iPad May Replace Computers and Textbooks In Schools, Expert Predicts [Apple in Education]

Leander Kahney (4:00 am PDT, Nov 18 2010)

iPad May Replace Computers and Textbooks In Schools, Expert Predicts [Apple in Education]

iPad May Replace Computers and Textbooks In Schools, Expert Predicts [Apple in Education]

Australia's State of Victoria is experimenting with an iPad pilot project; likely the first of many. Photo courtesy of Department of Education and Early Childhood Development.

It’s Education Week on CultofMac.com. How’s Apple doing in schools these days? What are the best education apps? Is iTunes U worthwhile? Join us as we learn more about Apple in Education.

The iPad is going to be very big in schools, predicts Professor Mark Warschauer, one of the world’s leading experts in technology and learning.

In an exclusive interview, Prof. Warschauer predicted that schools may soon start buying iPads in big numbers to replace not just desktops and laptops, but also textbooks and other reading materials.

“Until a couple of years ago, the majority of book reading — and a lot of magazine and newspaper reading — was done in print,” he said in a phone interview. “I think we’re going to see that change now.”


Warschauer, a professor in the Department of Education at the University of California, Irvine, is acknowledged as one of the leading academics studying technology’s effect on education. Recently he’s been studying the effects of 1-to-1 laptop programs in education, like Maine’s ambitious Learning Technology Initiative that gave iBooks and MacBooks to all middle-school students.

He said reading is likely to go digital very fast, and that many people will soon have two computing devices: a computer or laptop for writing, and a tablet for reading.

“For a lot of adults, they will have both a writing and a reading device,” he said. “They will have a laptop or a desktop, and an iPad or a Kindle or something.”

But schools can’t afford to give kids two machines. They will likely opt for the cheapest machine that can do double duty: the iPad.

“The laptop is great, but the iPad is potentially better in a lot of ways,” he said. “It’s a lot better for reading. It’s a lot more interactive with the touch screen. It’s lighter. It’s smaller. It’s got a 10 hour battery life. It costs a lot less than the cheapest Mac laptop, at least. There are certain disadvantages as well, but this is the first generation.”

Next year, when school districts free up some money in their budgets, we will see a lot of iPad pilot projects.

“There will be a lot of interest,” Warschauer said. “You can do a lot of the stuff you can do on laptops, but they are great for reading, especially as textbooks go into the digital realm.”

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13 comments »

  • bob dole

    Wow, what a terrible idea. An iPad is what $500 a pop, at least. You can get three laptops for the price of one iPad. As a parent I’d be pissed if my school decided to waste tax payer’s dollars on useless toys that will only distract students. I do see where its coming from tho. Back when my kids where in school the district was spending tons on powerPC macs. I work in the industry, and there’s no reason a school should be spending $1000s on Macs when all they’re doing is word processing, that’s what $200 dells do great. There’s no reason to buy there luxurious products at such extreme prices, a brand name doesn’t make them any more educational then your typical laptop. Someone needs to step in and educated these teachers that the school budgets aren’t meant to be spent to satisfy the teacher’s demand for Apple’s latest gadget toy, but to actually teach the students. In which case a tradition laptop is make much more sense.

    • Marco

      Bob,

      The idea is not how many laptops you can buy with $500, the idea is mobility. Our school tested Acers a while back and the grudge from the IT Tech Department was that the kids broke them, the hinges mainly, then the buttons, then the power chords, then the battery lasted only a few minutes, so they had to be plugged in! The iPad gets rid of most of those quibbles.

      As for your Word proce$$ing on an expensive machine, I totally agree. We have two labs of 28 Dells with 19″ Widescreens. Kids waste their time when they get on the internet to research for an essay or a short assignment. We have one Macbook Pro that is not connected to the internet and kids use that MacBook more than any PC to do short movie projects. That little MacBook beats the heck out of any full blown Windows machine to do video editing, music recording, podcasting, and photography. Th iLife software is incomparable to any bundle a Windows machine may bring together. It is seamless integration of music, photos and videos. I think Apple wins big time on this area and kids love it! iLife plays a big part in the English, history, Maths and science curriculums when it comes to communicating ideas easily and effectively and in a matter of minutes.

      Cheers

  • David

    I’d like to see them get a standard data entry job when those kids don’t have experience with MS Office and have terrible WPM scores. Also, comparing the price of an iPad to a Macbook does not make it relatively cheap, comparing it to the price of a notebook would. Considering how a notebook would be better for children as they would actually learn to type, I can’t see how they chose an iPad over a notebook.

    Also, giving expensive technology to children means it will be destroyed in a matter of weeks. Get a grip, Australia.

