"Tablets will change education this year and in the future because they neatly align with the goals and purposes of education in the digital age," said Rob Reynolds, editor-in-chief of The Xplanation and director of product design for Xplana web products. Since Apple has a track record of producing sleek, buzz-creating products, the iPad is at the center of conversation.
In the 21st Century School, adaptive learning will be the norm as the teacher moves from being a purveyor of knowledge to a coach or mentor. Lessons will be tailored to each individual student's needs; learning will be fluid rather than static. The iPad, and similar devices which will come to the forefront, allows each student to explore and gives them the means to connect. Stephen Fry, writing on the iPad for www.time.com, credits Apple's success on the fact that "their products make users smile as they reach forward to manipulate, touch, fondle, slide, tweak, pinch, prod, and stroke." Essentially, the tool lets students interactively engage and control their learning.
One elegant example of the iPad's power for education is The Elements e-book, which brings the periodic table of elements close to alive. Says author Theodore Gray, the tablet is "absolutely the best thing yet in terms of communicating to people what makes (the periodic table) interesting. Its not just an electronic version of a page." Rather, the tablet technology allows his samples to rotate so you can see them from all different sides. The touch screen allows for multiple-touch control "I can take my fingers and spin each object. And I can tap and now I've got a stereo 3-D version of the object" using inexpensive 3-D glasses in conjunction.
Take a look at Gray demonstrating his e-book on the iPad.
Critics of the iPad see its limitations as lacking a camera for still photography or video, multitasking, or applications like Word. But keep in mind, the tablet is not really a full-blown computer. It's more like a tool. Technology pioneer Kevin Kelly, writing in Wired, calls the tablet a "window on the world." It's a portable portal that "will peer into anything visible. You'll be able to see into movies, pictures, rooms, Web pages, places, and books seamlessly."
Gray says that tablets are not necessarily for every subject but that educators are excited about the possibilities the iPad and other tablets offer for the classroom. Apple CEO Steve Jobs says he has always seen his company (and products) as the "intersection between liberal arts and technology."
As the buzz grows louder for the iPad, two universities blazed a trail. Seton Hill University plans to give every first-year undergraduate student a MacBook and and iPad, while George Fox University (www.georgefox.edu) will give its new students a choice between the two. Are private-independent schools far behind?
Read more of Stephen Fry's venture to Apple and his interview with Steve Jobs.
