Starting this school year, 400 middle school students in California will be given shiny new iPads instead of textbooks in a study being conducted by textbook manufacturer, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt and the California school board. Throughout this year, students using iPads will be compared to classmates using textbooks with the same teacher. California Secretary of Education Bonnie Reiss and Houghton Mifflin Harcourt hope to expose the benefits or potential pitfalls of using digital tools in the classroom. The first updates of this trial will be publicly announced in January however the test will run through the entire school year.
What benefits do you predict having iPads in the classroom will bring?
Here is a great documentary that takes a look at the importance of technology in the classroom by doing the exact opposite of the iPad study. “Disconnected” follows the story of three Carleton College students who give up their computers to see how their academic, social, and work lives are affected. Do you think this is an effective study?
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