    • Rob M

      Yeh, that’s right, the future of computers is all about typing! Who needs a Delete key when you have “white-out”!

  • Michael

    The biggest obstacle is going to be entrenched IT, especially in primarily Windows based schools. I have friends that work in the school district and they’re all raising their noses at it. I agree it’s the best option for schools, but then IT will be out of a job with the reduced overhead.

    • Marco

      Good. IT is the main barrier to advancement in technology.

  • Phil Zagarino

    Schools need a kid-proof, baggage-handler-tested iPad case that should include a fold-over screen cover.

    Apple should start a program for iPad 1 owners to donate their tablets for education as soon a iPad 2 comes out – a substantial number will probably jump to the newer model right away.

    Cupertino could send those who pledge their iPads a box for shipping, tax receipt for donating, and remotely wipe the drive. By collecting 1st Gen iPads to a central location, they could be distributed to entire classes of students at a time, with an emphasis on promising magnet schools and low-income areas.

  • jnc_731

    My iPad will become a paperweight as soon as there’s an even better one. I like the idea of having it enrich the education of someone needy.

    Itd be cool to just bring it in to an Apple Store and have my apps transferred immediately to the new one.

    Imagine an app that updates you on your iPad recipient’s improved test scores

  • http://www.eddiemon.com Eddie

    It’s difficult to compare a Macbook to a Dell. Yes, both run an operating system that is easy to use, but let’s face it…All Dell users are secret Mac lovers. The Mac, in my opinion, streamlines productivity, has native software that doesn’t crash, is not vulnerable to widespread viruses and fast sweet machine. I can not say the same for Dells (and I’m a former recovering user).

    iPad’s are the future in education. The 1-1 laptop initiative has it’s merits (I currently work in a 1-1 school 6th-12th), BUT it also has it’s drawbacks. Particularly on network resources and consistent maintenance for both software and hardware (let’s face it! Kids will break things). However, I see the iPad as a tool that is replacing Textbooks. Be Aware that the Ebook industry has just surpassed 1 Billion dollars in Revenue! Colleges are now asking students to purchase high quality ebook versions of their texts. Online Journals can e be easily stored and retrieved through such a device.

    In grades pk-12, the iPad will replace the need for a backpack full of books. Students will walk in with a notebook and an iPad. It will be a device not just used for reading, but for communication, collaboration and research.

    What is necessary is a network infrastructure put in place before the roll out, teacher professional development and buy in from the parent community. It can happen….no, it will happen.

  • charli

    I remember when I was in school having to haul around a backpack full of notebooks and textbooks, along with a handful of paperbacks. And of course my locker was in the worst spot so I could really only go there to grab my lunch.

    And college was even worse.

    having all that in something lightweight would have been a blessing.

    Also, schools and such can create iOS apps for custom practice exercises, even for quizzes and such.

    And to all the naysayers, you assume that the schools won’t ever teach ‘traditional’ computer science classes or that by the time these kids are out in the business world, knowing Word etc will be a huge issue. Heck every day I see another story about this or that company deciding to use ipads so maybe these kids are learning the skills they need to know.

    Plus most of these schools are funding these projects through grants funded by some of those rich wigs in the world that get to write it off on their taxes and pay pennies at the end of the year. So it’s not like they are taking money away from anyone to do this.

  • Deon

    As someone who teaches with mobile devices in the hands of the kids, I would like to point out to all those people who knock iPads that they are missing the point (and the boat).

    Mobile devices are not about typing or word processing. People who presume to be intelligent adults need to take a look at the modern world from the perspective of someone who is living in it, not who has lived in it: your world is no longer confined four walls; learning is not about the classroom and the desktop computer that you can type your story on. Learning is on the move; our world is changing so rapidly that anyone who confines their learning to a desk or a chair is going to miss the boat (@david probably already has if the only example he can come up with is a data entry career…).

    @bob – I agree with you wholeheartedly that schools shouldn’t be spending money on computers for only word processing. Kids today lead lives that exist far beyond the textbooks that most adults grew up with. Today’s learners need to move – they need their information to move and change and be up-to-date and easily accessible – WHEREVER THEY ARE.

    Does a $200 Dell do that? Does a $1000 MacBook do that?

    Does an iPhone or iPad do that?

  • Asldkjflka

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  • alex

    im doing a project about replacing ipads with text books…does apple give a discount or help out schools when they purchase ipads for the whole school?

About the author

Leander Kahney

is the editor and publisher of Cult of Mac, and author of three books about technology culture: Inside Steve’s Brain, the New York Times bestseller about Steve Jobs; Cult of Mac; and Cult of iPod. Leander has written for Wired, MacWeek, Scientific American, and The Guardian in London. Follow Leander on Twitter @lkahney and Facebook.

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