Class+2_Team+5

iPads in the Classroom

=Introduction: =

As the technology in the world continuously develops, teachers are faced with the issue of how to both utilize this ever changing technology in the classroom while also creating new ways to conduct lessons. Among one of the tools in which schools are beginning to see more of is that of the iPad and iPhone. Both tools grant students and teachers a wide array of new methods to learn across a spectrum of classes from the Science classroom to the Art classroom. The iPad, through the use of applications, allow lessons to be taught in the form of games or actual lesson-oriented programs. By looking at the utilization of iPads and its applications, one can see how students and educators may both be advantaged and disadvantaged by certain aspects of this technology tool. The iPad is a new tool that is showing up in the classroom today, and its usage allows a new digital age of teaching and learning.

=How the Technology is Used: =

**How the iPad is applied in English class** The iPad (as well as iPhones and iPods) offer a vast array of English-related applications. These applications can help facilitate the education of English students in vocabulary improvement, writing development, and understanding of readings. One frequently used application is the free Dictionary.com application, which offers over a million definitions without even being connected to the internet. An application such as this expedites the process of finding word meaning for students and teachers. Rather just ignoring a word because he or she would have to look it up in a thick, bulky dictionary, a student may be more inclined to simply use the application to instantly get a definition; therefore, vocabulary could, ostensibly, be improved.

Many teachers in grade and high schools, as well as professors, have begun implementing programs that allow students to submit papers via their iPads so the teacher can comment, correct, and grade them electronically. Electronic submissions save paper and allow for teachers to offer quicker feedback than waiting to hand back a stack of marked up papers. Teachers can announce that papers are graded and commented, and students can then access and view the comments quicker and more efficiently.

English-related game applications have also become popular in classrooms. Applications such as Workflick, Scrabble, Blanks, and many others have allowed English teachers to play games revolving around English with very little effort in design and preparation on the teacher’s part. These games offer a good change of pace to alter the learning process as well as add a bit of playful competition to the class. Another vital application is the Cliff Notes application, which offers invaluable discussion questions, commentary, and, for difficult readings like Shakespeare, translations to help students who may struggle and need addition assistance than what the teacher can offer. There are literally hundreds of English-related applications, many which can be found here: Apps in Education

**How the iPad is used in the Art Classroom** The iPad offers a wide range of applications in which students can utilize. Due to its versitility, the iPad can cater to any art student's preference whether it be drawing, film making, or music. The iPad also can become a useful tool to the art educator by creating new, interesting ways for the student to get involved in class critique. Ultimately, the iPad allows students to approach art with a new medium.

Among one of the most commonly seen apps pertaining to the art classroom would have to be that of the "Finger Painting" application. This application allows the student to digitally render an image as simple as a contour drawing to the more complex human portrait. Such applications grants the student the ability to digitally paint or draw much like one would do on paper through the use of different opacities of color. By using this method, the techniques used in a drawing or painting can also be applied as well as the same tools. For example, a student is still able to create texture on the surface of a drawing by using a different range of brush sizes, much like what one would do under normal circumstances. The same also applies to correcting mistakes. An erasing tool can be applied to the drawing much like what a student may be used to.

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Due to the adaptive nature of the iPad, the applications in which the student can utilize can range from the drawing application to a music application. A wide selection of music creation applications on the iPad gives students the chance to create music from the comfort of their bed or the average classroom through the guidance of the teacher. Ultimately, it gives students the tools to create music electronically that typically would need the use of a computer. The students have the choice of different instruments to pick from the simple piano to technology-based electronic sounds that is commonly heard in today’s popular music.

Through the use of Facetime on the iPad, the idea of the typical art critique can be change to offer new methods of communicating ideas. For example, if a teacher decides to show students a new work of art to talk about, they can show the image through Facetime and have the students offer their input. It gives students the opportunity to see art outside of what they may see in the classroom or on the internet. The difference that the Facetime has apart from the internet is that the colors would be much closer to the work of art’s true colors. By looking up images on the internet, the student is subjected to the possibility that the colors are falsified. This way, students can get a better sense of the artwork as a whole as well as take part in a critique from either their home or the classroom.

