It seems like in the past a new technological tool would come out on the market and enthusiasts would rise up and develop lots of educational uses and reasons for using the tool, then some teachers would complain about using it, then those "naysayers" would be bashed for being stuck in their "old" ways and not adapting to the latest technology, and then the excitement would wane until the next great thing came along. In 1913, even Thomas Edison boasted that books would become obsolete within the next ten years due to film and that film would totally revolutionize education and the classroom.
So what is the verdict on the iPad? Is it going to truly enhance and change education? Are there aspects about it that could revolutionize how humans interact with their machines? Will it be a hit or a miss?
Based on history, it has also been proven that machines don't change anything. Humans do! However according to this iPad video "I don't have to change myself to fit the product, it fits me." -Jony Ive, Senior Vice President Design.
My initial thought when they introduced the iPad was one of excitement. Wow! What stuck out in my head was how this device can do so much and how it will revolutionize ebook readers and e-newspaper readers. It has many more functions than Amazon’s Kindle and everything is in color, bright, beautiful, vivid color. This device is sleek and I could see myself reading an electronic book using the iPad. Publishers and bookstores such as Barnes and Noble will strike deals with Apple to have their books featured on the iPad for download. No more reading a book with a drab, black and white Kindle. Does this mean publishers will begin to create special, electronic formats for the iPad making pictures and illustrations come alive and making the book more interactive? I’m sure the New York Times and other newspapers will follow suit. Then the Amazon Kindle will receive a makeover and other brands will introduce electronic readers adding some competition. Will Apple hold a monopoly over all of the new electronic books they will sell or will anyone be able to download them with their “off brand” e-reader just like how you have to subscribe to AT&T with the iPhone? The introduction of the iPad could possibly set a new trend for electronic books. I’m still not convinced that paper books will become obsolete anytime soon, but this could possibly be a step in that direction. Even with Amazon Kindles, I see so many people using them. I don’t remember that many people with them last year, but this year I see people reading them all the time! Even with the drab screen on a Kindle, there is supposedly no eye strain and it can be read for hours. I would imagine an iPad screen would cause eye strain and headaches. Of course, the two a very different products. Perhaps avid readers wouldn't purchase an iPad to read books on in the first place.
Yes, the iPad is portable and sleek. It has a lot of features, my favorite being the ebook reader. However, it isn't nearly as powerful as a computer and it doesn't have the same capabilities - no Flash, no USB ports, no expandable memory or storage, no webcam, etc. A laptop computer has all of these things! So why have a computer and an iPad in the classroom? Also, speaking of the ebook app, would major textbook publishers had an online version of their textbooks for students? Will schools be able to purchase and download textbooks for their iPad? Is that what educators would even want? Will schools eventually stop providing paper-bound textbooks and only provide an electronic version?
Of course, Apple made it clear it wasn’t supposed to be a tablet computer or take the place of a laptop. That wasn’t the purpose of it. It’s a gadget, not a computer. Why would anyone spend $2K on a Macbook when they could buy an iPad, right? So the iPad is not a computer and is not supposed to perform that function. It's more for the couch potato type or for the coffee table when guests come over to visit or for general surfing.
Oh well. The thoughts of carrying lots of gizmos around – phone, iPod, laptop, iPad, camera, Kindle, etc. just isn’t appealing. Of course if they don’t leave any room for improvement they won’t be able to come out with lots and lots of newer versions with better capabilities and functions, right? It appears to be a very impressive little gizmo but I’m just not convinced that I have to have one. I could probably think of a hundred uses for it in the classroom off the top of my head but in the end is it really worth it? Will it truly serve educational value that will revolutionize classrooms across the nation and world? Also, let’s say the iPad is a hit and a huge seller like the iPod and iPhone. How will students react to using something in their everyday lives for entertainment that they view as “cool” and “hip” in the classroom? Will that put a damper on their experience? Will it still be an extension of themselves? Will they become even more drawn to it or retreat from using it? Will it matter to them? The iPad could be beneficial and have an impact on education but let’s get real here, it probably won’t. However, I can see how it could be a step in the right direction and my prediction is the ebook and enewspaper capabilities will start a new trend that will take off and change how we read books and newspapers, and from an educator’s point of view, I will be very happy to have students read interactive and colorful books and newspaper articles, possibly using 3D/augmented reality technology because it will really bring things to life. But then again, Thomas Edison thought film would revolutionize education and paper books would soon become obsolete since film also brings stories and concepts to life and allows students an inside view and to experience different things through pictures and film. So who knows what will happen. Either way, it won’t happen over night. That's my 2 gigabytes anyway!
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