The Apple iPad - is it a game changer?

"...Now, if they have an app that can use a special stylus and allow students to take handwritten notes in a digital pad..." Really!? This is the best use of technology you can come up with taking 'digital' notes with a stylus... Just a reminder that technology will never be 'a game changer'. It is the teaching and learning practices, with our without technology, that matter!!

The Apple iPad - is it a game changer?

If we are already iPod Touch owners, this will be good for us? I would think the opposite. I have a Touch and a MacBook. The iPad fills no role in my gadget life.

The Apple iPad - is it a game changer?

Regarding the stylus comment, I believe that to be a matter of personal preference. Between the virtual keyboard, the ability to attach one via dock, and I expect the ability to hook up a Bluetooth keyboard, I'd think that would be more than enough ways to enter text. Lack of multitasking is not a problem for me on my phone. If I leave an ap, in most cases I go back to the same point when I return to it anyway. In your summary, you mentioned multiple devices. IMHO, this device serves the purpose of each of those at a reasonable price, especially if eBooks are available!

The Apple iPad - is it a game changer?

Actually from what I can tell, the iPhone has the ability to "freeze" an app while you run another app. Perhaps it would be possible to keep the document open that you are working on, while surfing the net. Another thought is that since it will run iPhone apps, and there is an Amazon Kindle app, you will have access to the entire Amazon Kindle library of books as well. I read Kindle books on my iPhone and it works well but it is small. I bet they'll look sharp on the iPad though.

The Apple iPad - is it a game changer?

I think it will have great use as a digital painting canvas. I would however like to see some sort of stylus that can be used.

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I have to explain and counter some points: 1. I thought of the stylus and digital ink for math and science and engineering. You can't enter equations during class while taking notes with a keyboard. A stylus and digital ink would be great for this. A stylus, as a commenter mentioned, would also be good for art. 2. Good for current iPhone owners because they can port their already purchased apps to it. 3. Not good for education because it is expensive and apps cost money. I haven't paid for software for my classes in years because there are so many free apps available for education. 4. There is no multi-tasking now - as I said, the future may make this a better device. Freezing an app is not the same as multi-tasking. 5. Textbooks on it - like most of Apple's things, its a closed system. That means that if you start in with them, you are kind of stuck with them. I can access tons of online, FREE textbooks right now for all of my classes. My students don't lug any books around. And, instead of being stuck with the textbook the school system buys, they have multiple options. My physics students have access to 6 free digital texts and 12 online, interactive, web sites that are all better than any of the $130 physics texts I previewed. They can access these anywhere, not just on one device. 6. Netbooks - my netbook multi-tasks like a champ. I have 9 tabs open in Chrome, am running OpenOffice presentation and writer, and have a photo editor running. And, it is running very fast without any problems. Multi-tasking, USB ports, 5 x the disk capacity, and thousands of FREE applications for it. 7. I can read books on my Palm smart phone and my netbook and laptop too. I've been using an eReader for many, many years. It's nice that there will be more books available, but they will not be free. The books on the iPad will have to be something special to justify their cost. 8. I'm more of a believer of web based apps anyways. I don't want my students to have to worry about having an Apple product at school and a Windows or Linux product at home or vice versa. With web based apps, the hardware matters much less. Read more here: http://educationaltechnologyguy.blogspot.com/2009/06/operating-systems-and-web-based-apps.html 9. Apple's apps only run on Apple products. Apple is the only manufacturer. There is no other option if you use Apple OS. With Windows and Linux, there are multiple hardware vendors. Schools can get great deals on hardware. 10. I don't know too many school systems near me that could afford to outfit each student with their own iPad as Randolph Jakes states. Most 1:1 schools have class sets of devices that students only use in class. I stand by my opinion that this is a consumer device, not yet an educational one. It is hard to create on it due to the virtual keyboard. Reviews and surveys across the web, including Engadget, Fast Company, Edutopia, CNET, and more all show that the iPad was a let down and most people surveyed are not rushing out to order one. As it matures, who knows what it will be able to do. This is a great discussion. Let's keep it going. Discussions like this are what can push manufacturers and software vendors to create new products and push new products to new uses.

