With all of the money spent on eMac labs and classroom computers, have schools succeeded in developi

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"Real student engagement is not about keeping students happy, boosting their self-esteem, or convincing them that what they are learning is relevant; it is about acquiring new knowledge and skills and pursuing the activities that contribute to that attainment."
Administrators around the globe are looking for the next big thing to save students from a mediocre or irrelevant education and it seems that many have decided that Apple s iPad is the catalyst to an answer. 1
By listening to educators and including their suggestions in the development of the product, Apple is showing why they have led the market for technology in education for the past 25 years, said James L. Konantz, Asst. Superintendent, Instructional Technology, Los Angeles Unified las vegas exotic car rentals School District. 2
With all of the money spent on eMac labs and classroom computers, have schools succeeded in developing meaningful and relevant curriculum that closes las vegas exotic car rentals the achievement gap, promotes higher-level thinking and prepares students for the 21st century? 3 The fact that institutions are clamoring for a new solution might indicate not. This time around though, devices are personal and personalized.
Apple hasn t specifically marketed the iPad as a mass-deployed educational solution, yet schools across the country are raising, finding or borrowing money to make a huge investment in tablet hardware with the hopes that students will engage and excel. At a time when school budgets are being slashed and class sizes mushroom, some districts are spending $400,000 4 , $790,000 5 , or even $1.2 Million 6 on hardware purchases.
iPads and education are all over the news as the 2011-12 school year gets underway, and they make for a great story: futuristic, easy to capture on video, las vegas exotic car rentals a combination of portability and individuality. iPads look different enough (and are exciting enough) that teachers, parents, administrators and even students want to believe that they are the solution we ve been searching for.
In his book Crossing the Chasm 7 , Geoffrey Moore argues there is a gap between the early adopters of the product (the technology enthusiasts and visionaries) and the early majority (the pragmatists). Moore believes visionaries and pragmatists have very different expectations. 8
Moore s theory is relevant to the educational iPad revolution going on in 2011. Innovators and early adopters see a product and begin generating ideas of how to use the new technology las vegas exotic car rentals in their own practice (or classroom). These visionaries thrive on creativity and operate in unknown territory. They could build exciting classroom experiences out of anything: GPS devices, water filtration systems, Swiss Army knives, etc.
In contrast to early adopters, the majority have a completely different set of expectations when incorporating a new technology into the classroom. These educators prefer proven track records and use existing lesson plans or curriculum units to engage students. They prefer to spend energy creating successful learning environments that foster las vegas exotic car rentals 21st century skills without an emphasis on interacting las vegas exotic car rentals with the latest technology.
Both groups of educators have strengths and are required for a healthy educational environment, but the iPad revolution is throwing big money into a technology that has only been tested with innovators and early adopters. There is no road map for success curriculum is currently underdeveloped and tied to specific App purchases. The majority is being asked to teach like an innovator without a framework to thrive within.
Is it possible that the early study findings las vegas exotic car rentals 9 are actually the result of innovative teachers, 10 not the technology specifically? And are the current las vegas exotic car rentals standardized tests being used to measure success going to capture the higher-level learning that educators are trying to foster anyway? 11
Some deployments seem to be operating under the assumption that what is good for one student is good for all students. Yes, there are quantitative studies that suggest that 1-to-1 iPads in higher education have positive results 12 but that doesn t mean that 5-year-olds will meet the same results to say nothing of their ability to make active decisions about the care of the devices.
One of the most promising las vegas exotic car rentals and exciting applications of iPads in the classroom has to do with special-needs students 13 . A technology that allows people to improve communication las vegas exotic car rentals and express themselves more fully is undeniably a worthwhile educational investment, but it doesn t mean that a child with dyslexia is automatically going to stay on task and enjoy reading.
After $626+ per student (not including tax) the iPad can function as a traditional laptop at around or above the same price per unit. Some schools are going further and supplying stylus, earphones, microphones, SD cart adapters and other peripherals. Note that, as with any new technology purchase, this price is just for the actual hardware. There are still costs involved with software, set-up, support and training costs that can easily rival the initial purchase order. The iPad isn t necessarily a bad investment, but it is a significant one, especially considering that computing devices are subject to planned obsolescence. 14
Assuming a classroom set of 30 iPads (for 30 students) that have a product life of 3 years, how else might a teacher choose las vegas exotic car rentals to spend $20,000-$24,000 to better their ability las vegas exotic car rentals to teach? Add in training and support costs and that number quickly moves towards las vegas exotic car rentals $40,000 per classroom. Extrapolate that to an entire school or district and the purchasing power is enormous w hat if that investment was put into any other tool curriculum training, on-site health care for students, library science, financial literacy, reading specialists, after-school care, teacher salaries, paid professional development, or arts programs?
Throwing devices las vegas exotic car rentals into a classroom mid-stream with early/late majority adopters with a directive to innovate will not result in success. A one or two day training where educators watch a lecture-style demonstration of features will not change educational culture. Beyond slick video segments on the local news, educators working and studying 1-to-1 deployments are seeing two components that together are a strong indicator of success: a well-planned deployment process and targeted ongoing professional development las vegas exotic car rentals .
One well documented instance of exemplary teacher support can be found at the School District of Palm Beach County. This deployment has a centralized wiki that is used to record everything from App recommendations/rubrics to lesson plans to links to other iPad roll-outs around the country. 16 The Palm Beach facilitators (Shoemaker, Lander Long) wrote professional development into their grant proposal long before any purchases were made.
John Long and his colleagues have also spent time and energy creating a successful train-the-trainers model for teacher development, 17 using small cohorts to experiment and share successes and obstacles. Over 8 years, the program has trained over 500 teachers who support the entire district with their expertise. The latest iteration of this ambassador program 18 is using mobile hybrid labs to engage students and integrate technology into the classrooms (and yes, they use iPads).
Ultimately, las vegas exotic car rentals the ongoing success of an iPad deployment has very little to do with the iPad itself, and can be attributed to the concerted las vegas exotic car rentals efforts from teachers, curriculum designers, IT support, administrators, parents and students. A common ground for all stakeholders is a position from which great things can happen if it takes an Apple logo to get everyone to the same table, then so be it. The iPad will not save your school, you will with an invested team moving towards a common goal.