The Utilization of IPad in College - Term Paper Example

? The utilization of I-Pad in College IN modern times the methods of learning and imparting knowledge have changed. Digital devices and computers have over taken different spheres of our society. All the fields of life are dominated by computers. They have enabled achieving plenty and as a result are being employed in every discipline. I-Pads are the new addition to the classrooms which have enabled further utilization of technology in the field of education and the class room environment (Hess, 2011). Samsung devices, and various others, they have made the case further strong for their usage and many advocate and are considering its usage on large scale to make things further easy. I-Pad the state of the art digital device that is launched by Apple Inc has changed the concept of computers. Less than 9 inches screen, fully integrated device, with all the feature that are possessed by a computer makes it more in demand and sought after due to its large number of features. Scope: Ranging from sports to politics, to media to education, every field is engulfed by digital devices. Education sector primarily the schools and colleges have evolved in form of digital units where every class, every library and every exam hall is equipped with these digital devices. No more can one see schools and colleges without the presence of digital equipment. Virginia Tech is an example where I Pads are in practice usage amongst students and teachers (Snavely, 2012, 126). Introduction: While a large array of digital devices are being installed, namely in the form of digital cameras, computers themselves, other digital devices for aiding purposes. The attempts to making the environment in classes digital can be stretched few years back however with the advent of tablets like I-Pad. Thesis Statement: The aim is to remove all the manual methods of class environment that have been in practice for centuries. This device will provide the students as well as the teachers with more options and effective environment which harnesses learning and productivity. Literature review: A hundred dollar laptop initiated few years back in the under developed nations to promote education, and enhance computer literacy was a similar step however, that was on limited scale (Miller, 2007). Their usage is possible ranging from higher degrees to the basic elementary level. In the basic elementary level their usage is most helpful since the digital colorful world makes it easy for students to learn and interpret the scenarios. Visual material was always part of children’s learning. Teachers used to provide them with handmade animations, cartoons later on, and with computers came electronic games. I-Pad offers large array of features to the young children which not only makes learning easy, but interactive and helps the children pay more attention and learning more(Lepi, 2012). I-pad is no more a devise limited to entertainment music and leisure. While at one time it was tagged as the gadget for leisure and entertainment which provided only multimedia options, songs navigation and other similar usages, with time it has changed into a more dynamic gadget that fulfils the needs of almost every one. It provides functions and options that are equally helpful in the educational circuit (Zapata, 2010). Other instances are also seen where I-Pad is being practically used. A university recently published its prospectus and forms online for I-Pad applications rather than going the conventional way of manual hardcopy prospectuses. This not just helped the students, but the administration since the pain of the paper, printing, and distribution was saved and any interested applicant could get it from the online resource through their I-Pads. The importance, effectiveness and value of this mini digital devise is being identified all over the place. While American colleges were the first to implement them in their educational units. Other countries have joined the race and recently United Arab Emirates implemented I-Pad usage in the classes considering its effectiveness and benefits to the students. The educational institutes are providing the faculty with I-Pads at the same time and enabling them to get adapted to the device and be part of the overall interactive and collaborative process of learning and progress in modern times. In United States, many teachers have already been provided with I-pads along with number of students whom they thought would make most use. Since the providing of I-pad to every student was not possible therefore it has been done so on initial level on a limited scale. The instances of I-Pad usage are not just limited to classrooms in colleges; two of the notable instances that came to forefront were on the football field in a college when two coaches ( football team) used I-Pads to keep records, evaluate their analysis, and all other information which was otherwise conducted through manual methods in past. Ohio and Stanford were the two examples in this regard where the I-pads were being seen used in playfield in the colleges for the ease of usage and better options availability. The recent release of I-Pad which was further shrunk in size has also improved its chances and favors towards its usage and has made it more portable. The realization of Digital usage in class environment: While everything in surroundings was being digitized, the class environment needed such a device and mechanism which could make the learning process easy and collaborative. Computers were present around, but they did not serve the purpose effectively hence the usage of I-Pad held more ground from time to time and it spread rapidly overall with current day positioning being certain nations have officially introduced its usage in classes and have made it mandatory. Hence with the feel that automation and computers are already contributing so much to the world of manufacturing and production, it was felt