise with regard to the negatives) with anyone.
Karen
