As we all know, technology is advancing at high speed. Tablets and mobile devices are becoming one of our household everyday items of choice to surf the web, read an article or send an email. Most people are quite eager to embrace new technology as soon as it becomes available. However some industries have to approach new technology with caution due to budget, especially within education as they need to be sure the technology they invest in will aid students learning.
Recently schools and educational establishments have started to invest in distributing iPads to aid in learning. As a result, and as expected, there have been extremely mixed views on the deployment of tablets, some saying that there has been no evidence of iPads improving education. So is it a waste of money?
The problem is that many educational establishments distribute the devices but have no clear plan of how to implement them into the classroom. A great article on this can be found here where the iPad is compared to a hammer: A hammer is a tool and should be used for the right job. This is the same for an iPad: with a plan the iPad can be a great tool for learning! There are brilliant examples of how some schools are already using iPad here.
The Daily Mail wrote an article about the release of iPads to Longfield Academy in Kent, one of the first schools in Europe to deploy iPads to students. This also shows the mixed views on the use of mobile tablets.
Although in this article professionals are labelling the iPad as just a "toy", parents seem to be quite willing to invest at Longfield believing it will inspire their children to learn. Surely if all children need to take to and from school is an iPad, it will stop the "I forgot my homework" excuse!.
Even though many schools are embracing new technology believing it to bebeneficial to students, many establishments are nervous to deploy iPads and mobile
tablets. In addition to costs of training staff and students to use the devices, there is also the cost of the devices themselves. This is where KikStart comes into play: an app that can be downloaded onto the iPad and interactively teaches you to use the device.
This form of training is a much quicker and more cost effective approach to training people to use their iPads. You also have your training validated with a test, which on successful completion, awards you a certificate from the Chartered Institute for IT.
Also because it is not an unknown thing that schools and universities have to be careful with their budget, KikStart can be bought at a discount when bought in bulk for education.
To learn more on KikStart in education head here: KikStart for iPad (link) or call us on +44 (0)1793 417530.
What are your views on iPads and mobile devices in education? Let us know in the comments.
