The introduction of iPads as a teaching strategy in the classroom has continued to grow as the United States continue to enjoy the benefits of the use of modern technology to enhance learning. Schools that do not engage the use of iPads in the classroom, are feeling the pressure of integrating the use in the classrooms as there is a public cry to improve the standards of education. At the onset, the use of iPads were popular among students who pursued higher educational goals, but in recent times, elementary schools have joined the programs to use technology to teach, but this has caused concerns among many individuals in the society. With the growing increase in iPads in the home and social settings, there is no doubt that the use of iPads as a teaching tool will be most effective for students. Clearly, iPads in today’s classrooms are a much needed enhancement tool to our education.
The idea of the use of portable mobile devices as a tool of learning in the classroom is not a new concept, (Clark & Luckin, p. 7) and this methodology has always provided educators and learners with the skill of developing collaborative and independent ways to improve on learning, (Clark & Luckin, p. 7). As such one can understand Karsenti and Fievez, reviews in their 2003 research, that suggests that the use of iPad in the classroom can be beneficial to students as the “information and communications technologies (ICT) have been gaining significant ground, not just in the day-to-day lives of the young and not-so-young, (Karsenti & Fievez, p. 9) and in school as iPads are now seen as the “future of education in our societies,” (OECD, 2011 as cited by Karsenti & Fievez, p. 9). iPads offers learners the opportunity to access knowledge on almost every topic that surfaces in the classroom and as a result, the society is slowly being transformed into a technological era that has forced the educational institutions to revisit their methods of delivering the content and concepts of the lessons. Conversely, iPads allow educators to develop a framework that will foster positive growth and development in the classrooms as learners become more adept at using the Internet as a tool to connect learning and their social lives. Of course, advocates against the use of iPads in the classroom will argue that the introduction and excessive use of iPads in the classroom will eventually lead to the destruction of the traditional patterns of teaching, (Karsenti & Fievez, p. 9). But why should this not be so when the society encourages individuals to move forward with the technological advances in the society?
There are numerous benefits and disadvantages to the use of iPads as a means of enhancing learning in the classrooms. One may argue that iPads create a distraction for a number of students, but iPads often make the physically challenge of using heavy textbooks lighter as students with iPads do not have to take these heavy textbooks to cause and this may lead to serious physical deformities. In essence, iPads help students to organize their educational information on a portable device that helps to save energy and physical strength for students. Additionally, with the limits on the number of printed texts that student’s take to school come the improvements in the environments as manufacturers and publishers will not have much need to destroy the trees in the environment and the Earth.
At the elementary school level, there is a great need for worksheet and printed materials and this increase the amount of time and energy that it takes to copy this material. As such the use of iPads will help to improve the environment. Arguably, the use of iPads will eventually lead to the government saving money as the digital versions of the course at all level of the educational system is easier to access on iPads. Additionally, iPads allow students to make highlights on their systems and parents and the government will not have to replace books that have been lost or destroyed.
At the same time, iPads generally have games and applications such as social media websites that may serve as a detractor for many students. Still, the use of the iPads will add more interest to the learning process if the teachers incorporate the technological devices effectively in the classes as students today tend to gravitate towards technological devices rather than the use of the standard methods of teaching tools in the classroom. As a fact, students often feel the need to access the social media websites on their iPads instead of carrying out academic activities because these devices offer students first – hand entertainment which holds the interest of students at every level of the educational system. With this in mind, educators can easily use the interests in iPads to present information that are in the textbooks as iPads are generally more engaging and interacting than books. Ashley Wainwright points to statistics from Pearson’s Foundations that suggests that of every ten high school and college students agree that iPads encourage students to become more efficient in their studies and perform more effectively in classes, (Wainwright, para. 5).
There is no doubt that each student will learn in different ways and at different paces. The use of iPads in the formative years of learning allows educators to concretize and personalize the materials that are taught in the classroom. This teaching method allows for students to learn educational material within their structure and personal time frame and students will be able to review material at their convenience. In addition, the introduction of numerous educational apps that appear on the iPads in the society today, allows students to find additional material that will reinforce the topics that they learn in classes. Of course, there is the strong concern that students may lose focus when they attempt to search for the additional material on the internet, but the excitement of seeing the printed textbook material on their iPads will undoubtedly encourage students to build their interest in learning and refocus on the way that they source additional material from these websites. For a number of students, iPads offer an interesting way to learn educational material as the educational apps come in the form of games and present the teaching concepts in a creative and interesting manner.
