I-Pads. Really?

If someone had told me two weeks ago that a school was providing ipads for all of their students, I would've responded, "Seriously?! That's ridiculous!" My assumption would've been that it was a gross amount of extra expensive with little effectiveness in increasing education. The articles on iPads in education, however, point to very different conclusions. According to myfoxboston.com, iPads could save school thousands by reducing the amount spent on textbooks. E-books can be purchased for the iPad, and as I have just discovered from using it myself, iBook is easy to use and great for highlighting and note taking while reading. One article then even claimed higher test scores from students who used iPads in class. Why? Learning just became fun and engaging! I suppose that if I were back in elementary school, I too would be more apt to do my homework if it was on an iPad! There are many wonderful and education apps that intrigue and engage students, making homework a much more appealing idea.

Though many are probably skeptical of using ebooks, I found reading on the iPad ebook reader to be a positive experience. With a flip of your finger, you turned a page (just as you would a real book). By touching the screen, you could scroll through the book to any desired chapter or page. You could also highlight, take notes, and look up words in a dictionary! At any given point, you can also go back and view all of your highlights and notes. This is my favorite part! For students working on research papers, this saves the trouble of sticky notes and index cards. All your notes and bookmarks are saved and ready for easy reference.

In conclusion...
If someone were now to tell me that a school is investing in iPads for all their students, I would respond by saying, "Right on!"