Category Archives: The iPad in High School

Deploying iPads in Schools

Posted on by mkaufman

Since receiving a comment under the iPad Videos post about the deployment of iPads in Schools I thought I would post the following list of resources.

I have found a few resources on the web that have helped me to understand how people are using the iPad and what applications they are using. The best resource for philosophy and strategy I’ve found is by a guy named Fraser Speirs who is implementing a 1 to 1 program at Cedars School of Excellence in Greenock, Scotland. His blog is pretty awesome. And, I just found out about this resource he’s put together. It’s a question and answer site and covers a lot of ground so if you are deploying iPads in any way this is a great resource.

The Canby School District in Canby, Oregon is writing about their experiences deploying iPads and iPods. This is a pretty good resource for the kinds of things you are looking for about deployment.

Here’s another resource from a school librarian about the experience of implementing iPads in school.

There are a few school districts writing about their experiences using iPads in the classroom. They are: Berthoud Elementary School and Franklin Academy High School.

There are probably more but that’s a good start! If you know of other resources that can help people deploying iPads in schools understand some of the complexity and solutions available please leave a comment below.

Schools in Australia Going iPad

Posted on by mkaufman

schools in Australia go iPadIt looks like school boards and departments of education in Australia are going for the iPad. In this article in the Delimiter, it says there are many schools testing out the iPad – some with formal policies and some on a trial basis.

Western Australia’s Department of Education and Training revealed this week that some schools in the state were displaying an increased interest in iPads and tablet devices, purchasing the handheld computers independently to trial in various education programs.

“The department does not have a policy on the use of iPads or Android-based technology at this stage, however some schools have bought tablet devices to trial in various settings,” said departmental chief information officer Bevan Doyle. “There appears to be a level of interest in this technology for educational use.”

The Queensland Government confirmed that a dozen “small” schools are involved in a trial where “handheld” computers – and other devices such as computers, data loggers, MP3 recorders and USB microscopes — are used as education tools to compliment and enhance science classes.

The Tasmanian Department of Education’s official stance on iPads or similar devices is that not enough time time has passed to give the technology serious consideration. “As the technology of iPads is so new, the Department of Education has not yet had a chance to consider their potential use in the department or in schools,” said a departmental spokesperson.

Since the school year in Australia is different from the US I imagine they will have some experience to speak of before many of the US schools. We’ll keep an eye out to see what they report.

Schools Using iPads Before Business

Posted on by mkaufman

ipad in school

I just came across a great resource documenting some significant school investments in iPads. The author makes a bold claim that since there is this much investment to buy iPads for school use it is likely schools will be using them ahead of businesses.

I don’t think this is a fad. Schools cite numerous reasons for investing in iPads including:

  • Instant and personalized access to information
  • Creating more interest
  • Making users more productive
  • Freeing users from wires (and letting them move around)
  • Saving money
  • Keeping users up to date with current technology

Here’s the top 13 schools and their investments from the list I found (see a link to his google doc below for more than 50 examples of schools making investments in iPads):

1) Florida State College at Jacksonville has deployed 350 iPads to executives, administrators, faculty, IT staff and students. “It’s the first phase of a project calling for a thousand iPads to be delivered throughout the college by the end of the year, including at libraries and labs where students can ‘check’ them out,” wrote Tom Kaneshige in CIO magazine.

2) As many as 736 students in the Chicago Public Schools will test iPads this year in 23 schools. One school, Burley Elementary, will use them to provide individual instruction and encourage critical thinking through multimedia apps and collaborative tools.

3) The California Department of Education, in conjunction with textbook vendor Houghton-Mifflin, are testing iPads with 400 eight-graders in four school districts (San Francisco, Long Beach, Riverside and Fresno).

4) Gibbon-Fairfax-Winthrop High School is investing 7,748 for 320 of the 16 GB Wi-Fi iPads with extended two-year warranties plus wireless infrastructure for the public high school near Mankato, Minnesota.

