Tennesse Private School Makes iPad Compulsory for All Students

[Maura]

Nearly a year on from the iPad’s launch and stories about the adoption of iPads in schools and colleges have become fairly standard, but this private school in Knoxville, Tennessee, takes the use of the iPad one step further, possibly a little too far, by actually insisting that all its pupils have an iPad. According to a report from Fast Company, the Webb School now requires that all students from 4th to 12th grades have their own iPad, starting from the next school year. And if a child doesn’t actually own an iPad, or have access to one? Well the school will then lease them one, via a three-year lease scheme costing approximately $200 a year, paid in monthly instalments.

Making it compulsory for every student to have an iPad might seem a little controversial to say the least, but apparently even the school’s English teacher, Elli Shellist, is all in favour of the move to replace books with iPads at the school. “Once I explored it,†he told KSLA News , “I was really excited, because there are things we can do better on this than we can on a paper text.â€

Source: Somewhere Apple Execs Are Smiling: iPads Are Now Mandatory at This Private School | Fast Company

 

[Spink10]

The ipad must be the answer to our educational system. What a joke.

 

[Studor13]

Joke?

If nothing else, the iPad will be a lot of fun to play with or learn from. Imagine sitting in in the back of the classroom with Angry Birds?

Seriously though, I think it's a gaint leap for the educational system.

 

[Spink10]

Yup you hit it right on the head. A high school graduate who can master angry birds.

 

[BrennB]

My friend's granddaughter was/is required to bring a mac laptop to school (she was in the 3rd grade when this came down). She attends a public school in an affluent community albiet but public non the less... I am not sure the degree to which it was "required" and how much it is used but students were expected to obtain and bring these laptops to school daily not just use them at home for assignments.

 

[Dr.Gee]

Michigan had a proposal a few years back to publicly fund iPods for every student in the state.

 

[David79]

If the schools are going to force this, then the schools should be the ones biting the cost!

 

[col.bris]

Yup you hit it right on the head. A high school graduate who can master angry birds.

Just curious is that all you do on your ipad play games? How long have you been an ipad user?

 

[col.bris]

If the schools are going to force this, then the schools should be the ones biting the cost!

These are private schools not uncommon to require students pay for computers usually they also have custom app on board that allows access to the schools system other than using browsers and or classroom sharing

 

[Spink10]

Just curious is that all you do on your ipad play games? How long have you been an ipad user?

No - where did you get that idea from?



Because you cannot control how a student uses the iPad during school it is a horrible idea. I think the iPad Is great tool. But not a tool for children while they are in the classroom. We already have people graduating from high school that know how to get to the final level of angry birds but could not carry an conversation with someone in real life. I personally believe the cons outweigh the pros when the ipad is in the classroom. My perceptive is looking at the forest not the individual trees. Some would not abuse it, however many would - overall bad idea IMHO

 

[David79]

If the schools are going to force this, then the schools should be the ones biting the cost!

These are private schools not uncommon to require students pay for computers usually they also have custom app on board that allows access to the schools system other than using browsers and or classroom sharing

Oh, well with the money they charge should still throw one in lol

 

[Jen in Tenn]

Textbooks are HEAVY

iPad is a great "textbook" replacer, as I see it -- which is as a mom to two middle/high-school kids and the one paying for all those backpacks ripping at the seams!!! Would help w/ books being left at school -- they can't lug ALL of their books around from class to class all day and tend to get/leave them in batches from their lockers due to the weight and sometime end up at home to find that they'd left one behind. Currently, only about 2 of their 5-6 books are ever even available online (grrrr). I do know that cost is prohibitive, but in MY utopia all textbooks would be electronic. (And I work in publishing!) Better for the earth, as far as wasting paper. Easier to update/correct errors in them. And, yeah, they're gonna play games on them too... but they use their phones and iPods to do that now anyway!

 

[col.bris]

No - where did you get that idea from?

Because you cannot control how a student uses the iPad during school it is a horrible idea. I think the iPad Is great tool. But not a tool for children while they are in the classroom. We already have people graduating from high school that know how to get to the final level of angry birds but could not carry an conversation with someone in real life. I personally believe the cons outweigh the pros when the ipad is in the classroom. My perceptive is looking at the forest not the individual trees. Some would not abuse it, however many would - overall bad idea IMHO

I don't agree many and I mean many schools world wide of all levels require laptops so what is the difference. The ipad is low weight, instant on and long battery life not to mention small foot print. This college that Maura provided the news information on would have done a lot of testing before requesting students purchase iPads. If the ipad meets their requirements then it is a perfect solution.

 

[David79]

Just another way to help melt, I mean mold the minds of youths! I know when was in school if anyone had been on any type of electronic device, they would not have been paying attention, doesnt matter who you are, you know most will not pay attention if they are using a laptop or ipad! No diff then sending them to school with a cell phone or Mp3 player..

 

[col.bris]

Private schools are different if you can't afford the cost you go public simple as that

My parents could not afford private schools. I am now 66 my life has been great no complaints