The fck is this??!


You make me look old.
This IS what it's supposed to look like.

Can't believe a Vancouver school is balling enough to buy Ipads for their school. Need to send my kids there for learning one day LOL.

DINOSAUR MOTHERFUCKING TYCOON

http://instructify.com/files/2010/04...aster_shot.gif

i wouldn't be surprised if Nanaimo school kids are still playing this.

id rather have one of these tablets

http://evolvethree.com.au/meego-slate.html

Those ipads will be crap in a year. The problem with shared technology is nobody operates it like they own it.

Schools like BCIT, AI, et al can spend a shit ton on their computer labs and within a year, every user will be competing for fully functioning, non-glitchy, non-abused hardwares.


But yes, I'm all for more technology influence in our education; the above is just a "minor" peeve of mine.

I think why people are against using ipad as learning toold for kids because most people take ipad as a toy or a mini computer for leisure purposes. Seriously, how often or ever have you written your school essay on an ipad? most people dont. Yet, we are living in a digital world now and using computer as a learning tool is getting more and more common. Think about when computer first get common as a personal computer (PC) and school use it as learning tools, there are people who said the same thing as now. Now looking back, thats not a big deal at all.

one of my sister's colleague was forced to buy an ipad for his 8 years old because his son goes to a private school. What kind of shit is this?! At least elementary should avoid using electronic as a teaching tool. At least wait til high school

I'm against it because it's over $500 for something used to just run apps. Kids should be learning how to make apps not launch them.

Some members of the Toronto school board have the right idea. They want all text books to go digital but not be device specific. So people can read read them on there computer, e-reader, cellphone or tablet.

If it's there to run apps, like Word, Excel, etc. then I have to agree with you, but the iPad and devices like it can be more than that. It's interactive, collaborative, etc. Kids can respond to a teacher's questions and students' input can be put up on the projector or Smart board. Tests can be administered and instant questionnaires and shit can be incorporated into the lessons. Graphs and charts can be created on the fly and it opens up all kinds of possibilities for instant collaborative work within the class, around the school, across the district, the province, the country, the planet. There really is no limit to how it can be used. Engaging kids - that's the secret. In the right hands, the kids will not want to play any fucking lame games when learning is meaningful/relevant.

Like I said before, it is a tool. How people use it is another question.


I can almost guarantee you that most of the time, the technology will not be used properly. How many educatiors out there are comfortable with technology or have the creative insight to take advantage of the technology? Our Universities are not training future teachers for technology as they are so behind themselves in this area. Premier whatshisnuts talks about how our children will be leaders in the technology field, yada yada yada.........yet no plans are in place.

Then there's the problem of getting this technology into the right hands. There are teachers out there that can take advantage of the technology but are not able to get their hands on it while another teacher/school/district has the technology and it sits there not being utilized properly. I like what Best Buy is doing by awarding prize money to schools that come up with great technology plans. Again, the corporate world making a difference while the government fucks things up.

I wish I had more time to get into this further, but this is RS.

I agree with you on the usage aspect. Most of the older teachers may not know how to use newer technology (some of my teachers in high school barely knew how to use e-mail or electronic attendance systems), but as younger, more tech-savvy teachers come in to replace them, they'll likely know what to do with it, and how to use it to make sure it's relevant to the curriculum. They may not have had formal training in using it in a classroom setting, but they might have an iPad personally or has technological know-how from general computer use.

No matter how forward a school district can think, there's always a way that a student can misuse a fresh idea. The iPad might be good for portability and apps (and possibly e-textbooks like someone else said-good idea), but if I was a teacher, I'd rather wheel in some laptops for my students to use.

Hmmmm.......... from my experience being on the PAC (Parent Advisory Council) at my kids' schools for umpteen years, it's the older teachers who embrace the technology and integrate it properly into the curriculum. Newer teachers barely keep their heads above water with classroom management and dealings with crazy parents, red tape, etc.

Also, secondary teachers are more specialists and teach their particular subject area as opposed to the generalists you see in elementary and middle schools. Also, more impact, the younger the students are.

