Parents:
It seems that there is mixed perspectives on iPad usage in the classroom when parents were interviewed. Some believe iPads to be a great tool for education in the classroom, while other are concerned with the amount of screen time. Some parents believe that technology in the classroom is meeting students where they already are (source: http://iteachwithipads.net/2012/06/04/ipads-in-the-classroom-a-parents-perspective). In this blog, a mother explains that she has witnessed when visiting her son's classroom just how positive technology is. On the otherhand, some parents are concerned that having iPads in the classroom and the requirement to use them at home will be too much time with technology and not enough peer interaction time (source: http://www.ascd.org/publications/educational-leadership/mar13/vol70/num06/Before-You-Buy-Those-iPads.aspx).
Children:
For the child perspective, I will use the example of "Carly" who was profiled on the television show 20/20's "Medical Mysteries." Silenced by severe mental retardation, Carly was given the capabilities to type her thoughts and answers on a iPad-like device. Many, including her father, believed that Carly was unable to hear and comprehend what was going on around her; however, once given the assistive technology, she could suddenly communicate with others her thoughts and feelings. I have included the link to the video, as it is moving and should be watched. Children can benefit from such technology
link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F4XMlhCfp3Q
Teachers:
There seems to be mixed reaction to using iPads in the classroom. For example, the Los Angeles Unified School District created a billion dollar program to integrate digital technology in to their classrooms. After polling the teacher's union, some interesting statistics exist. When questioned about the use of iPads, it was noted, "On a question about the iPads, 46.7 percent said it was not an effective tool while 26.7 percent said it was."
source: http://laschoolreport.com/teacher-union-survey-shows-mixed-support-for-ipads/
I was very moved by the video you post for the perspective of the child. I think that is a great example to show the voice of non verbal students. That her father thought she was not understanding him, but with the use of the iPad helped her communicate and have a voice. Great post!
ReplyDeleteAngela, I thought researching about the different perspectives on iPads was very interesting. Your post was very well written and described these perspectives in great detail. Good job!
ReplyDeleteAngela,
ReplyDeleteAfter reading your blog post, I can tell you had a lot of research about the different perspectives on iPads being used in the classroom. After watching the video, I was very touched. The perspective of the child, clearly shows that the use of iPads for communication is an amazing device. It opened new doors for her to communicate with her family, that she did not have before. Great job!