**How the iPad in the Science Classroom:** The iPad offers many apps for science teachers to use in the classroom, from apps about the solar system to dissection. There are apps for science teachers for every subject in science, there are apps for chemistry, biology, earth science, and physics. The iPad offers science teachers textbooks, games, and dictionaries for the different topics in science. <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">On of the most common and interesting applications for science that Apple as out there is one for learning about the stars. Students can take their iPads outside and hold them up to the night sky to learn about the constellations that they see. There are also applications about the solar system that lets the students go out into outer space to look and learn about the planets with out leaving their chairs. Below is a video about how one teacher used these different applications to teach her students about the solar system with a whole elaborate event. The video is about an elementary classroom however these applications can also be used in a secondary classroom.

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=<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Advantages of Using the iPad in Classrooms = <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">**Textbooks:** <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">The paper textbooks that teachers use in their classrooms are expensive to produce and for school districts to buy. Since textbooks are expensive schools have to use books that are out dated, old and don’t contain the information that teachers need to teach their students. Also by the time that the fourth student has a textbook it could be all highlighted up, torn and even dog-eared. Paper textbooks also lead to heavy backpacks, which leads to back problems. <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">When Apple came out with iPads the problems with textbooks could be thrown out the window. Apple came up with a program that allows teachers and school boards to get their textbooks on to iPads. The program Multi-Touch textbook allows students to flip through the book easily, highlight the text and all their books are now put into just one place. No more carrying around five textbooks crammed into their backpacks. In the iPad textbooks students can look and manipulate the images in the textbook so that they don’t see a two-dimensional image but can see the entire image. The images are also interactive so that students can explore more about a subject.

<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">**Books:** <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Along with textbooks teachers can have students look up reading books, just as picture or chapter books. These books can be bought through Apples iBookstore.

<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">**Apps:** <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">The iPad as millions of different application on a wide range of subjects that teachers can use to help their students learn more about a subject or just develop their skills in math, reading, writing, spelling, etc. There are apps through the Apples application store for every subject from math to art even language development. To learn more about all the apps out there for teachers check out the website, [] <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Besides educational application there are also applications that the iPad comes equipped with. The iPads come with the Internet in which students can look up information for project on. With the Internet students can also set up an email account were they can email their teachers their homework. The iPad comes with an application called FaceTime were students can talk to each other or their teacher about questions what they are learning or their homework. Pages, Numbers, and Keynote on the iPad are the Apple equal to Windows; students can use these applications to make PowerPoint, word documents or spreadsheets. iPads also have the applications iMovie and GarageBand built into them, with these to apps students can make movies and put them together.

<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">**Classroom:** <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">In the classroom the iPad can do so much for the students but the iPad is also helpful for the teacher. Teachers can make all of their lesson plans, put photos or videos on to the iPad and then plug it into a television and teach the class from there.

<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">** Disadvantages of using the iPad in classrooms ** <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Despite the many academically advantageous traits of the highly adaptable, versatile iPad, there are several disadvantages of using the iPad in the classroom setting.

<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">**Performance Limitations:** <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Using the iPad for note-taking can be difficult without an external keyboard, as typing on the touchscreen’s keyboard is not as accurate or fast as a laptop’s or PC’s keyboard. Navigating through the notes can also prove difficult, especially when highlighting, copying, and pasting. The iPad can use keyboards to facilitate easier typing and note-taking, but adding a keyboard is an additional cost to the $500-plus price tag of the iPad.

<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">The iPad does not have the ability to use the full-version of Microsoft Office—a staple for students of all ages. There are applications available to view Microsoft Office files, but there are many limitations in Office’s usage on the iPad. In addition, the iPad cannot view Flash files, which eliminates the option of viewing a large amount of video on the internet. Within the same vein, iPad users are unable to edit HTML; sites like Google Docs cannot be used.

