"So the iPad, then.
Pop culture’s plaything and #edtech’s darling.
It’s an app library, a media consumption device, and a mobile learning tool that makes yesterday’s graphing calculators, smartboards, and laptops look like abacuses.
So we buy them then—by the truckloads, in fact. We stamp them as district-owned, give teachers a few PDs that show them some tools and advise them on “district policy,” and then expect miracles.
It is unclear exactly how and where we expect those miracles to show up. Student satisfaction surveys? Learner engagement? Test scores?"
This post goes on to explore how to "maximize the impact of the iPad as a learning tool" and states that first we must determine the impact we are looking for. The 10 secrets includes:
* Learning has not changed - we still have iPads but we must continue to teach critical thinking, backwards planning, transfer and more.
* Find the overlap - The iPad goes beyond the textbook, not only can the iPad access content but it can also access peers and a larger community.
* Insist on transfer - and with the Common Core this is a crtical component to consider.
Click through to the post to read seven additional suggestions on how to unlock the iPad as a learning tool.