Some critics have argued that the massive use of iPad leads to a control of the educational system, (Kamenetz, para., 7) and leave educators making changes to include a number of carefully selected apps in the classroom to improve on the teaching strategies. Kamenetz further adds that the use of iPads as a teaching tool allows students to become more involved in the development of the content that is imparted in the class and opens the barriers to developing learning strategies, (Kamenetz, par., 7) that focus on the needs of the students and less on the teacher as the central figure in learning. For some critics, this new method of teaching and learning leaves some teachers confused as they are unwilling to adjust to the reality that children are innovators and that they can provide useful strategies that will help to improve the learning process. Clearly, the use of iPads in the classroom is effective as students will feel as though they are responsible for their learning.
In a 2014 research carried out by Apple Inc., in Prince George’s County Public Schools in Maryland, Hayley Tsukayama reiterates the belief that iPads are beneficial to the learning process as students are able to use these devices to create presentations, make videos, and use educational software as a part o their learning process on a daily basis, (Tsukayama, para., 3). In addition, teachers are better able to access “personalized data from apps to show where students need the most help,” (Tsukayama, para., 3). The report on “iPad in Education Results” reinforces the views that iPads offer a high level of flexibility in the way educators impart knowledge in the classrooms, (iPad in Education Results, p. 14). The belief that times have changed and that there is a new “dawn” on the horizon, spans to the way that individuals view the educational system and the methodology that teachers employ in their classrooms. The use of the iPads offer educators the opportunity to become creative in the way that these educational opportunities are presented to these students. This new exploration of ideas will undoubtedly lead to a transformation in the way students learn and achieve the academic objectives, (iPad in Education Results, p. 14).
Similarly, Brian Handwerk, in his contribution to the National Geographic News postulates that the use of iPads will tap into the neurocognitive abilities of students and help these students to develop a better understanding of difficult concepts in the learning process, (Handwerk, para., 1).
The changes in the society demands that educators improve their methodology of imparting knowledge as students are more aware of the values of having an education. For many students, the Internet offers an easier way of learning the structured curriculum. These children will automatically gravitate towards the easier methodology in learning and will source the information on their own. Therefore, educators who are aware of the changes in the society and the use of technology should incorporate this method as a means of improving the standards of education in the school system.
In conclusion, education is important to the overall development of any progressive society. Without a strong educational system, the future of many first world countries looks dismal. But, technological advancement and the use of technological gadgets have come to the forefront to offer educators at every level the opportunity to improve on the teaching-learning development in the classrooms. It is clear that the younger generation has become ‘obsessed’ with technological gadgets and that the iPad is among one of the favorite technological gadgets for students. Therefore, educators need to develop new strategies of teaching and include the use of iPads as an instructional tool as the benefits of iPads has recently overpowered the benefits of using printed materials in classes. The fact is that iPads make learning more effective because of the level of interest that it arouses in its users. In addition, iPads presents the content in a creative manner and allows for less time to find pertinent information in the classroom. Not many children will appreciate the extra weight of textbooks as it can cause physical strain to the body and these children will find that using the iPads create less physical damage their bodies and more information that they can use on a daily basis in the classroom.
Works Cited
Clark, W., & Luckin, R., (2013) What the research says: iPad in the classroom, Web, Retrieved
Handwerk, B., (2013) iPads Improve Classroom Learning, Study Finds Tablets can help students
with tough concepts like space and time, National Geographic News, Web, Retrieved from http://news.nationalgeographic.com
iPad in Education Results, (n.d) Apple Inc. US, Web. Retrieved from
https://www.apple.com/education/docs/iPad_in_Education_Results.pdf
Kamenetz, Anya, (2013, October 31) Apple has 94% of the classroom tablet market–Why that’s
a scary stat, Web. Viewed at http://digital.hechingerreport.org
Karsenti, T., & Fievez, A (2013) The iPad in education; uses, benefits, and challenges – A
survey of 6057 students and 302 teachers in Quebec, Canada. Montreal, QC: CRIFPE, Report available at karsenti.ca/ipad
Tsukayama, H., (2014) The Switch - How iPads in classrooms are helping kids in Prince
George’s County, Web, The Washington Post (WP Company, Llc.) US, Retrieved from https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs
Wainwright, A., (2015) 8 studies show iPads in the classroom improve education, Secure Edge
Networks, Web, Retrieved from http://www.securedgenetworks.com
