Written by Doug Ward, an associate professor of journalism and the Budig Professor of Writing at the University of Kansas, here is an article about his students’ experience with a iPad over a semester. From The Chronicle of Higher Education:
I had high hopes when I handed out iPads to students in my graduate seminar this semester. I wanted to explore the possibilities of tablet computing and see firsthand how tablets might be used in higher education. I also wanted students to see for themselves where the iPad might fit into their lives and their careers – and into the future of media and communication.
For the most part, students ended the semester with a collective shrug. They simply weren’t all that impressed with tablet computing as it now exists.
That’s surprised me, though I still consider the semester a success. I learned several things about teaching, about the iPad and about students that will help me – and, I hope, others – in the future.
Thanks to Michael von Glahn for the link.
The thing that struck me most about this piece was his conclusion that not getting to keep the iPad resulted in students not investing the effort required to personalize the device and thereby discover its actual worth to them. This brings into question all of the other findings.
Another piece of utter nonsense coming from this publication, following on several other almost identical pieces in 2011.
It is a meaningless exercise handing ANY device to students unless there is useful content to use. And it is evident from this ‘piece’ that there was none. Goodness knows what this ‘lark’ was expected to achieve.
Probably one of those “Do something creative that’ll get us press if you want tenure / to keep your job!” immediately followed by “And use one of those iPad things, our Board of Dirctors like them!”
Or am I just being cynical about the antics going on in higher ed?
I use an ipad daily in the classroom and it is supremely effective. It is all in how you use it. We had a new student today who was having some adjustment troubles and the home room teacher sent her to work with me on the iPad. The tears stopped immediately, I had her full attention, and I had her speaking French words back to me in about 5 minutes.