Before it even hits stores, several US colleges have pledged to give iPads to students along with their orientation kits.
iRush schools include Seton Hill in Pennslyvania, Northwest Tech in Kansas and George Fox University in Oregon, where freshmen have been handed personal computers along with class schedules for the last 20 years.
The iPod Touch has been making in roads in higher education since its 2007 release, but this is the first time a device has been promised to students before it is even on the market.
Not all iPad school programs are created equal. Students at George Fox can choose between the iPad and a MacBook Pro, students at Seton get both an iPad and a MacBook Pro, for those at Northwest Tech, iPads will replace the iPod Touch devices students were previously given.
While hailing how much the devices can free up weighty backpacks or “augment the learning experience,” some school officials admit they don’t know yet how much help an iPad will be for trig or anthropology homework.
“The trend in higher education computing is this concept of mobility, and this fits right in,” Greg Smith, the university’s chief information officer, said in a press release. “At the same time, we realize there are a number of uncertainties. Will students struggle with a virtual keyboard? Can the iPad do everything students need it to do when it comes to their college education? These are the kinds of questions we really won’t know the answer to until we get started.”
