Reaction to the Article: 6 Things We Know for Sure with iPads in School, www.edutopia.org, October 23, 2013

I found the article interesting since the district I am in tried to pass a technology plan to introduce iPads in our district.  The plan was voted down in a landslide decision.  Putting iPads into the hands of teachers or high school students is one thing, but giving a kindergarten a $350.00 piece of equipment that they are responsible for is another thing.  Not to mention the overall equipment and training cost that could be used to help hire staff for our overcrowded classrooms. 

I found the article interesting in that it describes the process of training the teachers but not about training the students.  I don’t doubt that it would take time to train staff on the abilities of an iPad and that students would be able to navigate the iPad faster but do they know how to be responsible for the equipment?  How many cell phones have student gone through because they lost them, dropped them, or went swimming with it on them? 

The concern I have is that students are not taught what the consequences are for having this piece of technology and that the expense/consequence is then placed on the parent.  Yes, technology is great and advancement is great too, but you need to have the knowledge and the maturity to implement it.  

Reference:

6 Things We Know for Sure with iPads in School, www.edutopia.org, October 23, 2013