Older, more established teachers have the time to learn the technology - masters/post baccalaureate/doctorate degrees, professional development opportunities, etc. Technology in education is a big topic nowadays in post grad work. Too bad it isn't there for undergrads. Finding good profs who know what the hell they are doing is hard to find, I guess. In post grad, it's more student driven and less course work. Actually, those teachers who take post grad courses and do well, often get seconded by the university or ministry of education to be leaders in technology.

BTW, the iPad is more versatile than a laptop.

Not even close. A laptop is way more versatile. Making a power point presentation or a custom slide show would be next impossible on an Ipad.
Can you even print from an Ipad?

You are looking at this from one point only - trafitional POV. Anyway, not going to argue over it. I've already spent too much time in this thread.

how are you going to teach your kids to do crafts?

my son was doing coloring on the computer... theres a site that have pictures of disney characters and you point and click and color it in.. WTF is this... is this how you want your kids to learn how to color.. with a mouse???

took him off the computer and went to an indoor playground...

Wow...Steve Jobs has done his marketing well...

I do agree with introducing technology into the classroom at an earlier age. To avoid it is to impede progress I think. But this needs to be balanced with continued efforts to maintain the quality of your written (or typed) and oral communication skills. I do worry about the excessive time spent in front of a monitor where everything is virtual as opposed to dealing with things in reality.

I also think that spending the time and effort to learn and maintain decent handwriting skills exercises more than your hands - it stretches your brain and I think helps you learn to focus. Don't get me wrong, my handwriting ain't gonna win any calligraphy contests or anything, but sometimes doing things the hard way (i.e. handwriting a letter or report) can be a good thing for someone's development.

Trust me I've look at every point of view. It's a waste of money for schools.

Nobody is saying this stuff will/should replace good ol' books and the learning of basic skills/understanding of key concepts. The education system today is being stretched to the limit because of poor parenting - kids are way less prepared for school when entering the system than when we were toddlers. The basics are still priority one. However, we need to challenge those who are capable - shouldn't teach to the lowest common denominator. Damn it...... no more. It's all giving me a headache. I log onto RS to veg out and to be entertained, not think. LOLOLOL

But if you have the pdf, you can print it and upload a soft copy to the cloud :fullofwin:

Speaking of which,
theres a new Oregon Trail out for the iPhone (i think iPad too)
Its NOT bad

One of the problems I can see with this is the durability. Apple products aren't always the most durable, do you really think a 5 year old kid is gonna be gentle with their backpack? Fuck no, you should all remember, you get to the playground or your friends house and you toss that bitch aside and go have fun.

That and using an Apple product, well shit it's outdated 20 mins after it gets released. So fuck cost effectiveness by buying these things, because it won't be supported within a couple years.

If they want to do this to replace textbooks, then they need to get them from a company making a combination toughbook - ereader - tablet. That way it won't get killed if the kid drops it, the batteries won't always be dead (because lets be honest, a 5 year old won't remember to charge their ipad), and they can go online to select sites for more info.

That's a bit of a price jump... you can buy 1 kid an ipad or just buy a new LCD TV, same price... when I finished HS they had overhead projectors hooked to the teachers desktop computer in some rooms, and projectors on carts to wheel into the other rooms (these are proper projectors, not the ones you can write on like some of you may be thinking).

Problem #1 right there. But I do agree, that's fucking stupid.

Seems like a pretty bad idea to buy a 1st generation consumer electronics device, that is designed to be replaced every year.

1) Every Ipad needs to be tied to a specific computer and itunes account to be updated and activated.

2) After 3 years the generation of iPad reaches end of life and cannot be updated further.

3)Because the ipad will have reached endoflife the school will be unable to redownload needed apps from itunes because developers have since updated their apps past what what that generation is capable of software wise.

What will be the end result? Even more kids that have zero knowledge of actually computers or technology because they were taught to use apples magical apps. The education system already does an awful job educating students and faculty on how to use this shit.

I took a course at Langara just last semester called BCAP1200 (major gpa booster), this is a course designed to educate business students on computer use and purchasing computers. The amount of bullshit these people were taught was outstanding even starting with the wrong terminology like 2.4G is the processor speed or 250Gig is storage capacity.

And here I am, thinking that the VSB is already in dept.... now they want to spend even more money on more, flamboyant things that will make them bankrupt.