School's plan to adopt iPad2 in lessons causes heated debate at the briefing session


Why Ipad? There are cheaper tablets out there that supports e-books.

Well at least students no longer need to carry heavy bags.
 

yes why iPad???
 

What is the relation of the study to the article??

mm? wait did i post the right one hold on let me check

edit: yea i did. i believe it was a previous study on IT being integrated to education. it is the only gauge i know of as of now locally, on the how successful such a programme might be.

which might be good information, to look at how the previous attempts to integrate IT were and their respective successes/gaps



as far as the information i have on the ipads (i have no idea how to verify its accuracy because i was never invited to that briefing), this is third party info i got, from a friend who was there

The iPad will simply be a medium for teaching. Fyi, the teaching materials are developed by NCS, not Apple; one of the reasons why the sch chose to use iPad instead of alternatives like Android tablet is that NCS currently only develop Apple apps.

i'm wondering how effective it can be, what are the applications, etc etc.
 

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Even before we see any benefits materializing from new methodology, the idea of forking out an additional $700 for an item suddenly deemed essential for school work is going to be a fire-starter.
 

mm? wait did i post the right one hold on let me check

edit: yea i did. i believe it was a previous study on IT being integrated to education. it is the only gauge i know of as of now, on the how successful such a programme might be.

which might be good information, to look at how the previous attempts to integrate IT were and their respective successes/gaps

It's hard to say if it contributes positively. You win some, you lose some. For example, I remember no one actually did work during I-Learning week in my secondary school days. From what I hear, that trend is continuing. But of course, that is the exception rather than the norm.

I also recall that there have been scattered attempts (from different schools) to bring such devices into the picture (such as palmtops), but from my point of view none of them have really taken off for people, other than the truly interested tech geeks - and not even for school, more of doing funky stuff with those devices.
 

It's hard to say if it contributes positively. You win some, you lose some. For example, I remember no one actually did work during I-Learning week in my secondary school days. From what I hear, that trend is continuing. But of course, that is the exception rather than the norm.

I also recall that there have been scattered attempts (from different schools) to bring such devices into the picture (such as palmtops), but from my point of view none of them have really taken off for people, other than the truly interested tech geeks - and not even for school, more of doing funky stuff with those devices.

yep. i have to check, but i am under the impression that the tablets were loaned to the students during the course of study. i think this might be a first where students actually pour in a large sum on something experimental.

anecdotally, e-learning week (as it is known now), is still pretty much the same as it was with ur time.

i would like to view myself as tech-savvy (heck i drag my laptop to school daily), hence i know the benefits of IT.

but what i am wondering is how integratable the ipad is? putting it to use to just running education apps doesn't seem to make sense to me. what kind of apps are being designed? can we use it to type documents, prepare slides, photoshop for example?

so yep. i'm trying to arrange a session with RVHS, to do an interview of sorts and find out. i cant find a shred of info online about these stuff on the school, apart from a forum called kiasu parents. neither is TNP giving enough information


I am an avid supporter of using IT to complement education. IT has assisted me a lot, with regards to GP in specific. the use of facebook to connect with teachers after sch in a non-pressurising environment helps a lot. for GP, it was the ease of using google (i do the same with a phone. so much to the extent, my teacher jokingly forbids me to "cheat" when answering definitions) that aided me to find information i need.

but even with google, it took a lot of learning of how to use google to do research. i actually invested a good amount of time learning how to google :)
 

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Doesn't everyone have one by now? ;p
I opine that it takes decent self-discipline to be able to harness its powers for good
The temptation to goof off is much too strong. can. not. resist.
Would like to believe that an open and curious mind is essential regardless of technology - the hunger to simply read and treat knowledge as something to be gained, never wasted - but I digress

I assume almost every household has a computer with Internet access? How would a handheld device help in the class? Instant gratification for information - using the internet to settle debates? :)
 

Doesn't everyone have one by now? ;p
I opine that it takes decent self-discipline to be able to harness its powers for good
The temptation to goof off is much too strong. can. not. resist.
Would like to believe that an open and curious mind is essential regardless of technology - the hunger to simply read and treat knowledge as something to be gained, never wasted - but I digress

I assume almost every household has a computer with Internet access? How would a handheld device help in the class? Instant gratification for information - using the internet to settle debates? :)

I am a strict anti-apple fanatic :)

jokes aside, i never viewed apple products as good hardware for running anything. in technical specs, u will realise that you are paying a very huge premium for average specs.

some may tell me that its the "user experience" with the iphone, ibook etc. my personal take is, i'm not running them, yet i don't see myself as backwards compared to a lot of them... (in fact i'm pretty forward i hope)

i'm on an android phone, coupled with a windows laptop :)

IT is good, but if they gonna just do it for the fad... i am not supportive.
 

but what i am wondering is how integratable the ipad is? putting it to use to just running education apps doesn't seem to make sense to me. what kind of apps are being designed? can we use it to type documents, prepare slides, photoshop for example?

so yep. i'm trying to arrange a session with RVHS, to do an interview of sorts and find out. i cant find a shred of info online about these stuff on the school, apart from a forum called kiasu parents. neither is TNP giving enough information


I am an avid supporter of using IT to complement education. IT has assisted me a lot, with regards to GP in specific. the use of facebook to connect with teachers after sch in a non-pressurising environment helps a lot. for GP, it was the ease of using google (i do the same with a phone. so much to the extent, my teacher jokingly forbids me to "cheat" when answering definitions) that aided me to find information i need.

but even with google, it took a lot of learning of how to use google to do research. i actually invested a good amount of time learning how to google :)
I think a detailed plan of how the school plans to use the iPad has to be documented and presented clearly. First and foremost, waving the iPad around isn't going to get parents excited enough today. There needs to be reassurance that this will value-add, and is not just another hype thing that just ends up with all students having iPads that they use for everything under the sun, save education. This is the main problem with all the palmtop schemes during my time that I know of. It was just not sustainable. There were grand plans, but it was just talk and everything fell through. Students just ended up with palmtops that they used to play games and record down inane appointments in the calendar function.

