Technology In Our Schools - iPads In The Classrooms

It’s not hard to see the appeal of the iPad in the classroom. I would almost go back to school if it meant I could get my hands on one. But for me, the iPad represents a huge push forward in the way we communicate – it still seems like a dazzling, astounding piece of technology, a shiny new toy and an important innovation, all in one elegant package.

But if you’re a kid, hey, it’s just an iPad. Chill, dude.

When you see a classroom full of young people quiet, heads down, eyes glued to the screen, it is an impressive thing. They know how to use these devices, seemingly by instinct. They are at home; this is their field of battle. Like it or not, the digital revolution has already won the hearts and minds of our children. It is now up to us to figure out how to put the information they need on these devices and help them dream up the future.

Seventh grade English teacher Samantha Groess, a young woman comfortable in the digital world, has had training in the use of the iPads she’s piloting in her classroom, but the day a visitor dropped by to watch, she had a problem figuring out how to refresh the screen. One of her students was glad to show her how to do that.

Kelly Eagan, a high school math teacher, is piloting the iPad in her classroom as well. Her students, though older, are no less at home with the devices. They retrieve them from the charger and sit down, and the ease with which they manipulate the screen makes it seem as though they have always had access to these tablets.

This is in part a testimony to the genius of the late Steve Jobs and his design team at Apple, but it is more than that. This generation is far more at home with a screen than a printed page. And that is how we will reach them, how we will teach them. To try and do otherwise is trying to stop a flood with your bare hands.

By the way, if one of those iPads ever needs a home, just give me a call.