‘Amazing, revolutionary, a new era in technology’. The iPad may be all these things but in my humble opinion it is bad for education and schools. Here are some reasons.
They aren’t popular.
The iPad isn’t designed to be a primary home computer. Not even a secondary device. Ask any student, do you want a cell phone? Of course they do. So, at best, an iPad is a tertiary technology purchase and won’t have the ubiquity education needed to begin meaningful integration. The classes will be split between the have and the have not students. iPads promote social division between students who we are encouraging to work cooperatively in our classes.
They are only designed to be a one user device.
The reason that most schools still have computer labs with desktop computers is multifold. They always have power and have good connectivity as they are wired to the network and internet. They are also great for having multiple students use them in a given day. This doesn’t work for the iPad. Take for example the email app which is designed for one user to check and send messages.
Back to my previous point. Apple has designed a one user machine for the simple reason that the less it can be shared the more they sell. Even at the ‘cheap’ price of $499 that would be a whopping $400,000 to get them for all the students at our school.
They promote media consumption not creation
The small keyboard is difficult and slow to type on. Voice dictation accuracy is average to poor. Our ESL and special need students who most need voice input, it would be terrible. Therefore, writing, blogging and having students create projects would be a worse experience than regular laptops/desktops.
Purchasing Apps is for individuals not schools
There isn’t clear information on how schools can get discounts for bulk purchase of apps. Check out the terms of use on the apple site. Let’s say your class has a mix of school owned and personal iPads. If you had ‘an awesome’ paid app, how would you get it on all iPads?
They don’t support flash
Really Apple? I’ve read Steve Job’s open letter to Adobe and still don’t get it. There are so many great free educational sites that are built on flash. One of my favourite websites for having students practice keyboarding flash based Dance Mat Typing. Why can’t I use this site on my iPad?
They are fragile
Take this as an example. Let’s say your school uses eBooks on the iPad. Now the simple statement of ‘open your book and turn to page 123’ is now a lesson in patience as the device loads, student find the app and opens the textbook. If the book is WiFi dependent there is another challenge to overcome. When the battery runs out there isn’t only no iPad there is no textbook.
Links
I’m not the only person who feels this way. Here are some other posts to support this view
Why iPads can’t succeed in education by Liam Cassidy
Why the iPad Will Not Reform Higher Education Anytime Soon by Lindsay Pund
Thoughts or Comments?
OK, I know that this post is intentionally controversial and against common views of educators that own one (including myself). Agree or disagree with a comment below.
19 comments:
Wow, you are one of the last people I would have expected to see this reaction from to iPads in education! I'm impressed with your honest open thinking about these. I have my own reservations and share some of yours. I believe that the main reason they don't fit what we expect (single-user, no-flash, no enterprise app licensing, etc.) is simply that Apple wants the consumer/user to conform to their desire to sell one to every person. It's an economic model.
However, I think the device has significant potential for education in that it is an innovation crazed environment and useful inexpensive apps are being churned out regularly. Why would we not make these available in some practical manner to students? We can work through the logistical challenges, it won't be easy, but I think it's worth figuring out. It is a great reading device, the battery life is amazing, it is not bad for creating / editing content, especially for younger people not as conditioned to a full PC experience. I've created presentations, written blog posts and comments, read a tonne, and dabbled with spreadsheets, video editing, and word processed documents. I think it might be able to replace some significant portion of what a student would need a laptop/desktop for. We need to figure out, thoughtfully, what that might be.
Fragile... yes... expensive... YES!!, but we need to be experimenting with new tools and then positioning them appropriately for learning.
Awesome post James - most honest one on iPads I've read - well done!
Can a device itself be "bad" or is it how it is used?
Is the question really more about "What is mobile learning or tablets good for"... or is it a questions really about this particular device?
Well said, James. I also have reservations about the iPad being thought of as the only tablet out there. While I have not had a lot of time on the Android tablet, I am currently looking at a Windows tablet and iPad side by side. Here is what I wrote about it:
http://gone-digital-native.blogspot.ca/2012/04/ipad-vs-windows-tabletplease-dont-shoot.html
I love the many apps in the iTunes store, but I love the "share-ability" of the Dell ST tablet. Although currently it is running Windows 7, I think it will be a better user experience when it is running Windows 8.
