Today we learned about many apps for our I-Pads. As usual, it felt like shopping. Look at THIS new app...isn't it amazing? And THIS one - isn't it cool? And now this one, it can do this and this and this. You'll LOVE this one, and you'll never go without THIS, once you start. I am wondering: is this the new paradigm for learning? Will it be an unending series of new things, fitting in so perfectly with our consumer mentality? If you just get THIS, your classroom will be transformed.
Most of the apps seemed to be somewhat similar. A picture and some words in some configuration. A picture and an avatar. Words arranged in different ways. Most of them also felt a little limiting: for example, in PollEv, you could only write words, not sentences. In the photo-text app you could have up to ten words only. I will be very interested to see whether we will be able to use these apps to grapple with difficult questions or to create products with some depth. I am sure people do.
There is no doubt that good tools have changed the lives of many disabled students. And, I suppose, those tools would never have been invented if the rest of us weren't also infatuated enough with technology to make it all cheap and easily accessible. But I can't help wondering: what happened to the notion of sustainability? What happened to reduce, re-use, recycle? And will the day ever arrive when an app has a shelf life longer than a year?
Kate I think you'll be amazed what is to come. What about Tyler accessing the iPad with his tongue and completing his work independently! You can't argue that that is impressive! The PollEv can in fact allow the input in full sentences...it is another format to be chosen at the design stage. We have been using some apps for 3 years!! i.e. Pic Collage, Pages, iMovie, Keynote, Safari, Camera App. It is up to the teacher to use these Apps and settings creatively to include all learners. Can you pose the difficult questions and what kind of depth you are looking for? I can't wait for you to see what else these devices can do for students...and adults. It is an exciting time. And...it works because it is simple and universal.
ReplyDeleteYes, I cannot deny that the I-Pad has, and will continue to revolutionize learning for many students. We absolutely cannot deny assistive tech for those who need it. And I believe, that, like it or not, the day is fast approaching when all students will have I-Pads and will use them as their primary way to access learning. It is only a matter of time. It is interesting what some students said today in class, that with the I-Pad we seem to have arrived somewhere, that we have something that is so good that there will be no need to "disrupt" it for a long time. My own personal concern is that we are being carried along by something that is motivated not only by a desire to do good in terms of educating students, but also by strong commercial interests. That we will be slaves to continued upgrades. And that we will lose something important when we finally move away from paper and print. When I think about writing a research paper, for example...or just reading and responding to the links to current research that we have been doing: how would a person get that kind of detail in an app?
DeleteThanks for your comments, Barbara!