Higher Ed choosing sides on iPad use

I've been reading a lot recently about the cognitive effects of multitasking, and the evidence is pretty persuasive that it severely impacts learning. So while it's not realistic right now to talk of schools implementing iPad-only classrooms, it would actually make sense.

You want students to be able to take electronic notes, but we all know that, with laptops, most of them are probably checking email, messaging friends and looking at the web at the same time. People think they can learn just as well while doing this sort of thing, but they have been proven wrong about that again and again. You learn better when you concentrate on just one thing.

I keep telling people that the lack of multitasking on the iPad is a feature not a bug, but maybe we're not ready to hear this yet. Sure, in many situations multitasking is essential, but we should always be aware that we're cognitively crippled when we do it.

One of the largest benefits I see Is the reduction of paper and the eventual move to a paperless model. The amount of paper that my school goes through, including toner, staples, upkeep for machines, etc, must be astronomical. I've never seen the number, but I can't imagine that the half dozen pallets of paper that wego through a week is cheap. And I can speak from experience, as can many others, when it comesto the cost of toner. Remove those costs snd suddenly you've significantly offset the cost of the iPad.

The iPad (or iPod touch, iPhone, etc) has so much functionality as to lesson time spent on required tasks (like attendance, homework checking, passing out notes and assignments, etc) and allows for more time spent on instruction.

I don't see it so much as a matter of how or how much as a matter of when. It is truly a matter of time before either the iPad or some other piece of technology is implemented in the schools to do away with the antiquated method of pen to paper that wehave relied on for so long.

As far as teachers being burdened with impementing these new technologies and having to revamp their curriculum, I say tough. Education models and methods are constantly changing and the curriculum has to be modified as well. The days of the teacher that has milk crates full of overhead projector scrolls and recites the same material year after year are over. The profession of education is a dynamic one, with no room for static teachers. Move ahead, or move out of the way.

I highly doubt the iPad be that big of a deal in universities
William, theamazingipad.com

The standard answer to anything that sounds like a personally big number is to claim that money would be better used to __________________. Since the $800,000 reaches EVERY SINGLE STUDENT with a new form of book, how many profs would the same bucks obtain, and how many students would have every single class improved by that?

Maybe 8 new profs? More? Fewer?

BS is spewed even by academic intelligentsia, through the universal rule of "everybody has an agenda."

my niece is starting high school in the fall and I would love it if her text books were ebooks. cause I went to the same school and I remember lugging around a ton of books, which were not light, cause the lockers are not well placed.
it is a private school and they are fairly tech friendly so they would likely allow it (there's no wifi in the school so no reason to worry about kids on facebook etc during class) but the books aren't available and don't seem like they will be.

oh well

Sorry, but I don't get the point of this article. Is there any University banning any technological device from their campuses? What I heard and read so far there is problems here and there to connect to wifi network, but that doesn't equate to that University "banning" the iPad, at most they don't care about it, possibly cann't do anything about it without Apple helping them out.

The iPad as a educational device in classrooms is a hole different story. I think it is useless, as I can't save much on textbooks (possibly even end up paying more, because I cannot sell my books again) and I cannot comfortably take notes with either the on screen typing nor with handwriting without a pen. So I really don't see the iPad in my classroom at least.

T.

Ever hear of tact? Slamming those two schools was very poor journalism. George Fox is the #1 private Christian university in the country. I don't care if it was Blah Blah Nowhere University, there's no need to disrespect them like that. Next time, take your personal bias out of the article before you post it. And no, I didn't attend George Fox -- but if I decide to get an MBA they'd be on my list -- not for the ipad but because of the quality of their program.

George Fox, Pepperdine, and Seton Hill are all well known to people looking for a religious education. These schools are older than you are. I wonder how many of their alumni have ever heard of you?

I work at a private university and we sell iPads through our computer store. I really don't think iPads are going to be much of an issue seeing as we have only sold 5 and 4 of those were for departments/giveaways.
That and we have already put things into place to allow iPod touches onto our wifi with 24 hour provisioning. They have to re-connect each day to get access. The iPads will have to do the same thing.

The problem at universities is the same as at large businesses--anyone who's been there a long time falls into the trap of seeing advances in technology as "newfangled annoyances" that disrupt all the work they've put into establishing their employers' infrastructure. (or, on an even darker note, the lazy employees aren't inclined to keep up with changes in the industry/real world.)

The solution is young blood and/or those with an open mind. They're the ones who realize change is inevitable and are willing to make the changes/upgrades to keep the university/business adapting. Of course, these are the folks in the trenches, not those with the big salaries making the decisions.