Florida school scrapping textbooks and rolling out iPads to its students
Lake Minneola High School has adopted the iPad as its future learning device of choice. When students return next month they will have access to a shiny new iPad for school time and home use. Lake Minneola will be the first public school in Central Florida to buy Apples iconic tablet for all of its students.
"Students learn differently now because of the technology," said Kathy Halbig, innovative learning manager for the Lake school district who is overseeing the project. "Students are used to having multiple sources and being able to have more social collaboration in their learning process rather than just doing it sitting quietly and reading." "Rather than have a child have five tools on his or her desk they've got one tool that will function as the textbook, the Slate, the Internet access, note taker, calendar," she said.The school has invested around $700,000 buying up 1750 iPads for its students. Teachers are already planning lessons using the iPad as the focal point complete with selected educational apps. The school believes that it will save them money in the long term.
The iPads will be locked down to prevent students installing apps that are not appropriate to the school learning process. Each iPad will also be supplied with a rugged case to protect it from everyday school life.
UK editor at iMore, mobile technology lover and air conditioning design engineer.
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The week in iPad, July 31, 2011Leave a Reply
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I love that this is happening im my home state. I would love for a college to do this so I can easily work towoards a higher degree in my profession. I already do all my reading on my iPad 2 and can't imagine having to lug a book around ever again. I can also shop for a new book anytime of day which is very nice working on the night shift.
UF's MBA program is giving iPads to students. Check them out.
I tried using an iPad in college but found a MacBook Air to be more productive.
The parents are going to be pissed when they have to pay if it gets stolen or broken.
I was aslo considering replacing my MAcbook pro with the air seeing as you really no longer need the cd drive. Replacement is an issue but hopefully the school can get some insurance plan or bulk maintenance deal!
The iPad can just present the apps loaded. Success is not so much the iPad as the apps that are installed - and of course how they are used by the teachers and students.
Yeah I actually live in this city in the middle of nowhere Florida... Cow fields and everything.... It's in the very outskirts of Orlando before tourism kicked in.... But I knew my mom told me something about it but I didn't believe it... Wow... Kinda cool.
the students will just play angry birds
These schools are going to be broken into and robbed, and the iPads sold on eBay. End of story.
My wife's a teacher and part if the pilot program in her school for iPads. She gets issued an iPad and so do her kids. They take them home and use them all year just like a text book. Studies have shown kids learn at a higher rate when they have the technology. Looking forward to see how it works.
We first have to teach children that "collaborative work" is not the same as "copying from your friend." The first time a low income student loses/breaks his iPad the program will change because the school system cannot force the family to replace it. We can't even do that with textbooks - and heaven knows our students can't hold onto textbooks.
I'm a big fan of technology in education - I'm one of the lead technology teachers at my high school - but I don't believe in technology for technology's sake. Programs like this are designed to make the school (system) look cutting edge, but that is the main goal.
Absolutely so! Technology is great if it serves your teaching needs, and what workes well for your teaching should be priority no. 1. Use technology as a supplement. Try this for History: http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/interactive-historical-atlas/id482946856?mt=8
It figures there would be people that would shoot this idea down. It's the future people get over it. I wish I had half the tech that these kids have these days when I was in grade school and college.
No one is shooting down the idea of tech, but if you ever had a teenage son you would understand a parents concern. When tablets get cheaper than it will be more practical.
It's all about raising the kids so that they understand the value of things. I handed down my old iPad and my 2 year old MacBook pro down to my 15 year old daughter 5 months ago. And both are still in pristine condition.
You passed it down to your daughter not son. That's a big difference.
Lol I hope you don't think boys are more destructive girls. That same daughter of mine did a cartwheel and knocked over my 47" tv. And being the great girl that I raised she tried to get money to pay me back for a new one. Like I said raising them so they understand. I never took any money from her btw.
I disagree, I'm 17 and I've always loved technology and every piece of tech I own is in, at least, pretty good condition. While others may nor treat it as well as me, most of my friends have iPhones or Android phones and they are all in fairly good condition after months or even years of usage.
Things were different when we were in school.
Know why there are no grocery stores in many urban areas? Because they don't want any part of it. They learned their lesson long ago. They don't want animals crashing trucks through their store's walls and having their merchandise stolen week after week. And that's exactly what will happen to these Florida schools after they've stocked up on iPads. If they can't even protect very large band instruments, that are continually stolen, how will they protect little iPads?
Well as far security goes. I don't know.
and the award for dumbest comment of the day goes to .............fastlane. No grocery stores in many urban area's?! REALLY?! what "many urban area's" are these?
Wish we had these when we were kids
Wonder what the rugged case will be. Now this is the perfect environment to test the durability of a case. Apple computers have been in schools forever. This is just an updated idea. In fact when Apple branched out to different products, it was hard to get away from they are the "school computer" people. Not buying that.
The rugged case will be from otterbox no doubt as they make the best cases hands down
I am sure this is crap,
Care to prove it?
Bots don't read comments or reply to them
How long before a few of these are jailbroken? It will be interesting to see how this experiment works out.
I will be curious to see the outcome of this program. I hope it helps improve the education of the students. The bottom line is, however, that the iPad still won't do all the work and the student still has to put forth effort. That being said, perhaps the work will be more appealing to the students in this format.
My school is doing this top
How does one lock down an iPad to prevent app installs?
In order to download something from iTunes you are always required to enter a password. If the student doesn't know it then they can't download anything.
You 've got know the restriction password in setting of your iPad. and then You can see the installing Apps item.. turn on.
Haha, our school has iPads too, but we can download games!
The idea is awesome, the implementation will fail. Either the iPads will be stolen or lost. There is no real way around this and at $600 a pop, no insurance carrier will insure these.
those iPads better have an otterbox defender case
Animation techniques can be used on a tablet that will help the student visualize. The future for illustrators is very exciting.