Some Brief iPad Comments
A very simple comment: the iPad is a step forward to larger computers becoming more like mobile phones. Many people will like that, given that there is nostalgia for land-line phones because of their simplicity and durability. (The black rotary in my parents home has been working about as long as I’ve been alive.)
If we move into a realm where more of our users (faculty and students) use their own computer hardware for school work, then the more reliable it is the better. Even the lack of multitasking could be a benefit, since it prevents users from overloading system resources with a pile of background widgets.
Maybe the biggest lost is a definite shift from laptops being creative tools to iPads being information access tools. I’ve already seen that with iPhones– why carry a laptop when you can do email, calendars, contacts with the phone. It’s not that iPads can’t create content, but…
I think we’re going to lose a lot of related to computing becomes a sealed environment, and you toss it if it stops working (like a mobile phone). At the same time, it will make computers boring in a technical way, which Clay Shirky believes is the key for them becoming socially interesting (and trans-formative).
So it goes.
Tags: Clay Shirky, iPad, phones
EdTech | Jim Heynderickx February 1, 2010
By john servente, February 3, 2010 @ 8:28 pm
I agree that with the iPad it is one step closer to the consumer led information device that many people will use. Schools will probably go along with it and might even consider getting out of the business of supplying a device used for communicating for faculty and students. You seem to regret that these devices are not really creativity devices but conduits. If we still believe strongly in the need for students to have experience with devices and instruction that facilitates creativity, then this may be the perfect opportunity for a return to the high-end labs.
By Jim Heynderickx, February 7, 2010 @ 12:22 pm
Hi, John
You’re correct, of course. Many of the 1:1 schools that allow “bring your own” policies can have problems with reliability and need to provide significant loaner fleets since they can’t image or directly help with the student-owned machines. If the student-owned machines, however, become more closed boxes (like iPhones) they will likely be more reliable.
This also raises the question of what type of technology tools do students really need throughout the school day, if the class time is the premiere opportunity for face-to-face. If students aren’t necessarily writing their papers during class time (unless they go to a lab or have laptops brought in), maybe the loss of a keyboard is less significant.