We’ve found iPads to be an extraordinary creation tool; it depends on what we are creating. I, too, have many of the reservations you state, but have been flabbergasted by the engagement of teachers who had not previously used technology at all. What’s more, they are rethinking their pedagogy through them. I’m still trying to understand how/why they engage new users and encourage change.
What do you think of Chrome OS netbooks?
Cheap 200 $ netbooks with ARM processor will soon be available. They can be easily shared by personal login. All apps and data are stored in the cloud. No need for updates or backup, no maintance cost. Flash is supported too.
I assume this article was reposted from January 2010 when the iPad was first announced. It's hard to imagine anyone writing something like this now. Saying iPads are "not popular" is absurd. Munster is predicting iPad sales will reach 66 million by the end of this year, and when the third gen iPad was released recently, 3 million units were sold in the first 4 days! not bad for an unpopular device! Lol
Your comment that iPad is a content consumption device only was a common criticism in 2010 - and back then it was fairly accurate - but saying that now is just a little odd. It may not be as good for content creation as a desktop - but when one considers how far it's come in just 2 years it's hard to rule it out as a useful creation device in 2012.
They do have glass screens which are obviously fragile if you drop them (another common concern back in 2010) but all of our year 7s have them (almost 200 13-year-olds and In a year only one was broken)- a result that silenced the nay-sayers out our way even before the end of that first year. Students know how to look after valuable possessions - spectacles, jewelry, iPads.
They are meant to be an individually owned device. Don't discount them for that! Gym clothes, school uniforms, text books, pencil cases, and lots of other objects that students are required to have at school are also personally owned.
Thanks to everyone for the comments. Brian - not sure this is a new direction for me. I've always been a supporter of technology that makes a difference. The iPad doesn't seem to have the accessibility to make a difference in ed. Glad you liked the post.
Julia - you are right the device isn't 'bad', I chose the word 'bad' to mean that it seems to be more of a distraction than a new direction in ed.
James - I agree that we need to keep looking for competition and alternatives to the iPad. I also have a Galaxy Tab 10.1 and it is very good. Obviously Apple is so far in the lead right now they can do what they want.
Shelley - I agree, there is amazing things that you 'can' create on the iPad but not much is unique to the iPad. IMHO they are remixes of laptops...etc. I certainly agree that if you can engage educators any change is possible.
Anonymous - Haven't tried the Chrome OS, look forward to the opportunity.
Adrian - this is a new post, something that I've been ruminating for a while. When I say popular I don't mean overall sales, I mean as a first choice device. Something that ALL students will have. The iPad doesn't seems to be that device. Isn't a cell phone still a higher priority for a student? You make great points about valuable items that students have. I just wish that all students had one, imagine what I could do then!
Hi James,
Thought provoking post, and some excellent questions, but (you knew I was going to say that), I think you may need to reconsider a couple of your points.
To say the iPad isn't popular is surprising to say the least. Most of the kids I teach would give their right arm to have one (though in light of the recent court case in China, I maybe shouldn't say that!). You are right when you say it isn't a desktop replacement in the sense that it was never designed to be that. However, it does actually do a pretty good job of being one... I should know as I used one as my main device for a number of months while waiting to replace my laptop. Yes, they promote social division, but then so do mobile phones, branded clothes, hair styles... the list goes on. One way to address that one, is to go all out for a 1:1 programme. If the school provides the tech, then social divisions are annulled in one fell swoop. This also would take care of your next point, they are designed to be a one person device.
While this may be the case, my own one is a 5 person device as soon as I start using it in the house! Ask my kids... What the iPad does have, that a PC Lab doesn't, is portability… and exceptional battery life. (See Fraser Spiers' blog for some really good thoughts on deploying a 1:1 iPad programme) Learners can start work in school, take the device home to continue, and then bring it back in the next day… incidentally, they could also take it to the library, or an art gallery or museum in order to do research for a homework assignment. Try doing that with a wired computer! In short, stop thinking of wired PCs or Macs as being the be all and end all. If nothing else, take a look at the sales figures for desktop versus laptops! ;o)
The myth of consumption over creation has been well and truly put to bed. They are superb creation tools… they can be used to create spreadsheets, books, presentations, music, animations, pictures, edit films… just about anything you care to think about… Why? Because the iPad has a viable ecosystem which makes money for developers, and which has the technological superiority to allow the iPad to do these things. Put simply, they are the only kid on the block worth considering at the moment - ask the developers! (Daring Fireballwrites about why developers prefer iOS to Android, though it is from an admittedly pro-Apple bias!) As a final aside, aren't books just tools for consumption as well? ;o)
With regards to the bulk purchasing of Apps from the App store, you are spot on. This is something that needs to be addressed urgently. One recent step in the right direction was the release of the Apple Configurator. This free tool will allow you to control updates and software installs for all a school's iPads… and very successfully from what I've heard so far.
