Ipad Response Post

What
were the benefits of having a class set of iPads in the
classroom?

         Having the class set of iPads was great! It was so convenient and efficient to take notes on them not to mention gather information. If we were having a class discussion and something came up that we needed more info on, it was easy and fast to look it up on the internet. Some books we read, such as Huck Finn, were also on the iPad. Not having to bring the books to class was another plus of that. This meant I could keep the book at home, which allowed the load I carry to and from school a little lighter. Additionally, we were able to highlight and write notes in the book as we read and discussed in class, which I loved, and felt like it helped me organize my thoughts very well. I'm not an extremely savvy technology person, but the iPads proved to be very easy to use. I truly thought they were a great asset for the class.

What
were the limitations or problems with having a class set of
iPads.

         Honestly, I didn't think there were many drawbacks of the iPads.  The only one I can really think of is the cost, because they are expensive.  But if we could get books for all classes downloaded onto the iPad and give them to students to take home each day,the district wouldn't have to keep replacing old books that are either outdated or destroyed.  Therefore, it  would be a big expense at first, but in the long run, it would actually save the district money.  It would also be a huge asset for the students. Since the iPads are such good quality, I didn't encounter any problems on them during the year, besides small things like internet connection problems which were easily fixed and not the fault of the device itself.  Since they are of such high quality, they would probably last for a while, and could be constantly be updated.  I cannot think of any drawbacks nor any reason why we shouldn't get them for the whole school.



Do
you think that the school district should have more iPad carts for students to
use or move to a 1:1 environment where all high students would have access to an
iPad they would be able to take home and use during the school year.

              Though having iPads in the classroom was great, I think it would be even more beneficial to have students take them home.  Most kids do have computers at home, but even those who do don't neccessarily have the newest, fastest, or best quality computers, or have to share computers with multiple siblings. Those kids are at a disadvantage compared to others.  If everyone was able to take the Ipads home, they could always have the best, most updated programs, available for constant use. Allowing kids to take them home would also allow them to have more time to experiment with different applications and other aspects of the iPad that could prove useful for projects, research, ect.  For example, for a Great Gatsby project, a girl in our class used an animation application, but had to take the iPad home multiple nights to complete it on time.  The final product was amazing, and that particular project really utilized the iPads to their fullest potential.  But in order to do that, class time was not sufficient.  The iPads would also be great to take home in regards to books: each student would have all their books in one central, lightweight device.  It would reduce the load each student has to carry to and from school each day.  Many reasons, as listed above, support getting each student an iPad to take home.