Second, knowing the mentality of most students, and the fact that their parents are aware of this mentality, I would think that the parents might actually demand a way to restrict the usage of the iPad for purely educational purposes during school time. I could be wrong about this, of course.

IT is of course a great tool for education - but I would argue that it's more for self-education. I won't mind seeing students being taught how to use Google positively, seeing how we still get teenagers (which I would expect to be quite familiar with that tool) asking questions that have been asked ten times before again, when the answer is simply put, out there to be found. I also recall my university days - not all lecturers (or their notes) are entirely comprehensible or easily understandable, so Google was a great saviour for some modules where it was literally self-imposed e-learning to grapple with the content.

I'm not really seeing how having an iPad could contribute positively to the classroom experience, but then of course, you never know.
 

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I agree with the need to document and present information clearly, at the very least make it avaliable online for public to view.

I am personally disturbed with the choice of IT medium, which is the iPad. It is a very "in" thing that gets attention from everyone, but does it have that capability to do so much heavy work? My own laptop personally can do most of the stuff back then, from powerpoints for PW, to learning GP. beyond that, not really. I don't think I have used google to understand chemistry concepts, nor physics or econs.

Unless the apps are designed to do something that traditional laptops don't/are unable to, then I am more than for the programme. But until anything really concrete is put into trial and tested, asking students to invest 700 bucks each is too much.

I was a poor student, I can relate to those who couldn't afford trips overseas, those who couldn't pay for camps, those who didn't have high tech equipments. I was very thick skin and hard headed, so I was initially demoralised and very self-blaming (why, because i had financial limitations, was hence denied of these opportunities?). but i picked myself up later, because the others didn't fully maximise their resources, while i was abusing whateva i had la.

just to clarify, if it sounds contradictory, i'm those lower-middle class income family. my phone is free, while my laptop is 1.2k. prior to that, i was on a 600 dollar pc, and even prior, was old computers given away by computer institutions which were closing down.
 

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This may seem as a good intention but knowing how we Singaporeans are.....

Coming out with something like this is designed to be broken at the end. This is a unfortunate fact.
 

Give out 50 iPads to students, most the boys will be hacking through Infinity Blade or Battlefield, the girls will be busy harvesting and farming... The teachers who have just given assignments to students will be on FB... :bsmilie: integrate IT with education eh?
 

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Can teach physics with Angry Birds what. :bsmilie:
 

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its quite normal ppl in govt sector are always wasting resources, thinking that they are using govt funds.. but they fail to realise that the funds came out of their own pockets via taxes.. and these budgets, if not utilised, will usually be forfeited.. thats one reason ppl will rather use it for unnecessary and useless things than let it 'go to waste'..

adopting these learning aids should be affecting the teachers/educators more imo.. if it kicks in full scale, what would their position be in the education system.. there will be tons of other repercussion due to this major change in system.. it might be more harm than good.. would we be seeing educators having strikes for losing their jobs to ipads..? parents complaining teachers for not doing their job because ipad took over..? singaporeans demanding educators to take pay-cut cos they doing less work in teaching..

my wild imagination.. :sweat: don flame me pls.. :flame::nono:
 

I'm all for embracing new technology in education but arent tablets just sized down laptops/pc's ...no ? The form-factor is novel and trendy sure ... maybe i am getting old but apart from learning how to slide and poke at a touch-screen, where is the new technology ?

....duhhh..... as hot as Apple products are currently, isnt it unwise to stick to or be imprisoned to ONE supplier/brand ? Schools might just end up getting led by the nose by Apple

what if school decrees that ONLY calculators made by HP are allowed during exams and no other brands like TI are permitted ?
or that we can ONLY use Stadler pencils and ball pens and NO other brands ?
or that we can ONLY wear Bata shoes and NO other brands ?

this is anti-trust , wrong and just smacks of a kelong scandal
 

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I'm all for embracing new technology in education but arent tablets just sized down laptops/pc's ...no ? The form-factor is novel and trendy sure ... maybe i am getting old but apart from learning how to slide and poke at a touch-screen, where is the new technology ?

....duhhh..... as hot as Apple products are currently, isnt it unwise to stick to or be imprisoned to ONE supplier/brand ? Schools might just end up getting led by the nose by Apple

what if school decrees that ONLY calculators made by HP are allowed during exams and no other brands like TI are permitted ?
or that we can ONLY use Stadler pencils and ball pens and NO other brands ?
or that we can ONLY wear Bata shoes and NO other brands ?

this is anti-trust , wrong and just smacks of a kelong scandal

maybe yet another case of special service from apple representative.. :sweat:
 

what if school decrees that ONLY calculators made by HP are allowed during exams and no other brands like TI are permitted ?
or that we can ONLY use Stadler pencils and ball pens and NO other brands ?
or that we can ONLY wear Bata shoes and NO other brands ?

this is anti-trust , wrong and just smacks of a kelong scandal

it is not uncommon for schools to designate certain products as the "recommended" ones.

there are also school that dictate that all students need to have certain types of laptops ... as listed in their book list. a particular vedor is recommended but you are free to buy outside of this vendor; and if you do so ... you will still have to pay the vendor a certain sum to "setup" your laptop to the schools' network ....

so ... how does that sound ????

Back to the topic ....

With regards t this particular top secondary schoo, I have no good comments for its principal ... and if it was his initiative, then i dont think many teachers are behind it. It may be one of those plans that he just decided to shove down to the teachers to implement.