Article Review #3: The Great Device Debate: iPad Vs. Chromebook by Xin Zhang

Zhang, X. (October 11, 2013). The Great Device Debate: iPad Vs. Chromebook. 

Retrieved from: http://bhshelpdesk.com/2013/10/11/the-great-device-debate-ipad-vs-chromebook/ 

Summary:

In this article two high school students from Burlington High School were asked to switch their iPad for a Chromebook for one week.  Ronak and Xin both take technology technician classes at their high school and were asked by their teacher to compare the iPad, which they were currently using, to the Chromebook.  Their high school has 1:1 technology using iPads, but the school also has a number of Chromebooks that the students can use as well.  

The students found some pros and cons to both the iPad and the Chromebook in the 1:1 setting at school.  They started by saying some of the pros and cons for the machines themselves.  The Chromebook has a keyboard and a trackpad.  The iPad has a multi-touch display.  The Chromebook can multi-task.  The iPad runs on iOS.  The Chromebook runs on Chrome OS.  Then after the week of switching devices they wrote about their discoveries.  

Here is what they had to say about using an iPad in a school setting.  The iPad has a problem with flash, which can make it hard for teachers because they use flash often with their technology that they integrate into their classrooms.  The games on the iPad are far better, however, can also be more distracting.  There is no keyboard so that makes it harder to take notes during class.  Ronak said that the iPad is more effective with his history classes.  Xin says that the school is using Google’s services on an Apple device and that could be causing some of the frustrations that are happening.  The iPads are much better in math classes.  In fact the students put away the Chromebooks when they went to math class because the Chromebook has nothing for math.

This is what they had to say about using a Chromebook in a school setting.  The Chromebook has web apps and is much easier to use the internet.  The Chromebook runs on Google so using all of the Google services is a peace of cake.  Having a keyboard makes taking notes much easier.  Xin admits that a Chromebook never feels like your own in a 1:1 setting in a school.  Chromebooks won’t save your personal information so you have to relog into the same devices time and time again, even within the same time.

So what did they chose as the most appropriate device for a 1:1 educational setting?  Ronak likes the Chromebook for a high school setting but thinks that the iPad is better suited for elementary and middle school settings.  Ronak also thinks that the iPad would beat out the Chromebook if it had an external keyboard to go along with it.  Xin likes the iPad for a high school setting.  Xin believes that the iPad does a better job with integrating technology into the curriculum.  Xin also pointed out that the Chromebook is useless without the internet.  

Reflection:

This debate hits a personal spot with me.  I have often wondered which device would be best in a school setting for one to one technology.  The district that I work in has been doing pilots with some classrooms to figure out which device the district would like to use for 1:1 technology.  We have iPads in some classrooms and Chromebooks in others.  In our district we have found that the teachers that use Chromebooks would like to see that device purchased for the district.  Whereas the classrooms that use the iPads would prefer if the district purchased that device for 1:1 technology.  In this article I found it very interesting that the two students came up with different results after their trial with switching from the iPad to the Chromebook.  I think this goes to show that it doesn’t really matter what device you use as long as you use it to it’s fullest potential.  Every device is going to have downfalls.  The district just has to make sure that the downfalls don’t get in the way of the learning that is to take place in the classrooms. 

Article Review #2: Autism and iPads: What We Are Learning

Price, A. (2014). Autism and iPads: What we are learning. Teacher Librarian, 41(3), 40-

41. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/1504427853?accountid=26354

Summary:

            This article was written by Amy Price, a librarian at Oakstone Academy, as a way to explain her findings with iPads and students who are autistic.  Amy noticed the benefits of having autistic students use iPads to communicate after her school participated in a pilot study during the years 2010-2012.  Her school found that when students used an iPad to communicate 90% of the students felt like they were understood every time!

            The school used iPads verses any other tablet for a few reasons.  The biggest reason for using iPads was the fact that it offered the best communication apps in the market.  Another reason was the durability of an iPad.  With the right case an iPad is almost indestructible. 

Reflection:

            It is amazing to me how many different apps are available for the iPad.  Using an iPad to help a child communicate his/her thoughts is an excellent idea.  A child who could never be a part of a classroom discussion can now participate with the help of technology.  That is amazing to me. 

Although, iPads are not the only tablet out there, they are the ones that have the most meaningful communication apps.  I am sure that as popularity grows with using technology to help autistic children communicate, more tablets will offer better communication apps then they currently do.

Article Review #1: Meaningful Connections Using Technology in Primary Classrooms

DePasquale, R., McNamara, E. & Murphy, K.L. (November 2003). Meaningful

            Connections Using Technology in Primary Classrooms. Beyond the Journal;
            p.1-9.

Summary:

The article Meaningful Connections Using Technology in Primary Classrooms focuses on two case studies of teachers who utilized technology within the classroom at the beginning of the technology-in-the-classroom era (2003!).

            The first teacher, Erin McNamara, was a second grade teacher in Mary E. Finn Elementary School in Massachusetts. She utilized the digital camera with a kid friendly authoring tool to create a classroom website during a unit on the bee life cycle.  During the unit the teacher took digital pictures of activities that were happening in the classroom.  She then provided her students with the pictures she had taken from the classroom, each student was required to say who was in the picture, what was happening, and a personal feeling or thought about what was happening.  The digital pictures and explanations were then compiled into a classroom website to highlight the people and activities within the classroom. This activity helped the students become more engaged with the content/activity rather than simply reading material.

            The second teacher, Rosie DePasquale, was a first grade teacher at East Ethel Little School in Massachusetts. She utilized computers during her plant unit to create digital images that allowed students to interact with the concepts/material in the classroom.  The students had to use the computers to create a concept web about plants, research information about plants through websites, draw and label plants, and finally create a presentation about what was learned during the unit.  These activities helped the children become more responsible for their own learning and kept them engaged throughout the unit.

            Each teacher utilized cutting-edge technologies at the time. Both classrooms used word processing tools, like WriteOn; computer art programs, such as Kid Pix; presentation software, like HyperStudio; research tools, like TrackStar; and concept mapping software, including Kidspiration.

Reflection:

            Although the technology used in these classrooms might not be the most cutting edge technology out there, it is still very effective in getting students more involved in meaningful learning in the classroom. 

The technology used helped the students to remember the material that was learned throughout the units.  Digital imagery benefits visual learners in the classroom.  It is true what they say, a picture says a thousand words.  Using the pictures from the unit to help the students remember the content is a great way to use technology in the classroom.