A while back (i think at AllthingsD )Both Jobs and Gates were quoted as surprised that technology had not helped(or large affect with U.S) education so far. It would be interesting to know before after results for this case. The latest new thing is 'flip the classroom'; using Kahn Academy videos or similar.

Also would be curious to know the breakage/theft rate of the iPad in schools.

In any case... Dats allota iPads!

This is the wave of the future. Most schools will have a tablet of some kind, mostly iPads.

Now, that's what I'm talking about.  That amount is a fairly decent number.  I know there aren't many school districts throughout the country that can afford iPads in that quantity, but it's a nice start.  Apple is the one company that has the money to grow production capability to keep up with demand.  Sweet.  We say it's a lot of iPads, but what does Wall Street say?  Probably not so much even though the potential may be there for really high sales.

We need to move in this direction much, much faster to succeed in the Information Age. I still see computers relegated to a computer lab in schools rather than in every classroom.

And do they have funding for the ongoing IT infrastructure required? Do they have a curriculum strategy? Are they providing training for the teachers?

Sorry, but color me skeptical. Shiny toys are nice, but schools (at least in my area) are consumed with drilling students to pass the standardized tests. Actual education is secondary to assuring the kids can pass the tests.

- Jasen.

Quote:

Originally Posted by boeyc15 

A while back (i think at AllthingsD )Both Jobs and Gates were quoted as surprised that technology had not helped(or large affect with U.S) education so far.

Academic success is a function of eagerness. Wanting to do well (and cultivating the necessary discipline) has nothing to do with technology. 

120 miles north on the 5 freeway is one of the largest school districts in the country. L.A.U.S.D. is issuing 5-10 yr. old and beat-up devices with Windows CE to special ed students with no training of any kind. What a joke. Nice going, San Diego!

Quote:

Originally Posted by Quadra 610 

 

Academic success is a function of eagerness. Wanting to do well (and cultivating the necessary discipline) has nothing to do with technology. 

Yes, and no tech in the world can inject eagerness where it's not ;)

Someone determined to become a somebody will do more with pen, paper and an old 386 that a spoiled, "I'm boored" kid with a retina iPad...

Quote:

Originally Posted by jasenj1 

And do they have funding for the ongoing IT infrastructure required? Do they have a curriculum strategy? Are they providing training for the teachers?

 

Sorry, but color me skeptical. Shiny toys are nice, but schools (at least in my area) are consumed with drilling students to pass the standardized tests. Actual education is secondary to assuring the kids can pass the tests.

 

- Jasen.

This is the problem here in NC. At my wife's school, they bought roughly 30 iPads per grade level (shared between the classes) for grades 2-5. They had no infrastructure, no curriculum for using them, and only some basic training (one class that lasted about 2 hours for the teachers, which was basically nothing more than "How to use an iPad" and nothing on how to integrate them into classroom).

Then they threw the iPads in the classroom and expected the teachers (including my wife) to be able to integrate them into the curriculum with no guidance whatsoever. The school/district doesn't even have a suite of apps for the grade levels to use.

It was basically a case of "Hey, we got some money... what do we do? Hmm, LET'S BUY iPADS!!!!!"