1:1 Learning and the iPad...a few thoughts

In August of 2010 when the new school year begins all of our students
in grades 6-12 will show up with a with a wireless laptop of their
choice. A Survey of our students shows that 60-70%  already own a
laptop and that the majority own a mac. Even though most students who
already own a laptop own a mac, we know that others are using a
range of models running everything from windows to Linux (a sixth
grade student uses Fedora if you can believe it). Because our primary
academic learning platforms (moodle and google apps education edition)
run directly through the browser we're able to take a hardware and OS
nuetral approach in our 1-1 learning model.

April 3, 2010-enter the iPad, a device whoose potential for use in our
1-1 learning environment I immediately wrote off after it was
announced back in January. There were so many unanswered questions.
Would it be able to read AND edit google documents? Does it lean too
heavily on the side of information consumption? How would the lack of
flash support and multiple-tasking impact its utility in the
classroom? These questions aside, it's highly proprietary and closed
nature didn't seem to be a match  for our open ethos.

However, my thinking has evolved over the past few months. Google docs
support is available via 3rd party apps, google is doing some cool  
things with HTML 5, multi tasking is coming, and some popular video platforms
are rushing to make their content iPad friendly. In classroom
situations where teachers need students to access a flash heavy site,
iPad users can easily partner up with  classmates who have a
traditional laptop (this has the ancillary benefit of making computer
use in the classroom more social and collaborative). For some students,
particularly those who have a desktop computer or large laptop at
home, the iPad might be a great fit. I'm nearing the point where I'm
ready to advocate for the ipad as an acceptable device for our
students and families to choose from.

I've said this before and ill say it again; what I like about our
school's approach to 1-1 learning is that it is inherently tolerant of
new technologies.  We have a model that, as Gever Tulley says, is
ready to integrate new technologies as quickly as they emerge.

What are your thoughts on the utility of the iPad in a 1-1 learning
model? Does it have everthing, or at least most everything, necessary
to be a useful 1-1 student learning device?

One Laptop Per School...Introducing the MacBook Air

I was pretty fired up about MacWorld last week and the possibility of Apple introducing a laptop computer that is student targeted, light weight, possesses excellent battery life, and is rugged and affordable...something less expensive than the MacBook and possibly with a solid state flash drive. I've long been a fan of apple computer, their OS, and of course their glitzy hardware. What they unveiled at MacWorld was light weight and mobile alright, but also came with an $1800 dollar price tag! The only thing more ridiculous than this price tag for the entry level MacBook Air was the price tag for the MacBook Air with a 64 GB solid state hard drive and a ever so slightly faster processor - $3100! Is Apple Computer crazy? Are they out of touch? Who is going to buy a 13" laptop for this price? It looks to me like Apple is on the same path of Microsoft with its proprietary nature, overwhelming growth, and overall unresponsiveness to the needs of the average consumer - this is hard for me to say as I write this from my MacBook Pro.

With a device like this we aren't coming anywhere near one laptop per child possibilities for our kids. As I was talking about this with Doug Symington yesterday via skype, he referred to the Mac Book Air as "The One Laptop Per School!" With prices ranging from $1800-$3100, Doug is right on!