Wednesday, June 22, 2011
Thursday, June 16, 2011
14 months and emerged
I know it’s played out but I have to say it. I’m a special education teacher so I can’t dismiss it. I’m a teacher in the virtual environment so I have to name it. iPad. There, I said it. The iPad is a technology that has emerged in the last few years that shapes learning in education. Few years?!?! OK,14 months but whose counting?
The problems and challenges that have been associated with this technology are not as many as one would expect. The device itself has limited memory, no options for external memory, a very awkward means with which to share amongst different devices, and keyboard connectivity issues. The challenges with K-12 implementation are bandwidth and cost related. The issue with adoption in the K-12 virtual school environment is LMS and web based conferencing interface with mobile technologies.
The benefits of this technology are many. It’s a mobile device that is smaller than a netbook with access to numerous applications that allow the device to be used in ways a netbook cannot with 3G built in. Some examples: photo and video editing, online gaming with rich graphics, interactive ebooks, music creation, personal organization, etc. The benefits to K-12 education are that the device itself encourages engagement; increases access to learning resources; and allows for greater accessibility to peers, teachers, and learning materials for those with disabilities. In the virtual learning environment, it makes learning mobile.
The way the iPad is not talked about amongst the masses is with regards to the accessibility features and applications. I hinted to it in the above paragraph but the iPad can be used to meet the needs of many people with disabilities. The feature that most readily comes to mind is that of the AAC (augmentative and alternative communication) apps. These apps allow individuals with disabilities that impair verbal communication to communicate verbally. How does that benefit society? It empowers individuals and increases their independence. Broader picture? The iPad can be used a tool to improve academic performance by increasing student engagement; providing greater access to resources; and by making learning mobile and accessible.
The iPad can be improved upon. The text to speech feature for ebooks could be made better by allowing the technology to start and stop through user interaction with the device rather than limited to selected text. Collaboration could be enhanced by allowing local users (or remote users through the soon to be released iCloud services) to work collaboratively (as opposed to logging onto services like Google Docs). The device itself could be run using verbal commands. Oh wait…that’s already in the works. And a drop in price is always helpful.
The problems and challenges that have been associated with this technology are not as many as one would expect. The device itself has limited memory, no options for external memory, a very awkward means with which to share amongst different devices, and keyboard connectivity issues. The challenges with K-12 implementation are bandwidth and cost related. The issue with adoption in the K-12 virtual school environment is LMS and web based conferencing interface with mobile technologies.
The benefits of this technology are many. It’s a mobile device that is smaller than a netbook with access to numerous applications that allow the device to be used in ways a netbook cannot with 3G built in. Some examples: photo and video editing, online gaming with rich graphics, interactive ebooks, music creation, personal organization, etc. The benefits to K-12 education are that the device itself encourages engagement; increases access to learning resources; and allows for greater accessibility to peers, teachers, and learning materials for those with disabilities. In the virtual learning environment, it makes learning mobile.
The way the iPad is not talked about amongst the masses is with regards to the accessibility features and applications. I hinted to it in the above paragraph but the iPad can be used to meet the needs of many people with disabilities. The feature that most readily comes to mind is that of the AAC (augmentative and alternative communication) apps. These apps allow individuals with disabilities that impair verbal communication to communicate verbally. How does that benefit society? It empowers individuals and increases their independence. Broader picture? The iPad can be used a tool to improve academic performance by increasing student engagement; providing greater access to resources; and by making learning mobile and accessible.
The iPad can be improved upon. The text to speech feature for ebooks could be made better by allowing the technology to start and stop through user interaction with the device rather than limited to selected text. Collaboration could be enhanced by allowing local users (or remote users through the soon to be released iCloud services) to work collaboratively (as opposed to logging onto services like Google Docs). The device itself could be run using verbal commands. Oh wait…that’s already in the works. And a drop in price is always helpful.