The Apple iPad - is it a game changer?

Lookup the True Touch Stylus Pen for the iPhone and iPod Touch. If you are really just looking for a Sylus on this thing, these in theory should work just fine on the iPad (if that is your only issue with the device). :)

The Apple iPad - is it a game changer?

Not an educational tool??? There are thousands of educational apps on everything from math to foreign language, even art. Just the fact that it's an iPod makes it a viable educational tool. Duke University proved that 5 years ago. I guess internet access, videos and oh yes, TEXTBOOKS are not educational tools. That's right you can get all of your textbooks on the iPad. I guess some folks just look at a forest and see only so much wood. I look at it and see a community. But that's just me.

The Apple iPad - is it a game changer?

If you don't think the introduction of the iPad is the death knell of netbooks, you are living in the fantasy world defined by blind Microsoft devotion. You talk a lot about multitasking, but in my experience, the fact that today's netbooks say they can do multitasking doesn't change the fact that they can barely run one application at a time. But even that point will soon be moot - my bet is that when iPhone / iPad OS 4.0 rolls out, you will see multitasking. As Jobs said, netbooks don't really do ANYTHING "better" than a laptop - they are just cheaper. Apple has made big investments in silicon fabrication so that their PA Semiconductor (ARM chip design) processor is low power and FAST. What do most people use netbooks for? Web browsing and email. The iPad blows any cheap little netbook out of the water when it comes to a great user experience, fantastic screen, and, of course, a TON of applications. You say that there are "millions" of apps available for the Windows world - that's true - but again, the reality is the mindless legions of Windows users rarely get out of the box of MS Office. But the biggest reason this device is going to change the way people use computers is because it will make books come alive in a way the Kindle can't even dream (in it's little black and white dreams) about. Instead of our students lugging around 90 pound backpacks full of $100 books, they will only need to carry one pound and a half iPad filled with $100 e-books. Your comments are very reminiscent of those voiced a few short years ago, "Spend $400 for a music player? NO WAY!" - Need I remind you that was 250,000,000 (that's 250 MILLION) iPods ago? Wake up and smell the roses, which is all that's coming up around the Apple tree....

The Apple iPad - is it a game changer?

Apple does have a control mentality. It doesn't use Flash on the iPad because Flash causes most of the crashes on its computers. Apple controls software standards so the software works well and the interface remains somewhat standard. The control also limits the vulnerability to viruses and malware. That's the kind of control that saves money and time for schools in the long run, though it does threaten the job security of IT folks.

The Apple iPad - is it a game changer?

