Apple’s iPad: Is it a perfect e-learning tool?

Apple’s iPad has been a pathbreaker of sorts in the technological field. They were many naysayers during its launch regarding its utility, but I suppose the tremendous success of the product have shut up their mouths. The craze and euphoria has not died yet, and with the launch of iPad 2, the buzz is getting stronger. And the all-important question comes to the fore: can the iPad serve as an ideal classroom teaching device?


I strongly feel that iPad will have a part to do. It is sure to displace one-to-many teaching pedagogies in favor of interactive one-to-one studying and learning and will encourage much more participation from students.


To drive home my point about the iPad will have a role in online education for children, here is some news. It has been seen by many that those children who haven’t learned to read or write or even operate a mouse are able to operate the iPad with tremendous speed. According to an article published in  Ad Age in June 2010, “How the iPad Became Child’s Play – and Learning Tool,” there were many toddlers as who were as many as 18 months old only who were trying to provoke interaction from TV sets and PC monitors as if they were touch screens like that of the iPad. This indicates clearly that the next generation will find it very easy to respond well and interact with the intuitive device.


In another study related to e-book reading, a survey result released by Student Monitor revealed that out of 1200 college students who were participants in the survey and interested in e-readers, more than 46% of them opted for iPad as the preferred e-reader rather than 38% of them who favored Amazon’s Kindle. This indicates that iPad is known among the adolescents to be much more conducive and intuitive than the Kindle.

Educators today are stressing on the need for contextual learning and user participation. Digital whiteboards have failed to encourage interactivity, and is also less on computing power. The laptop is comparatively bulky too and can be problematic to handle sometimes. The iPad then serves to be the perfect device for comfortable online learning and acts as a useful tool for referencing, collaborating, and content creation. The best part is that of the choice for personalized content for students.


Some of the kinks are there: it does not support web pages which have Flash, it does not have a telephone, it does not have a camera and it also does not have USB slots or memory card slots although there is support for dongles. These limitations are somewhat deterrent for its use but once there are updates to the device, I don’t really see a problem for the iPad to be used as a e-learning device!

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Ipad for e-learning

The Dynabook represented the earliest idea of mobile learning. The geneses of a personal computing device began with an educational vision. Today, with the Apple iPad, that vision is edging towards reality. Across the U.S., the iPad is highly regarded as the device that will truly elevate classroom education into a new era, and particularly, the digital era.

“The iPad appears to be the perfect device for information at your fingertips, which places it in the role to ignite change.” – Greg Smith, CIO at George Fox University in Newberg, Oregon

iPad champions is inspired to initiate the change that will soon displace one-to-many teaching pedagogies in favor of one-to-one, always-on learning that will encourage more participative learning among students. In addition, educators feel that tablets will revolutionize education because they dovetail with the purposes and goals of education in the digital age.

Lets check out some interesting features of the iPad that makes it a great learning device

#1 – Its Touch Screen!!

The touch screen feature of the iPad has extended Human Computer Interaction (HCI) in a manner that imitates human gestures. It enables intuitive touch to interact with computers, sidestepping mouse-click and PC learning requirements, and getting straight into the action.

Children who haven’t learned to read or operate a remote are picking up the iPad’s interface with remarkable speed. According to the June 2010 Ad Age article, “How the iPad Became Child’s Play – and Learning Tool,” after using the device, toddlers as young as 18 months attempt to interface with TVs and monitors as though they were touch screens too, indicating how intuitive this technology may be to the this new iPad generation.

#2 – It’s a better E-Reader than the Kindle!

The iPad’s Book Reader is one of its most popular features and is already outpacing its predecessor – the Amazon’s Kindle. According to a survey ressult released by Student Monitor, a firm that researches consumption trends among college student,1,200 students at 100 colleges indicates that of students who reported interest in buying an eReader, 46% said they favored the iPad, versus 38% for Kindle. Given that the iPad provides better screen resolution, and more importantly a colored interface, it makes reading more conducive and appealing as compared to the Kindle

#3 – Convergence and Productivity

The iPad provides every kind of elearning essentials and requirement without any sort of external devices like a mouse or keyboard. Educators today are voicing the need for more contextual and engaging learning. Mobile phones and digital whiteboards does indeed improve interactivity, but falls short in computing power, and a laptop is relatively bulky and inconvenient at times.The iPad fills this void by enabling a host of activities such as referencing, collaborating, and creating content. In addition, the iPad provides personalized choice of content, which is a huge plus for student users.

This article was originally posted at http://adrianseetho300.wordpress.com/2011/03/21/ipad-for-e-learning/