Using iPads in the classroom has provided educators with the ability to create learning opportunities beyond a school environment. They can be used both at school and at home, providing technology access for those who may not have it otherwise. One of the benefits of incorporating iPads in the classroom is that these devices are highly customizable and can be adapted to suit the learning needs of every individual student.
By incorporating iPads in the classroom, teachers can customize their students' iPads with materials that are appropriate for various learning styles, levels, and speeds: podcasts, iBooks, iWork, and other multimedia apps, all offer a variety of approaches students can adopt for learning. Many apps encourage students to create their own accounts, allowing learning to be differentiated and individualized. iPads also provide apps for students to stimulate creative thinking and expression. The iMovie app, for example, allows students to use the iPad camera to make videos that they can incorporate in a science fair presentation or foreign language oral report, to name a few examples.
iPads in the classroom are also an effective tool for educators for designing and implementing lesson plans. The iTunes U app, for instance, allows teachers to create and organize materials and lesson plans into courses that students can then download on their iPads. Examples of what a "course" on iTunes U app might include are: assignments, articles, syllabi, handouts, videos, pictures, and podcasts. Furthermore, students are notified anytime a course is updated so that they always have access to the newest assignments. By keeping all of the class information in one place, it makes it easier for students to stay organized and spend less time searching for course materials and more time understanding them. The iPad therefore allows for closer interaction between teachers and students outside the classroom.
The iPad has also been praised by users for its effect on special needs education. For children with physical or cognitive disabilities, the iPad offers numerous tools, such as screen readers, closed captions, and other interactive features that offer ways for teachers of children with special needs to easily adapt and customize educational material. Indeed, many users have called iPads a revolutionary learning tool that has helped children with autism learn how to communicate and socialize more easily.
iPads
The iPad Air