Counter the counters I want to begin by agreeing with the editor of the March issue of Macworld who points out that for the last 20 years or so, we computer users have basically seen one thing from Microsoft - whatever they could “copy” or clone from the true innovations coming out of Apple. The world of Windows is, sadly, seemingly unable to do little more than create a hundreds of cheap knockoffs of the same old tired ideas they have been using for years (as evidenced by the rows and rows of indistinguishable Korean, Japanese, etc. vendors at the latest CES conference). Apple’s success in recent years, (record profits in the toughest financial climate since the great depression) speaks volumes about the buying publics desire for something new and innovative and CREATIVE. So - I would like to counter some of your counters: 1) With the iPad, you won’t need any funky stylus other than the ones you were born with - your fingers (much harder to lose those too...) to take whatever types of notes, designs, etc. - and if typing is too much for you, use the FREE Dragon Dictation app (works great on the iPhone right now!) There is even an app that lets you draw unknown Japanese symbols and will turn them into Kanji for you. 2) Yes - my current iPhone apps (mostly free, by the way) will run with no modifications - but can’t wait to see the mods that WILL BE THERE by the time of the actual product launch in March - because of the HUGE (free) Software Development Kit Apple has developed that lets anyone develop potentially very profitable software apps (many “one man shops” doing just fine - hard to find that in the Windows world). 3) Education has spent billions on the expensive Windows world for years - and as an IT person in education, I can tell you that the day to day continuing costs of fighting spyware, malware, and the virus o’ the week in Windows costs FAR MORE than a one time, up front cost for a computing device that works for years and years and years without needing to up upgraded and maintained on a moment to moment basis. I still use old Macs in my labs and classrooms that work quite well in todays fast paced environment which our school bought over 10 years ago. Windows machines from that era are just filling up our waste disposal sites. Oh, yeah, there are tons of free apps in the App store - thousands more every week..... 4) Freezing an app is actually really functional and fast - I have the ability to be on a call, pause the call, look up the time of the movie, etc., go back to the call, then forward the theater address and a picture of the building all at the same time. Try to do that on anything other than the iPhone.... “Multitasking” is a myth - no human can do it without serious hits in their productivity. Look at the studies reviewed in Discover magazine. This is why we in education work so hard to get our students to focus on ONE THING AT A TIME! So they can actually get something done! 5)Apple has adopted the open, publishing industry created standard called e-pub. By the way, any free texts viewable on the web would be perfect to use with the new iPad - that is what it is designed to do - consume content. 6) Multitasking - again - a myth and a productivity killer. Do one thing at a time in order to do it well - that’s the way humans are built - you don’t see Michael Phelps swimming and editing photos at the same time. And he’s the best in the world at what he does. 7) As you have said - tons of free books already on the iPad - and as far as eInk (Kindle) being “more readable” that’s a bunch of baloney - if it were true at all, none of us would be able to work at our computers all day looking at our LCD’s. And, I can read my iPhone in dark or poorly lit places (which I find myself in all the time - especially when trying to do installs - how cool is it to look at / use a manual you can carry in your pocket!) - can’t do that on a Kindle. 8) Web based apps - YES - MADE FOR THE IPAD!! And your students are MUCH more likely to be looking at their iPod Touches at home than mom’s 3 year old and now obsolete Windows piece of junk. 9) Apple apps run only on Apple products - another BIG REASON to be in a computing environment that is tightly controlled and monitored by a single company that can actually make sure all those products run seamlessly and without excessive problems! And, by the way, Apples run Unix, so Open Office, etc., run without a hitch. 10) Any school that can afford hugely expensive Windows platforms with all their hidden costs and constant upgrades, spyware and virus problems would actually LOWER their total cost of ownership by becoming an Apple centric school. I know, because I keep our entire school with computer labs, mobile labs, wireless high speed routers, mutifunction printers, web filters, etc., etc., etc., running by myself in a part time capacity! I also teach two sections of science and one elective every day because the network runs and runs and runs without my constant supervision. I know of no Windows schools without full time personnel just to keep the basics up and running - many with multiple IT staff. And as far as Flash not running on the iPhone, Touch, iPad environment - many new standards, which are not as prone to causing more system crashes than a fleet of Toyotas, like HTML5 will do just fine, thank you. And the fact that most of the industry pundits, yourself included, think the iPad is a “letdown” 2 months before it is even released, just shows me how much you really do fear significant change and creativity. Put one in your hands before making that kind of judgement. I know your students will!!

The Apple iPad - is it a game changer?

