This week I, in my first post since the new year, am
blogging on the iPad. When I say
blogging on the iPad, I am not
referring only to the topic but also literally to the device. As a school, we are engaging in a small pilot
program, and I am typing this blog on the iPad (with the wireless keyboard). The process of evaluating the iPad as a
device is part of a much larger technology project within our strategic
plan. The new plan will include a
complete overhaul of our current network (badly needed), examination of our
technology in all three divisions, consideration of our staffing and service
approach, revision of our professional development, etc.
To put this in context, I should begin with the confession
that I am neither an early adopter nor a Luddite. The conversion to our 1:1 program in the
upper school at BGA was a project the strategic plan committed us to before I
arrived at BGA seven years ago. During
that time, we have changed devices several times (Lenovo, Dell, Toshiba) and
always review the available options at this time of the year before making an
announcement to our parents. The
discussions centering on the iPad in our iPad users’ group have been productive
and provocative, and we are certainly discovering the pros and cons not only
ourselves but through visits and discussions with peer schools across the
country. While I do not want to
short-circuit those discussions, I have begun to think that the conversations we
are having may be redundant in light of the adoption curve of the iPad and the
market forces beyond our beautiful campus or Franklin, Tennessee. In some regards (hyperbole acknowledged), I
feel as if I am being asked if I would prefer that we invest in buggy whips or
this new device called the horseless carriage or the automobile.
Admittedly, that is a dramatic analogy. Other devices will surely continue to exist
in the market, and we will continue to be a dual platform school for the foreseeable
future. Our upper classmen will continue
to use their tablets, and our faculty may gradually shift (possibly using more
than one computer for a time).
Eventually, we may move to becoming a BYOD school (bring your own
device). There are clearly still some
disadvantages to the iPad, which has been gradually transitioning from a
consumer content-use device to a more viable educational and interactive
product. These are well known, and I am
in no position to add to that conversation (the inability to view websites with
Flash, some synching issues with smart board technology, issues with the
stylus, the small keyboard with a different configuration, warranty
issues).
Next week I will blog more on these pros and cons; however,
I will highlight a few of the reasons we must consider these devices very
seriously as an attractive option and an eventual replacement of our current
tablets. These include:
- the rapid adoption of etexts, with Apple’s recent announcement of its agreements with prominent publishers, as well as with the enormous catalogue already available from Amazon (a game-changer, in my view)
- the long battery life (7-10 hours), which is dramatically different from that of our current devices
- the portable and lightweight design (it actually fits on our desks)
- the price point for our parents as we engage in serious discussions about affordability (many families are already investing in the iPad as a second or third device)
- the excitement and engagement of students and prospective students (an informal poll of my freshman English class confirmed this)
- the rapid proliferation of new apps (many free or inexpensive) that are solving issues on a daily basis (the adoption curve and the profitability make this inevitable)
- the impact on differentiation of instruction
- the possibility of more of a move toward a (more) paperless environment and both green efforts and cost-savings
- the difference in repair rates we are hearing from peer schools (which affects staffing and service in out tech. department).
Next week I will continue this blog, but for now let me say
this. . . I am still using my buggy whip, but I am very intrigued by this
horseless carriage.