that this device should be put to same usage and hence it was introduced in the educational institutes like colleges, schools, research laboratories and professional universities. The case of I-Pads: While computers were being used in recent times, due to their sizes, they were not supported by the idea of usage in class rooms. Especially one computer per student. In such a case, their usage was limited to only libraries, dedicated rooms like computer rooms, and interactive one to one teacher to student interaction or during the class handling of computer was not possible. The laptops which were considerably flat in size made the case strong. But even they with 14 to 15 inch display looked bulky on the tables in the class room. The gadget that had become part of cafes, lounges, leisure places, business enterprises, have now formally become part of educational institutes where they are being practiced and provided with in the class and the lectures are delivered and coordinated with help of these smart digital devices known as I-pad. App store is rich of electronic text books and it has been done so just to promote the usage of I-pads in educational spheres and make it easy for the children of all ages to take interest in their studies and enjoy the process of learning and reading. The multimedia option is strictly in correspondence with the children who would take a lot of help from the visuals and animations and would help improving their learning ability and imagination for further studies. 3D graphics, multi touch support, G.Bs of data storage space, fast processors, bright displays, full touch functions, sleek design and thin space covering, all these features make I-Pad the most sought after and most appropriate tool that is to take place of the conventional components of the class room environment where each of them was bulkier than the other. The concept of book is changed with this tool. They provide option of flip, zooming into the screen, enlarging, zooming out and many other features which just serve the purpose appropriately. I-Books initiative: Apple Inc, comprehending the present day situation, the need of the day, the usage of I-pads, and its marketing perspective is aiming to come up with the idea of I-Books. A separate sphere which will provide books of all sorts ranging from medicine to engineering to history to arts to culture to politics. This would make the learning process and the data gathering process for studies easy. The students would not have to search randomly and vaguely over the internet, rather they will have one definite source to look from, for material and online books. The wi-fi option, file sharing option makes it more desirable since WI-fi enables on the go connectivity and ease of usage of internet sources(Carlson, 2010). Since most of the academic institutes in the developed nations are already wi-fi enabled and even their cafes and balconies supporting wireless internet connections, the I-Pads are easy to use in such situations compared to laptops. The case of Art class: While other disciplines are being touched upon and I-Pad provides facilitation in that regard, the category of Arts subject is a challenging one and it might raise questions as to its usage in classes. However recently work is being done to introduce and create applications that would help using I-pads in classrooms. A step in this regard was taken by Professor Perry Samson who took up the challenge and aimed at coming up with tools and applications that would enable usage of I-Pads more frequently and more effectively in the arts, drawing and sketching classes. The medical field is not behind, and App store is full of applications oriented towards the medical students and their study. Its effective usage makes learning ever so easy and enables exploring new dimensions and curing the mankind through invention of new medicine and remedies. Online resources are full of medical case studies, history and technical subjects’ book which are available to the students free of cost and through regular downloading facilities. Apart from medical schools, the I-Pad application is vastly in usage in the practical spheres of medical and health care. The professionals are often seen holding on to I-Pads, recording the history, noting down the essentials, all the basics which were done through hand written papers are being done through I-Pads now. All these applications are fee to download and do not cost anything. I pad has as many as twenty thousand applications that are education and learning oriented (Apple, 2012 The mystery is being solved in form of I-Pads, which comes with no space issues, no portability factor, no slow processing, interactive, simultaneous functioning, all these characteristics make I-pad the most sought after and rightful owner and part of classrooms both in schools and colleges. Keynotes, page number, highlighters, breaks like the conventional hard form books, all these options are available in the digital book in form of I-pad. From the perspective of teachers: The I-pad has equally made life easy for the teachers who deliver lectures. They can make the presentations, lectures and create handouts and then spread them amongst the students. Or they can upload the reference material on the dedicated groups and students and teachers can collaborate online(Grannell, 2010). Besides the case studies, each of the student equipped with I-pad and the teacher as well can make the task easy without printing out the pages. The highlighting function, page breaks, side notes, markers all facilities and options are available in the I-Pad. I Tunes complement this function and provide the additional options necessary for conducting lectures. Option of Air-Print: the Air print function is another utility which enables printing out the documents, class lectures, assignments and all other forms of handouts which are needed by the students in the classroom or after for their self study. The features provided