creating an effective and sustainableteaching and learning environment.
- Enabling our teachers to provide effective pedagogy in the classroom is paramount.
- Equipping teaching staff with tools to assist in their day to day tasks such as planning, organising and collaborating is also a priority.
At my school we have a successful MacBook 1:1
environment. We utilise Apple wikis, podcasting, iMovies and iTunes
to access a multitude of media. But we have also, perhaps
unknowingly invested into "Apple Technologies", their mantra and as
some describe it "Walled Garden".
But this should not cause too
much alarm as it is this very model that has seen Apple grow to be
the most admired, loved (and surprisingly) trusted company in the
world. But just as learning areas invest in a variety of different
textbook publishers, and teachers choose different literature to
compliment different curricula, it may be wise to proceed with
caution. 
Transformation of teaching. My school
has continued to support and invest in Apple laptops, we have
achieved a successful integration into the school and after almost
3 years teachers operate them very well. But it goes a little
further than operation. Teachers understand that video and audio
creation assist in retention of information. The research and
enquiry process has evolved entirely. Round the clock learning,
higher order thinking and global collaboration are intertwined into
the classroom. We are demonstrating a transformation of teaching
and learning. This transformation is vital. To simply
substitute or augment technology into the school or workforce does
not fully realise your investment. (ref SAMR model.)
But we must look forward, to ensure both teaching
progress and economically sound progress.... Or
perhaps we should look the way Apple are looking, because if we
have trusted them this far with our technology choices do we
continue down their garden path to a metaphoric Zen Garden? The
iPad works in education. If we took Apple's advice I'm certain that
every student would be equipped with an iPad and a MacBook. This is
not realistic (discussion for another post), even if the deal is
sweetened with an easy finance program. But have no doubt that
Apple's presence in education is legitimate. Their alliance with
100's of top universities around the world who continuously build
resources for iTunes U is evidence of the educational research and
learning infrastructures built in the last 7 years. The ADE program
ensures communication and mutual progress.
Two Vital
iPad advantages over the MacBook. 1.
The strength of a touch interface and the very model of App design
and distribution has placed the iPad in a unique position. You
cannot get the majority of content on a MacBook that makes the iPad
so unique. And you cannot internalise learning so deeply as you can
when touch enables the deep immersion of learning as found on the
iPad. Greg O'Connor from Spectronics spoke to me recently and
asked the question "Did dyslexia exist before Gutenberg printed his
first books in 1440?". Why now are some students categorised by
modern literacy disadvantages? Greg now believes that the iPad has
bridged this gap. "It has completely removed the obstacles faced by
some learners". Because of the intuitive touch, speak and define
functions learners with a variety of disabilities are one step
nearer to participating in a single tiered education.
But what is the real trump card that the iPad
holds? What will we miss out on if we don't come
along for the ride? The answer is iBooks. 2. A proprietary
electronic text format that Apple are enticing book publishers (and
education publishers) to adopt. An easy way to illustrate the
importance of this is to ask you to imagine a world where iBooks is
to book purchasing as iTunes has come to music consumption. And the
only way to consume these books is on an iPad, this makes for a
good business model. This transition will take some time, say 2-3
years. The iBook format for education will be incredible (think of
the app Our Choice). Plus teachers can easily produce their own
iBooks to be shared locally or globally.
Conclusion All of the foundations are
coming together well for Apple. But there are still some critical
considerations. Which curriculum specific books will be
available? How can the school effectively manage/monitor
100's of devices? Will App distribution be ok? Can we print with
our printers? Will the wireless network be durable enough? Can we
collaborate with wikis? Evaluation and development
process. Only our teaching staff can truly indicate
the pedagogical value of the iPad. I have prepared a PD session to
up-skill teachers so that they are confident integrating the iPad
into the classroom. The session also recommends an evaluation
process of apps. I would encourage staff to participate. Contact me
on doug@isupport.com.au.