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The Impact of the iPad I have never seen a new device charge into the world of education as quickly and powerfully as the iPad. It is hard to believe that it didn’t even exist twenty-four months ago. I’ve just finished teaching my third iPad workshop this fall, each with twenty teachers receiving an iPad as part of the cost of the training. We have to continually add new workshops to the schedule because demand is so high. We hosted a presentation on the use of the iPad in special education in September, and had seventy people attend in person and almost two dozen sites around the state viewing via videoconference. There are thousands of education-specific apps already available, and more are released every day. All of which leads to the question: Why? What is it about the iPad that is causing it to be embraced so enthusiastically by educators? After all, it wasn’t even designed with education in mind, and it can be a challenge to manage the devices in a school system. I think there are several critical factors that make the iPad (and the competing pads now coming on to the market) compelling. It’s light and easy to carry around, it turns on instantly, it runs all day without being plugged in, and all you need to use it is your finger, so there’s no need for a keyboard or mouse. All of these factors combine to make a device with an interface so simple that an infant can use it, and there is virtually no operating system to learn. From the time you pick up the iPad to visiting websites or running the app you want is a matter of seconds. There are no keyboard shortcuts needed, no right-click/left-click tricks to remember; just you, your fingers, and the work you’re doing. Because of its light weight and long battery life, you can work with it anywhere you want, without having to worry about power outlets or trying to figure out how to balance it awkwardly in your lap like a laptop computer. The iPad isn’t the end of the story, of course. It has spawned an entirely new class of devices, with new tablets coming out from a variety of manufacturers and more on the way. In the meantime, we will continue to explore the many ways that educators are finding to take advantage of these fascinating new tools for learning and teaching. Interested in learning more? Register now for our iPads for Educators: Batteries Included workshop on January 5th, or iPads in Education on January 11th.
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I have been working in educational technology for almost thirty years, so I’ve seen a lot of technologies come and go. Often there is great fanfare and excitement over the latest exciting new device, which inevitably fades from the scene as the reality doesn’t live up to expectations. It’s much less common to have a new technology appear that starts with great enthusiasm and takes off with even greater success than anticipated. The iPad falls into this unusual category.