Apple announced the release of the apple ipad. It has a 9.7 inch LED touch screen. It weighs 1.5lbs and is a half inch think. Apple says that the multi touch user interface makes using it more intimate than using a computer. It has many of the same features of the ipod touch and iphone in relation to the available apps. It is designed to sync with your computer so you can have access to pictures, movies, music, and more. The added feature is that it has an ibook app that allows the user to download books for viewing. One of the features I found to be interesting is the new version of iwork for ipad.
I have pondered what this new state of the art technology means to me as an individual as well as a teacher. First of all, since it is the first generation of the ipad, I think I am better off waiting for them to see what they need to improve for the next generation before I buy one. It just seems like something else for me to go spend my money on. I see people with their iPhone and ipod touches and they are usually playing games with their apps. Not really ground breaking stuff there. Just seems like a way for us to do what we do at home somewhere else.
As far as what potential impact this new technology could have on me as a teacher-that is very little. When we speak of technology, we speak of possibilities. If we had this then just think about how we could do that! Possibilities are usually far from reality, especially when we are talking about public education. We are working in a system that has changed very little of the past 150 years. School budgets are frozen so it isn't likely that anyone should even consider what it would be like to have access to them in school.
Now as far as the possibilities are concerned, I think it would be wonderful to have access to textbooks and other information without having to carry around a backpack full of books. Updated material would probably be a click away as long as schools still paid publishers their fees. However, I strongly feel that schools should teach students to be more concerned about what kinds of information students are viewing rather than how much information they have access to.
I guess I am old fashioned. I think learning is a process that happens through socialization. One could argue that the Internet helps connect more people than ever before, but we need to look at the types of connections we have. When you talk to someone through e-mails, texts, instant messages etc...you do not see the person. People are more likely to say things to a screen than to a person because they do not have to look that person in their face. You do not get to observe their facial expressions and subtle nuances that reveal the true meaning of their words.
New technology is coming out at rapid speeds and I know we should think it is great, but I think we should also proceed with caution. Everyday new problems and concerns are being raised about the effects of our "connectivity."
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What if we shift textbook budgets to buy Kindles/Nooks/iPads?
ReplyDeleteWith a constant wireless connection, we can have updated books and not have to chop down trees, ship books via fossil-fuel filled trucks, dispose of outdated books, etc.
Or, maybe do open source textbooks, like this:
http://www.opensourcetext.org/
or
http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Main_Page
The amount of information presented in Chris Martenson's Crash Course was mind blowing. The sad fact is that much of the information was not necessarily new to myself. The depth of which the iformation about the economy, environment, and energy was enlightening, but the fact that the world is in trouble was not surprising. If it wasn't for his optomistic outlook, I would have been terribly frightened by the end of the seminar! It is hard to imagine what one person can do in the face of all the changes our world will face in the next 20 years. Some of the areas of my life that I have control over are the amount of money I save and the amount of debt I have. It is in my best interest to prepare for a financial catastrophe. To do this, it is in my best interest to save money and limit the amount of debt I have. Another thing to consider is how my choices affect the environment. We are such a commercial and consumer based society that maybe it is time to think about our needs as opposed to our wants. It is time to think about what we can do for the sake of our community instead of what we can do for ourselves. As I stated before, I found this video very enlightening and plan to pass it on to friends and family to check out. The information about the economy and inflation was especially important to me because I live on a single income while taking care of my daughter. As the cost of living increases, it becomes more difficult to meet our basic needs.
ReplyDeleteGreat thought about waiting for the next generation...I agree and besides by then there will be something else that is better....
ReplyDelete