Could the iPad Be a "Game Changer"?

During the tax-free holiday weekend in August, I woke up early and made my way to the Mansfield Best Buy for its 7:00 am opening. I was glad that I did, as I waited for the doors to open along with 50 or so other folks, with at least 48 of them being there for the same reason I was: to purchase an iPad. That day they were selling them like hotcakes!

I got myself one... actually it was for my 10-year old daughter, Molly. My wife and I decided that it would be a nice back to school investment for her, as she was entering the fifth grade and starting a new school. While she has definitely used it a great deal, and has downloaded a plethora of applications and silly games, I have been pleasantly surprised with its value as much more than an electronic game. Last Thursday night in our family room I noticed Molly very quietly and intently studying the iPad screen. When I asked her what she was doing, she informed me that she was reading Walk Two Moons by Sharon Creech, a book that her class was assigned to read. On her own she downloaded the work from iBooks and was enjoying reading it. Seeing this with my own child made me think of the larger possibilities....

The iPad is a tablet PC, and there's certainly nothing new about that. However, its slick and intuitive Apple interface make it very appealing. When Apple CEO and founder Steve Jobs did the iPad product launch, he heralded it as downright revolutionary, as its superior text/book download and visual capacities would ultimately be the new medium for the fledgling newspaper and newsmagazine industry. While I question this, it is interesting think of the potential once the cost of technology like the iPad decreases even more. Education columnists and bloggers speculate that the iPad could replace the use of textbooks where students would simply download the textbooks they needed from year to year. The textbook content could be much more interactive, incorporating video as well chat, wiki, and blog capacities. Needless to say, this would be greatly beneficial to the environment, cutting down on all of that paper.

As of today, Apple has developed over 5,000 educational applications for use with K-12 students. As an example, here is The Elements: A Visual Exploration that could be used in any physical science or chemistry class. Check it out:
Think of the potential applications or "apps" yet to be developed-ones that could help the Web 2.0 generation process, synthesize, and evaluate new information. This technology has potential that I believe we have not fully tapped.

Most of all, the iPad is mobile- and invites peer interaction (such as discussions and editing), collaboration, productivity, and communication- essential skills for college and career readiness. Like most technologies, it is only as good as the skill of the teacher who is using it to facilitate the learning. In other words, it's only as good as how it's used.

But the possibilities!