<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">**Glare:** <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Because of the LCD-LED (liquid crystal display, lit by light-emitting diodes) screen, the iPad often reflects light and produces glare when used beneath lamps or strong light, like sun shining through a classroom window. The iPad does not benefit from the advantages of technologies such as E-Ink ( electrophoretic ink), which displays electronic information without the reflection and glare of a LCD-LED screen. In a classroom setting, even the overhead lighting can sometimes produce reflection or glare, distracting the student. Studies have also shown that students read twenty to thirty percent faster when information is presented in print form versus LCD screens. In addition, eye strain can result for lengthy sessions spent using the iPad.

<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">**Initial investment:** <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">While the iPad can save money in regards to electronic textbooks, its initial cost is high. The introductory-level iPad model (16 GB, Wi-Fi, no 3G connection) is currently priced at $499, and the price goes up with larger memory and the addition of 3G connection capabilities. Once the investment has been made, students must be careful with the iPads, especially if they are carried around from class to class or from school to home. Younger students are even more prone to accidents while handling the responsibility of such an expensive item. <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Because of the high initial cost and the continual reduction of national and state educational funds, it is difficult for school districts to afford the cost of purchasing iPads for student use. Few schools have the funds, especially state-funded classrooms, to afford iPads unless parents have the means to supply them for their students. In a school district such as Oshkosh—in which funds are being cut, and over forty percent of students’ parents qualify for food stamps—the likelihood of parents supplying iPads is improbable.

<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">**Connectivity:** <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">iPads use wireless-only internet connection, and if a full classroom of students were to all use the same wireless router to access information, loading times and transfer rates of each tablet would be longer than using the computer lab. Having an instant connection to the internet also poses the distractions of social media sites—Facebook, MySpace, Twitter—and gaming websites that pull students away from the class topic. It is challenging to monitor a class of twenty or more students when each student has his or her own tablet to work with. <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Printing off assignments may also prove difficult for students as connecting to printers can be difficult for new/inexperienced iPad users. Technical staff could network all iPads to a printer system for ease of use, but this is assuming the school has a wireless network for printing already prepared.

<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">**Learning Curve/Training:** <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">While not overly difficult to use, the iPad still would require training for teachers and students, especially teachers who grew up without the immersion in technology that many students have grown accustomed to. Training would require additional costs and time, as well as time to adjust to the new technology in the classroom. Presenting and accessing information would require extra time for teachers and students in case of any snags or difficulty in using the iPads.

=<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Conclusion: = <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">iPads in the classroom can offer great advantages to teaching the technology-oriented generation of students that teachers are encountering today. The iPad is a versatile tool that can span over the course of multiple topics of interest. Its adaptability grants students to find games or study guides related to their subject of interest as well as give teachers the ability to create lessons that may better keep the students’ attention. Not only does it become an adaptable tool, but it saves students money in the long run through the use of eBooks replacing the standard paper textbooks. Despite some of the disadvantages the iPad may have in the classroom, the advantages often appear to outweigh them demonstrated by the growing amount of iPad usage across the United States. The use of the iPad or iPod in the classroom offers an array of advantages; thus, it becomes a useful tool in which teachers can utilize.

<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Sources: <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">http://interactioneducation.com/ipadsineducation.html <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">http://projects.minot.k12.nd.us/groups/chris/weblog/5ce29/ <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Integrating_Technology_In_K12/Textbooks_vs._iPad <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">http://www.forbes.com/sites/elizabethwoyke/2011/01/21/pros-and-cons-of-ipads-in-the-classroom/ <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">http://www.oshkosh.k12.wi.us/site_uploads/uploads/LongRangeFacilitiesPlanning/SAGE/SAGE_June_19_minutes.pdf <span style="color: #0000ff; font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">http://www.ischool.utexas.edu/~adillon/Journals/Paper%20vs%20screens.htm <span style="color: #0000ff; font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">http://www.apple.com/education/ipad/ <span style="color: #0000ff; font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">@http://www.musicradar.com/news/tech/the-best-iphoneipad-music-making-apps-in-the-world-today-528573/2 <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">[]