In, Apple makes move to digitize academic learning, Written by Patrick May and Sharon Noguchi with the Mercury News of Silicon Valley, introduces the iPad as an interactive classroom tool. There is a program being tested in San Jose, CA at a high school where the text books are now iPads. This revolutionary education system could change how children learn from here on out. However high technology calls for high prices. How will America’s school systems pay for this lump investment? In contrast, the other investments instead of iPads would be purchasing standard textbooks. “Only 6 percent of textbook sales will be digital this year, but some experts estimate that number will jump to more than 50 percent by 2020. Brosnan points out that a Pearson Education biology book that costs the school $80 in its print version can be bought on iBooks in a digital version that costs $14.95”. If there is 50% increase in sales in electronic textbooks over the next 8 years, there is a huge market available to producers. In the long run these iPads may pay off and some. I really hope that these iPads can be available to many children. I feel that realistically, there will be select rooms throughout the schools, so that students can seek the benefits of the modern technology as well as a hint of old school teaching. This is all well and good, but the price of the transition could be costly and every school district is different when it comes to budgets available. There would have to be an extreme discount to those making the jump from textbooks to iPads.
I believe that this article is extremely important when compared to M.I.S., it will help children at younger ages understand the importance of being able to connect with people through technology earlier. If there are technologies offered to our youths earlier, we will only grow and develop as a country from where we all originated, in a classroom. Hopefully, there will be a breakthrough that allows children proper training and exposure to the technology that is out. I’m sure Steve Jobs would be extremely proud of the program in stride.
I think that they should start to replace textbooks with I pads and start to download books because not only doesn’t it make it easier for schools to get the latest textbook for every class at a lot cheaper price then it would be for a hardcover book but it would also be easier than buying all those books. Another reason we should switch over is because the I pad would make classes more fun and interactive because with regular books you just sit there and read where as with the I-pad you could watch videos and more. The only real downfall with switching over to I pads is it would be really expensive to start because the I-pad is so expensive and most schools probably wouldn’t be able to afford all those I pads for all their kids. Also this would help with kids that maybe have learning disabilities because this offers more ways for the kids to learn.
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