The Bishop Blanchet 1: 1 Ipad

It is estimated that one in every sixty eight children will be diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (CDC, 2014). In schools around the country these students are struggling in their classroom environment due to deficits in three areas; communication skills, social skills, and repetitive behaviors or interest (Marder & Fraser, 2012). Implementing the use of technology in the classroom like iPad, iPod, android tablets, e-readers, and computers is beneficial to students with autism spectrum disorder. It can increase communication skills, can help make their classroom experience more pleasant, and it gives them the best chance at success.

First of all most kids have adapted to the new technology and are ready to see what will help them learn information the quickest and best to get a good education and best prepare them for what the future brings to them and the opportunities they may have. According to the U.S. Department of Education and studies by the National Training and Simulation Association, technology based information can reduce the time students take to reach a learning objective by thirty to eighty percent which is outstanding for education. A recent study from Harris interactive for Pearson shows that ninety two percent of kids believe that using tablets can

iPads and tablets have become a popular choice of teachers in many classrooms worldwide due to the positive impact it has on the students. Tablets offer a wide variety of educational applications that have the ability to be downloaded onto the tablet for the students to use. The use of tablets in the classroom, “offer a unique home-school connection by providing students with a classroom experience that relates to the technology-saturated real world” (Blackwell, 2013, pg. 233) The use of iPads and tablets in the classroom provides students with a hands on learning approach to any

The iPad has become a revolutionary tool in the field of education. iPads make up 94 percent of the tablet market for the education sector (Schaffhauser 1). The iPad has numerous uses from storing multiple textbooks to being able to use a cloud based word processing application. The iPad is capable providing “over 65,000 apps just for education, interactive books on every subject, and speeches, virtual tours, and videos from experts and institutions around the world” (www.apple.com). The possibilities of the iPad are endless:

Samantha Light, grade 1 teacher at St. Juans catholic elementary in Toronto, Ontario noticed that her students learn better when they use technology, such as iPads. Light wants to make learning more enjoyable not only for her students, but kids everywhere, as she thinks it will make students want to participate in their teachers lessons more.

Imagine a day when youngsters would leave for school carrying nothing more than an electronic device weighing less than one pound. The advent and growing popularity of electronic textbooks may make this a reality sooner rather than later. No more students trudging around with 20 pound backpacks strapped to their backs. No more lockers jammed with textbooks and notebooks. The benefits of transitioning to e-textbooks are many and provide advantages for both students and educators.

Huges, N. (2011). Schools expect to have more iPads than computers in next 5 years. Retrieved

The biggest problem with today’s education is how rapid technology is advancing. So rapid, in fact, that schools are attempting to keep up, but are sadly falling short. Teachers are being required to incorporate new technology into their everyday methods of teaching. The use of IPads or laptops in classrooms can be helpful to both teachers and students(edreform online classes)”. If a teacher is not overly familiar with the new devices, then the students will lose what little time they have to learn. As a teacher is attempting to fix technical problems in one class, the class that has a tech savvy teacher will be advancing far ahead. On the other hand, if a classroom is full of students who are very unfamiliar with the technology will have to be taught how to operate it, which wastes valuable time. In today’s society technology usage is so much more widespread than it was just five years ago. The new toys can allow schools to broaden their curriculum. Since most work can be done on a single device, kids can work at their own pace and potentially reach heights they could never reach with book, pen, and paper. The benefits of this new tech greatly outweigh the downsides. The biggest problem with technology in classrooms is their lack of use. So few schools have jumped on board with these programs, and therefore are holding their kids back. These products are readily available, but “the use of new technology

If students are doing the exact same activities on an iPad that they would a computer, then there is no advantage to having it. Since iPads are a mobile device and an Apple product, meaning they do not have Adobe, they cannot do many things that computers are capable of, as anyone who as ever had an iPad, or an Apple device, can tell you there are just certain activities that are more difficult to do on iPads. Smartboards are the same thing as a whiteboard and a projector, but when computers won’t connect to Smartboards, classes could continue if there was still a whiteboard. Problems with technology are constantly coming up and if every class relies solely on technology, there can be days where nothing can be done. Teachers can make new and exciting ways to learn. Educational games can be a huge asset to teachers who need to find a way to get students excited about learning again. What teachers need to be careful of is when students don’t actually try to learn in the games, like with Xavier in “Alien Addition”. A student randomly firing away does not help him learn how to add, even if teachers think it helps students think faster (“In Classroom of

Within the last five years, the school I attend purchased iPads for student use. One way we use them is to download textbooks. This is a wonderful system for many reasons. Physical textbooks should be replaced entirely by electronic versions on portable devices. Education is a very important part of every person's life. We begin learning just moments after we are born, and we do not stop learning until we die. Without knowledge, humans would not be humans, and our way of life would never

Teachers praise the iPads abilities to advance learning. Studies prove that IPads help students in their overall academic performance at any

One reason we should use tablets is because tablets are lighter than textbooks. Which is good for the students because textbooks can cause injuries. Pediatricians and chiropractors recommend kids carry less than 15% of their body weight in a backpack(procon.org). By combine the weight of all the textbooks they have it exceeds this limit. Tablets being lighter helps students not exceede the

School districts believe that switching out textbooks with notebook computers will have many benefits to it. As many know, students have complained about their back hurting from carrying multiple textbooks in

Also teachers will be able see where each individual student is at in learning and which one needs help by monitoring their progress during class and on interactive sites like Khan Academy. The math dictionaries on the iPads will assist the students when they hear unknown vocabulary during class or during math videos and this will help to strengthen scores on math that require math jargon. Graphing calculators on the iPads will help to save money from having to buy new calculator each year that continue to be broken. Also with the use of iPads to work out math problems will help save money on materials such as a large amount of paper and toner that is spent to make the worksheets. E-textbooks can also be installed onto the iPads, which can save lots of money spent on textbooks each year for buying newer versions or broken textbooks. This will also help to save room in classrooms and less for the students to carry from no textbooks. There are so many benefits from having iPads in classrooms that it outweighs the negatives, such as budgets.

Electronic textbooks are more portable and convenient as they can be accessed by a tablet, downloaded onto a computer or accessed via the internet. The technological benefits available on an electronic textbook are endless. The audio and video capabilities will liven up learning and change the way students understand and retain the material. The emergence of three-dimensional technology may also play a role in the near future. In addition, digital textbooks are much more user friendly. Studying for tests will be more efficient as highlighted notes can be easily transferred into electronic note cards for memorization. The main downside to electronic textbooks is that students will have to purchase a reading device, tablet, laptop or smartphone in order to view digital textbooks away from home or on the go. Most college students have already made this investment prior to starting college.