Our mindset shifts from the iPad as a tool that provides a majority of functionality for students, when it comes to consuming, collaborating, communicating, etc. to a device that does all that plus house their textbooks without a third party application. The iPad was already relevant in education, but it just moved to the top of the list for many school districts across the country. Schools can now leverage textbook dollars towards iPads and use VPP vouchers to purchase textbooks for students, while providing them a tool that allows effecient communication, collaboration and access.
The game has changed. Thank you Apple for being the pioneer we all know you for. You have revolutionized smartphones and music. You are well on your way for revolutionizing education and the way we think of textbooks.
Game on.
Update / Clarification 1.21.12: In response to the first comment below, let me make a clarification that I may not have initially been clear about. This event is more about shifting the philosophy of publishing companies than a revolution of education. While I believe this is a first step in a revolution process, it isn't the complete revolution itself. Textbooks have to be interactive, engaging and relevant for students. Change.
JDS
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3 comments:
Are we still wanting to use textbooks? ...revolutionizing education is when we rethink these things...
First step to revolutionizing education. And it can't just be textbooks in the traditional sense, it has to be interactive, engaging, and relevant. I agree with you, but this is a step forward.
The closed nature of the Apple-verse gives me great concern in this announcement. Apple does not play well with others and it isn't hard to imagine a lot of school systems being 'locked' into only Apple. I'm already stunned by the broad range of educators and leaders in our field who have thrown themselves and large bags of money at ipads with an underwhelming degree of consideration for pedagogy or application. These ipads go for $500 (at least) plus plus! It cant just be because they are cool....right?
The (re)evolution in our building and sharing of knowledge has been collaborative, open source that allowed a '1000 flowers to bloom' in the online space. Is the AppleText part of this trend on contrary to it?
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