Redwood City School District and iPads

By Sean Scarpiello

The Redwood City School district has recently invested a lot of money into technology for its students. A large portion of the money has gone towards iPads which are being distributed to all students and teachers. Like many other school districts in America which are also undergoing large changes by incorporating technology into education, the Redwood City School District is making sure it gets the most bang for its buck. In fact, the district is going above and beyond to make these new iPads a daily part of school for its students.

In order to maximize their technological resources, administrators are ensuring that all instructors are knowledgeable in using the iPads. This is important because it is easy for districts to assume that all teachers are up to date with the latest technology. Also, the iPads are being used to their full potential. Teachers are storing assignments on the iPads which make their job easier in case they forget an assignment at home or at school. iPads also enable students to turn in work electronically, reducing the amount of paperwork both teachers and students need to deal with in traditional schooling.

One program available with the new technology in school is called PowerSchool. This program enables parents to track the grades and progress of their children. It is great to utilize this resource because statistically, students whose parents are actively involved in their children’s education do better in school. This also gives the parents the opportunity to know what their children are learning about in school, so they are able to help their children and ask questions about class. Plus, by making it easier for parents to stay involved with their children’s classwork, they can be updated by the teacher and keep the teacher informed of any of their children’s difficulties with the material taught in class.

One other innovative uses of the school district’s new technology are by teaching students after school. Using the Khan Academy education software, students can be assigned certain videos to watch which deal with what is being taught in class. This is a very good idea because students will be able to learn from the comfort of their homes, in a way that is not tedious or boring. All students like to watch movies instead of classwork, so they would be anxious to learn in this new and creative way.

There are currently over 20,000 applications available in the iTunes Store which are designed solely for education, so possibilities are endless. Plus, colleges and universities are beginning to bring technology into their classrooms as well. This allows students to be more prepared for both higher education and the workplace.

Overall, it is a good idea for school districts to introduce their students to technology in schools. Eventually, schools everywhere will incorporate a lot of technology so it is best to start off students while they are young. Also, new software, computer programs, and apps are being released every day, making the process of education easier for teachers, students, parents, and administrators.

Sources:

http://redwoodcity.patch.com/articles/elementary-school-teachers-embrace-technology-others-wait

http://www.onlineuniversities.com/digital-classroom

IPad: Hot or Not?

By Sean Scarpiello

Schools across the country are now investing in IPads for instructional use in classrooms. The IPad is an amazing device and to be able to implement these on a large scale for education purposes is quite a concept. But will these cool gadgets work out in the classroom?

Initially, IPads could be an ideal item to use in education because they can completely replace the use of textbooks. Textbooks are expensive and heavy and needed for each subject. With an IPad, teachers can download the eBooks onto their Ipad and then download the same book onto each of the students’ IPads. A student could have one IPad with all the textbooks for each of his/her subjects. So schools can really only pay for a textbook once and use it for the entire class. The IPad also has interactive games and applications that can be efficiently used to teach students. Keeping students interacting with the information is also advantageous to learning as opposed to the typical textbook, notebook and blackboard lecture style of learning. Students also think it is neat to be using a computer that fits in their hands during class which can hold everything from homework assignments and lesson plans to a syllabus and text books. They could even take notes on the IPad. There are likely even future technological advances with IPads that may further improve education.

There are some setbacks that come along with the IPad. The price is a bit ridiculous and Apple typically does not budge pricewise when purchasing their products, even when buying in bulk. Considering they can replace multiple numbers of expensive textbooks, the price may be reasonable depending on what the charge is for each electronic textbook copy.

Another flaw that can be said about any piece of technology in the market today is its terrible quality. Whether it is an IPad or a dishwasher, products have constantly been decreasing in quality. This brings to question the IPad, which may be dropped by a 2^nd grader multiple times a week. Would an IPad stand up to the potential damage that it could be exposed to in a lower grade classroom setting? Replacing IPads often would likely be a drain on a school district's bank account. Stealing of IPads could also become a problem. It is unlikely that a school, except for a college or university, could require that a student be required to purchase an IPad.

I have heard that Apple, the manufacturer of the IPad, is extremely unreliable when it comes to replacing their products, when found to be faulty. The internal battery is a flaw because the entire system must be replaced when it no longer holds a charge. Also, in general the screen and structure of an IPad will usually not survive a drop from the hands of a 3^rd grader onto a tile floor. Even with a warranty, it is likely that when you call up Apple for a replacement, they will just explain that it was user error and tell you to buy a new one. If they were cheaper and could more easly be fixed by the schools IT guy, it might be a different story. If the IPads were built to a high military spec, like a military grade cell phone, that can practically be dropped from 3 stories and be fine, the IPad would be great for educational purposes in schools.

In all, the IPad may prove to be to a milestone in bringing cheap and efficient technology into the education field. If we could only figure out a way to make the IPad strong enough to handle grade school students across the country, then it would be a valuable option for educating more people at lower prices.

iPad App Tests Students From Home, the Park, a Baseball Game ...

FOXNews.com

British students might soon have the chance to take college exams in their own bedrooms at any time of the day or night -- without being able to cheat.

U.S. firm Software Secure has developed a program which is designed to make sure students stay honest while taking the exam by keeping them under surveillance and cutting off any access to cribbing material.

The software first locks down the use of all files and the Internet, other than those specifically needed for the exam. It then asks for a fingerprint test to ensure the candidate is the correct person and uses audio and video recording to ensure that the student is under exam conditions during the whole period.

The firm says on its website that it "brings the exam room into the computer age, making exam time less stressful for students, faculty and administrators."

At least one college in Britain, the University of Wales Institute, Cardiff, is experimenting with the system and others may follow suit. Several universities in the United States already have the system in place. The National Union of Students gave the idea a cautious welcome.

"It would be one solution to problems faced by those who might have difficulty reaching a university campus for exams," said a spokesman.

"However it must not be used as an excuse to further cut costs or corners by reducing the amount of contact time students have with staff."

The company says it was designed for students with full-time jobs, or who have children and don't have the flexibility to find an exam supervisor.

From: http://www.foxnews.com/scitech/2010/06/09/ipad-app-students-tests/?test=latestnews