Has anyone else looked at an iPad and thought it is just a slate? A modern day version of the old school slate that students did their work on.
During this course we have looked at how technology has advanced ideas and often replaces something. Paper replaced slates in schools as a modern solution to the dependence on memorization. Because slates were wiped clean to continue to work students had no record to study form, hence the idea to replace slates with notebooks. But now we see our classrooms, reemerging back into the “slate” era with iPads.
Are iPads really just modern day slates? Have we taken the ideas of what paper gave us of the ability to retain information and sculptured this into some old technology? So was paper really a step forward?
Today I sat in the doctors surgery waiting for my appointment and watched my 4-year old daughter, who is in kindergarten, effortlessly scroll on her iPad, learning her numbers, it just confirmed to me that it is just a matter of time before tablets are commonplace in all our schools. Qld has alredy completed trials in using iPads in schools with the results being both positive from both teachers and students. “Students enthusiastically embraced their participation in the trial and demonstrated maturity, respect and creativity with the use of the iPads.” Was one of the conclusions in the report “iPad Trial Is the iPad suitable as a learning tool in schools?“. The Victorian education department has also recognized the advancement of iPads and has commenced a trial using ipads in their schools. http://www.ipadsforeducation.vic.edu.au/
Something is old is new again! Reinventing ideas and education. Maybe technology isn’t always something new, it could be just a process or cycle of evolution!
The slate: They were the affordable tablets of the day and played a key role in the improvement of literacy and numeracy for millions of children. Perhaps the iPad will be the classroom slate of the future.
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So true Michelle, that is a great way to look at technology and how it seems to have done a full circuit (to some extent), The idea of ipads for each student isn’t far away, but you have to stop and think what happens to those schools out west or in poor socioeconomic areas. Will they be more disadvantaged because they don’t have access to this technology? And is writing skills, pencil grip and cursive writing even going to need to be taught in ten years? Scary thought, but how often do kids pick up a pencil and paper when they are at home, unless they are doing their homework? Everything they do, even some homework is done on the computer or tablet. I remember as a kid looking through the dictionary if I needed to spell or find the meaning of a word. Now all it takes is a quick trip to google, no real hard work involved. The advances in technology are a great thing, but do we have to loose sight of basic skills?
I agree totally Rebekah. Like it is described in Neil Postmans’ Five Things We Need to Know About Technological Change. What will we undo? I too think we will be giving children scripture or handwriting lessons in years to come.
I have actually just moved to the west myself and live in outback QLD. I have 3 kids who attend the rural smaller schools. It concerns me as a parent and a future teacher of these disadvantages of technology. The schools still have computers, smartboards, and ICT training for the staff, they just havnt got the bandwidths avaialble at the schools to support a full on program. But is this the balance we really should be striving for. They still receive the ICT instruction with practice, but they also still pen and paper. I suppose time will tell, if we really can deliver a national curriculum fairly and unbiasedly across the whole nation.
Discussions I have had with others also come down to the accessibility in the home for students and the expectations of them being able to complete school work after-hours. For instance my home is out of town and I am in an internet blackspot, so I have to rely on mobile internet, at a cost of approx. $80 for 8G a month (that is still if you can pick it up sometimes it is hit and miss!). Compared to this price in metro I was pretty much on unlimited internet and never gave this a second thought. So if you throw socioeconomic problems into the rural area mix, you could very well be finding that there is a whole pile of kids who become “at risk” in terms of ICT education.
Thanks so much for your reply, you really have prompted some fuel for thought!