Counter the counters I want to begin by agreeing with the editor of the March issue of Macworld who points out that for the last 20 years or so, we computer users have basically seen one thing from Microsoft - whatever they could “copy” or clone from the true innovations coming out of Apple. The world of Windows is, sadly, seemingly unable to do little more than create a hundreds of cheap knockoffs of the same old tired ideas they have been using for years (as evidenced by the rows and rows of indistinguishable Korean, Japanese, etc. vendors at the latest CES conference). Apple’s success in recent years, (record profits in the toughest financial climate since the great depression) speaks volumes about the buying publics desire for something new and innovative and CREATIVE. So - I would like to counter some of your counters: 1) With the iPad, you won’t need any funky stylus other than the ones you were born with - your fingers (much harder to lose those too...) to take whatever types of notes, designs, etc. - and if typing is too much for you, use the FREE Dragon Dictation app (works great on the iPhone right now!) There is even an app that lets you draw unknown Japanese symbols and will turn them into Kanji for you. 2) Yes - my current iPhone apps (mostly free, by the way) will run with no modifications - but can’t wait to see the mods that WILL BE THERE by the time of the actual product launch in March - because of the HUGE (free) Software Development Kit Apple has developed that lets anyone develop potentially very profitable software apps (many “one man shops” doing just fine - hard to find that in the Windows world). 3) Education has spent billions on the expensive Windows world for years - and as an IT person in education, I can tell you that the day to day continuing costs of fighting spyware, malware, and the virus o’ the week in Windows costs FAR MORE than a one time, up front cost for a computing device that works for years and years and years without needing to up upgraded and maintained on a moment to moment basis. I still use old Macs in my labs and classrooms that work quite well in todays fast paced environment which our school bought over 10 years ago. Windows machines from that era are just filling up our waste disposal sites. Oh, yeah, there are tons of free apps in the App store - thousands more every week..... 4) Freezing an app is actually really functional and fast - I have the ability to be on a call, pause the call, look up the time of the movie, etc., go back to the call, then forward the theater address and a picture of the building all at the same time. Try to do that on anything other than the iPhone.... “Multitasking” is a myth - no human can do it without serious hits in their productivity. Look at the studies reviewed in Discover magazine. This is why we in education work so hard to get our students to focus on ONE THING AT A TIME! So they can actually get something done! 5)Apple has adopted the open, publishing industry created standard called e-pub. By the way, any free texts viewable on the web would be perfect to use with the new iPad - that is what it is designed to do - consume content. 6) Multitasking - again - a myth and a productivity killer. Do one thing at a time in order to do it well - that’s the way humans are built - you don’t see Michael Phelps swimming and editing photos at the same time. And he’s the best in the world at what he does. 7) As you have said - tons of free books already on the iPad - and as far as eInk (Kindle) being “more readable” that’s a bunch of baloney - if it were true at all, none of us would be able to work at our computers all day looking at our LCD’s. And, I can read my iPhone in dark or poorly lit places (which I find myself in all the time - especially when trying to do installs - how cool is it to look at / use a manual you can carry in your pocket!) - can’t do that on a Kindle. 8) Web based apps - YES - MADE FOR THE IPAD!! And your students are MUCH more likely to be looking at their iPod Touches at home than mom’s 3 year old and now obsolete Windows piece of junk. 9) Apple apps run only on Apple products - another BIG REASON to be in a computing environment that is tightly controlled and monitored by a single company that can actually make sure all those products run seamlessly and without excessive problems! And, by the way, Apples run Unix, so Open Office, etc., run without a hitch. 10) Any school that can afford hugely expensive Windows platforms with all their hidden costs and constant upgrades, spyware and virus problems would actually LOWER their total cost of ownership by becoming an Apple centric school. I know, because I keep our entire school with computer labs, mobile labs, wireless high speed routers, mutifunction printers, web filters, etc., etc., etc., running by myself in a part time capacity! I also teach two sections of science and one elective every day because the network runs and runs and runs without my constant supervision. I know of no Windows schools without full time personnel just to keep the basics up and running - many with multiple IT staff. And as far as Flash not running on the iPhone, Touch, iPad environment - many new standards, which are not as prone to causing more system crashes than a fleet of Toyotas, like HTML5 will do just fine, thank you. And the fact that most of the industry pundits, yourself included, think the iPad is a “letdown” 2 months before it is even released, just shows me how much you really do fear significant change and creativity. Put one in your hands before making that kind of judgement. I know your students will!!

