[LINK] Apple iPads for Victorian School Students

[Stilgherrian]

On 03/06/2010, at 9:03 AM, Ivan Trundle wrote:
> However, all I've seen so far in the press and elsewhere is either a feature-by-feature knock-down (which is pointless given that it's usually a comparison of apples and oranges - pardon the pun), or seems to think that learning processes are governed by the hardware presented, or that battery life is not an issue, or that system admin of these devices takes little time or effort.
> 
> I agree with Stil in that new possibilities will exist for learning and teaching with devices that might or might not include an iPad or iPad derivative, but from what I hear both on Link and elsewhere, only netbook fanatics (if I am permitted to use this pejorative term) extol their virtues, and most others decry their limited battery life, poor robustness, and slow speed for all but basic tasks. Some even complain about the keyboards...
> 
> I've yet to find a student who is not capable of using a virtual keyboard with incredible speed and accuracy (and some incredible records are being set by expert users - YouTube is full of examples), and as further proof of their usefulness, virtually all phone manufacturers are selling phones with virtual keyboards, despite protestations that 'they won't work and we will never make them'. The keyboard argument is a straw man.

Further to my earlier email, I'm noticing that many commentaries about the iPad, as just one example, tend to focus on "How can this new device let me do what I currently do, in the way I currently do it, using the tools and workflows that I currently use?" Maybe that's the wrong question. Maybe it should be "What does this new and different device allow me to do that wasn't possible or convenient before?"

Even as I type (shoosh!) that, I'm rethinking my own opinion of the iPad. I was previously sure I did NOT want one, because I do a lot of writing and I tend to take a MacBook Pro with me everywhere anyway. similarly, I didn't get an iPhone because (20 months ago, anyway), there were three issues which I thought were show-stoppers: poor battery life with no swappable battery; crappy camera; no way of using it as a modem by Bluetooth or USB tethering. Maybe I was looking at it wrong.

Stil


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