5) The University of Adelaide in Australia plans, starting next year, to give free iPads to “hundreds” of first-year science students. Lecture notes, audio, background docs and textbooks will be delivered through “tailored web-based apps” for iPads as well as regular notebook PCs.

6) In rural northern California, Avery Middle School is using 170 iPads with 6th-8th graders to help “displace expensive textbooks, promote active engaging and learning…and greater flexibility in accessing course materials, even in rural areas,” according to a news release.

7) Marymount School has given 150 iPads to its students and teachers. The private all-girls school in Manhattan hopes to have enough for all 550 students by early next year.

8) Cedars School of Excellence in Scotland has rolled out iPads to its 115 students, a project being documented as The iPad Project by teacher and blogger, Fraser Speirs.

9) Stanford University is trialing iPads with 91 first-year medical school students.

10) Alexander Dawson School, a private K-12 school near Boulder, Colorado, is leasing-to-own 90 iPads for 3 years for $36,000 total (normal retail price: about $45,000). The iPads are preloaded with about 30 textbooks for the 5th and 6th grade students using them.

11) Morristown-Beard, a private middle and high school in New Jersey, hasissued iPads to 60 students. If the trial is successful in encouraging teacher-student interaction (compared to the laptops used today), it will give iPads to all 500+ students next year.

12) Pikes Peak Prep in Colorado Springs, Colorado has bought 50 iPads for students to use in math, science, language arts and social studies. Students will send screen shots of work rather than turn in papers and also perform virtual frog dissections using the iPads, according to the principal.

13) Notre Dame University is testing iPads with 40 business students, according to a Forbes magazine article by Elizabeth Woyke.

Google Doc with more than 50 examples of buying iPads for school.

Scientists Using iPad at Archeological Site

Posted on by mkaufman

Entering data about an excavated basin rim into FMTouch. Its lack of moving parts makes iPad preferable to laptops in the trenches, where dirt finds its way into keyboards, ports, and screen hinges.

As more and more iPads find their way into work environments – both in the office and out – it is likely their use will highlight some of the value teachers and school officials may find in adopting the iPad for school settings.

Apple has a number of great examples on their web site of iPad changing the way people do business. In this one example – Discovering Ancient Pompeii with iPad – they highlight how the iPad is revolutionizing how scientists work in the field. Rather than recording notes and sketches on paper, researchers at the site use iPad and apps to capture invaluable historical data faster, more easily, and with far better accuracy.

Imagine how this kind of application can be applied in school settings. Not only does this change the dynamic in the classroom but it also untethers the learning from inside the classroom and allows students and teachers the option of taking the learning outside – into the community. Doesn’t that make sense? Isn’t that the kind of learning we would imagine for our children?

I’m excited about this kind of possibility!

The applications mentioned in this article are:

iOS 4.2 for iPad includes AirPrint

Posted on by mkaufman

One of the complaints that people have had with the iPad is the inability to print. A couple of weeks ago Apple released the first Developer Beta for iOS 4.2, allowing developers to get an idea of what iOS 4 is like on an iPad. Click here for a video preview of the release. Obviously the ability to multi-task will be welcomed by many iPad users however the update’s headline feature is wireless printing, which Apple has called “AirPrint”.

I imagine schools will find the ability to print just one more reason to use iPads in School (or one more reason to be happy they are already using the iPad in School).

Here is a quote from the Press Release that accompanied the announcement of AirPrint: AirPrint wireless printing for iPad™, iPhone® and iPod touch® to members of Apple’s iOS developer program today, and that AirPrint will be included in the free iOS 4.2 software update in November. AirPrint automatically finds printers on local networks and can print text, photos and graphics to them wirelessly over Wi-Fi without the need to install drivers or download software.

The 4.2 update will bring the iPad into line with iPhone and iPod Touch which have been running iOS 4 since July.