The Apple iPad - is it a game changer?

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The Apple iPad - is it a game changer?

I was quite excited to see the price point closer to what could be workable for schools for 1:1 plans. I, and others thinking with me (padmoja.org), have long been convinced that a Tablet device is essential for an effective 1:1 device, but most have been too expensive and none have had enough battery-life yet. This is a good movement that direction, but I must say that I am not very enthused because of Apple's control mentality. Not putting Flash or Java on the device is a pretty clear indication that they don't want you to run something that Apple did not approve, control, or profit from. I dream of tools where we as educators can build, collaborate, share, and assess both students and the resources we are using. I want those tools to work on nearly any device that we might have or might come along, but Apple makes it hard to play any way but theirs. I am still tempted to work with this device at our school because I know it will have a great interface and many developments will be coming along, but I think a much more promising device is the Notion Ink Adam - with a screen that students can look at all day (transflective?) and even better battery-life than the iPad. Check it out at http://www.slashgear.com/notion-ink-adam-hands-on-0969281/ or engadget or notionink.com. There will be other great tablets this year as well. Let's work towards making any of them useful educationally by thinking and developing the tools necessary.

The Apple iPad - is it a game changer?

This is exactly what people said about ipods when they first came out, the track pad, and touch screens. This is how technology changes people. Think about it they have done one simple thing, made a device that has unlimited boundaries. Imagine how many things this thing can do when developers start to come on board. People this thing is an empty shell right now. Give it time, the magic is in the developers brains right now as an idea. Never doubt the human spirit of imagination.

The Apple iPad - is it a game changer?

Thanks for the input Randolph, I agree with a lot of your points. I am an IT Director at a Private Elementary School who has been following the tablet rumors for what seems like most of 2009. I have to admit, in that amount of time I developed many of my own hopes, dreams and idea's for a Tablet Mac, iTablet, (insert the many other names tossed around here for the device before launch). Here is what disappointed me about the iPad over all others, it runs iPhoneOS vs. MacOS. That's it! That is my only issue with the device. I know that if it ran MacOS X, even a lighter version then what we put on our Macbook's, then we would have so many more options then to be locked down into the iPhoneOS (as much as there is and we can do in it that is). Before its release I had hoped that I can order a class set of these for my teachers who really can benefit from a touch screen based Mac with maybe 4 or 5 hours of battery life instead of 10 to cover the fatter OS's overhead. Why a MacOS over iPhoneOS? I have been an iPhone owner from the beginning, after the 1st generation was released and I now can't live without my iPhone. But it's no replacement for a MacBook in the classroom to connect with Interactive White Boards, or to connect to networked servers for File access or even FileMaker access. To print on the many different printers a school accumulates over time. To customize for each grade level with their bookmarks and wonderful online applications, most of which are Flash based by the way. It is true it’s a mute point with HTML5 which is at least 3 years away, but if Steve had introduced a browser on the iPad with native HTML5 supports the maybe, just maybe, that in it of itself would have put that technology in the fast lane for some real change. I guess the whole point of this story is this. The news of the device to me is really like going to a movie you are really excited about, you have high expectations. Then when you see the movie you find it a huge disappointment because it can never live up to your expectations. I believe this is really how I feel about the iPad so I will reserve full judgment until I have a device in my hand in now less than 60 days. I will get excited as I am about all new technology, but my creative uses that I had imagined for the device will be a bit diminished a good bit. My 2 cents... :)

The Apple iPad - is it a game changer?

I can't see using this in my classroom. I use tablet PC's for core curriculum and Mac for fine arts. Each has its place. I never understood the emotionality of some apple afficionados. If you like the gadget, that is fine. If you have years of experience in the classroom, you might have found that other machines do the job better. Comments like "mindless legions" only serve to denigrate the conversation.

The Apple iPad - is it a game changer?

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The Apple iPad - is it a game changer?

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