Flash? Really? Even Adobe have admitted Steve Jobs was right and as of November 2011 stopped developing Flash for mobile devices. HTML5 is the future (at the moment) and it does run beautifully on iOS! ;o)
Sorry… this has become infinitely longer than I meant it to be. I originally started off just going to let you know about Adobe's decision to drop support for mobile Flash development, and it kind of grew!
As I see it, the iPad is just a tool. A very powerful one, but still a waste of time if they are not used well. This is true of all educational technology. The iPad is no different from a paper and pen in this respect. It is up to us as educators to find new and innovative ways of working with the tech, or not, when it is appropriate to do so. What I would be very fed up with would be someone deciding to buy a different tablet solution just because it's not made by Apple. All the indications are that it would be dearer, less powerful, with poorer battery life, and limited software or apps to run on it. To me, that really would be bad for education. ;0)
another issue worth thinking about is freedom and flexibility. The Apple-verse is a closed space. Ebooks,apps, music, documentaries - nd now text books are all within their total control. We've only just to emerge from the MS domination of operating systems and Office Applications with Linux, Google and Open Office...and here we are high-fiving the announcement of Apples textbooks etc.
They are a tool to enhance education....but bang for buck, they are a poor deal,in my opinion.
Others have already responded to most of the points I would have, except one: The Volume Purchase Program is Apple's way for schools to purchase apps in quantity.
The VPP allows schools to purchase using POs, avoid sales tax, purchase one license per device, and even get 50% discounts on 20 or more copies (when the app developer permits).
There are still things about the app installation process that are cumbersome, but given the underlying reality that the iPad is first and foremost a consumer device, Apple has made moves to address the needs of those of us who are deploying them in schools.
@Foster Sensei: The benefits of the "freedom" and "openness" of android are largely aspirational and only really matter to a pretty thin slice of the technology using public.
Do some of the things Apple does concern me? Sure. But while the "Apple is too closed" folks are wringing their hands and waiting for the killer Android tablet, some of us are in our second year of seeing the amazing things that can happen in classrooms from Pre-K on up, when a truly different kind of tool is put into the hands of students and teachers.
Apple Volume Purchase Program:
http://www.apple.com/education/volume-purchase-program/
This is an interesting post, but I do have to disagree with most of it. The device is not "bad". They are very popular (3 million in 3 days is pretty popular), but if they are not used correctly then they are just a text reader like anything else.
If teachers are using them as a reader to have students read textbooks, then they have wasted their money. The iPad is a creation tool. I do most of my mobile work on mine.
Not having Flash is fine with me. Flash has done nothing but create problems for me over the years. In fact when I got my MacBook Air I was glad that Flash was not installed. Most people on the net are now creating applications that are HTML5 compliant because they know the iPad is not ever going to leave.
For me it really comes down to professional development. If a district buys sets of iPads and does not provide professional development to support them, they have not done a service to the teachers or the students. Knowing how to effectively use these devices is extremely important.
Hi Nathan, Thanks for adding your comments. I admit using the word bad was just to get everyone's attention. Yes 3million is a number of devices but it doesn't make it ubiquitous if our students don't choose an iPad. If schools have to buy it is just an expensive, single user computer. Your point about professional development, support is well taken. If we did have good access to iPads (or any device) in schools it is the support that allows us to use it in a meaningful way.
James
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I DO work in education. The dependability of the students on the iPad may vary from school to school but i can see so many students sitting idle because they forgot to charge their iPad at night.
Sorry, but in the US and other countries around the world, from Pre-kindergarten to graduate studies programs, the students would DIS-AGREE by the tens-of-thousands. Look at the sales figures... YOU LOOSE.
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