Since the arrival of personal computers many years ago, the educational resources that have been exploited in them have reached infinity, it was a revolution, we can say that information technology and education is something that goes hand in hand. The premise is something that we all have clear, technology with powerful hardware where the integrated software is intuitive and easy to handle and learn without difficulties for the user. The idea is that the technology is transparent to the user,a means to be able to perform well in class and outside of it.
We are in the XXI century, all homes have at least one computer, scanner, printer, internet connection, etc ... something that we see as normal today, is something that 20 years ago was unthinkable. Since iPad was launched in 2010 I have seen hundreds of videos where each user has given their personal touch, each person uses it as they please according to their needs, I have seen music created, children learning to read, draw, listening to an audio-book, iPad has changed the world, my question is this: is the iPad ready for an educational revolution?
My theory is that yes, here I am going to try to expose the guidelines on which I base myself:
At present, in 5th - 6th grade primary education, students are being given a neetbook computer with their Linux operating system, which despite fulfilling its basic function (because we cannot ask for more) is limited in how much we want do something different. These students could use their computers to take notes or review notes. A laptop occupies and weighs much more than a tablet, and that was noticeable in his backpacks and on his table, leaving him without space for other things. Citing the little use and benefit that teachers give to laptops, so that in the end they are left at home with hardly any use.
What does iPad offer versus those Neetbooks?
iPad is like a digital notebook. Students, with a little practice, can take notes quickly and legibly with all the power of a word processor and graphic editor.
Terms such as copy, paste, highlight and delete are available at a single finger touch on our tablet. We have millions of colors available, bold, italic, and underlined. And what is more, there are no limits for the size of the documents: from a simple sheet, to infinite.
We also have the advantage that we can search for terms throughout our notes and leave a section in the middle to complete it later without having to estimate how much blank space to reserve.
Students love Apple products. You just have to walk around a school to see lots of devices with the apple behind them. And one good thing about Apple devices is their ecosystem concept: practically every iPhone application has its version for iPad, and more so now that iCloud is being empowered to share files between versions.
Precisely thanks to iCloud, we can take a quick note from the phone and we will automatically see the changes on the iPad, which may be stored in the backpack. We can also get home and download that document from the web, to finish retouching it on the computer.
How to focus iPad on education
Everyone knows that as students, it is normal to lend notes, lose them, etc. The transport of files in pen with iPad and its iCloud system is over, we will have all our files safe effectively, we can start a document , presentation or what we want on our computer, transfer it to iCloud and finish it on iPad, and we can even send them by email to whoever we want, we just have to keep our eyes on our tablet so as not to lose it.
That you are against the clock and you need to finish, check data, open Safari, and search for it, all easy at your fingertips.
Recommended app for educational use
Among the hundreds that we find, you cannot miss Apple's office suite par excellence, we are talking about Numbers, Pages, and Keynote , three essential App, the most complete and intuitive document editors that we can find on the iPad. Spreadsheets, class work, and multimedia presentations
Evernote
Evernote it's one of the best ways to take simple notes. It is intended to jot down short ideas, with the purpose of organizing them at another time.
These are some of the App, of course the possibilities are endless, for example here we have an App focused on drawing
In this video, we see a child learning the Alphabet, Sounds, Animals and more ...
And finally a video of how to use an iPad in Class
Conclusions:
iPad is ready. He is prepared to lead the new revolution in study tools, it is a matter of time before teachers begin to give it the utility it deserves, I am really sure that children would learn much more and put more interest with a tablet in their hands, than with a tedious and outdated textbook.