by I-Pad: In modern times, the learning process is far more interactive than it was in the 20th century. Case studies, research, other insights into the subjects are part of the curriculum. Hence they need digital equipment to be available to the students. I-Pads have rapidly overcome the laptops, the conventional form of class notes, pens, pencils, lecture material, and other stuff which would take more space in separate. Plethora of features: While the usage of I-Pad is not restricted to any single discipline, it provides options of all kinds, ranging from education to entertainment, to information and other important components of modern technological times. The millions of applications that are available in the online store (App Store) give the students large number of options. These applications range from games, to tutorials to guides to solutions to problem sets, softwares, electronic dictionaries. In short, all what student need. Not just the class rooms, outside the classrooms in libraries, corridors, cafes, and within the premises of educational departments where students are interactive in gaining knowledge, the online resources are used vastly. Online resources constitute research papers, case studies, journals, publications, interaction with the respective teachers, online communities, tutorial downloads, softwares usage, all these call for one thing and that is digital gadget which comes in no form better than I-Pad. It fulfils all the requirements stated above. Gone are the days when students would need to carry huge bags containing plenty of books in those bags. It was a burden of all sorts. I-Pad has enabled containing them under one roof. Weighing only a few kilo grams in size, this device has the capability to store hundreds of books in them without any obstacles. There is no more need for pen, pages, and other hard copy material. All the assignments, class notes, lectures, add on-s can be maintained in the single digital device in the name of I-Pad. Similar interface: While every teenage child, and a student has large collection of digital devices at home, in form of laptops, digital dictionaries, mobile phones. I-pads are one of them and since the students are already familiarized to it, they thereby can easily relate to it and this can help the overall process of learning. While in the beginning, I-Pad usage was optional and those who desired used it, in recent times, they have become the compulsory and integral part of class rooms and proper lectures are being delivered and simultaneously studied through the I-Pads(HU, 2011). The benefits enjoyed with its usage includes ease of work at both ends, that is the teacher and the student end. The ease of getting to material since online data bases are available all around. The online libraries and e-book stores make it further easy. It has also made the process more rapid one. No time is being wasted in the resources, rather one platform for both the teacher and student. Open source books: The open source books will further enhance the paradigm and would provide better alternative method to the text books and in other words more options to the students(Faas, 2012). The open source option enables the students to choose what to buy and what not to, as a result reducing their expenditure on the books and other textual forms. They can download the case studies for free, they can purchase the books for a lower price than would in hard form. Compared to laptops, the I-Pad provides larger battery life. In nominal conditions it can last up to six to seven hours which are sufficient enough for a single day work at college. This in case of usage of high multimedia enabled functions. The usage of documents, other light weight material provides large life to battery. Certain considerations: While many sections of the youth have already purchased and used I-pads, yet it is not the case for everyone. I-pad roughly costs around 600 to 700 dollars. It might not be possible for children to purchase such an expensive device. What the officials can do is in order to promote this device, is to purchase it on commercial scale, and provide it to the students through the government aid. Special aid and funds should be dedicated to it which enables promotion and usage of I-pad in different schools and colleges and even to those students who cannot afford it themselves. Conclusion: It would not be wrong to say that I-pad is the best thing that has happened to the educational institutes. It would speed up the process of learning, with the large number of functions provided by it and many other utilities like portability and ever growing number of applications which are dedicated to educational purposes make this device more desired and demanding and it is bound to stay and dominate the surroundings of educational institutes. Further improvements in the design, the features would make it more desired and appropriate for the educational purposes. It will find its usage and application in all places in times to come ranging from the very beginners’ kindergarten students to the college students to the very high level researchers in laboratories and practical fields. Works cited: Apple. (2012, June). Apple In Education. Retrieved from Apple: http://www.apple.com/education/ipad/ Carlson, J. (2010). The iPad Pocket Guide. Peachpit Press. Faas, R. (2012, Aug 12). How The iPad Is Transforming The Classroom. Retrieved from http://www.cultofmac.com/185048/how-the-ipad-is-transforming-the-classroom-back-to-school/ Grannell, C. (2010, Dec). The school that gives every student an iPad. Retrieved from http://www.techradar.com/news/computing/apple/the-school-that-gives-every-student-an-ipad-915539 Hess, A. (2011). iPad 2 Fully Loaded. John Wiley & Sons. HU, W. (2011, Jan 4). Math That Moves: Schools Embrace the iPad. Retrieved from nytimes.com: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/05/education/05tablets.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0 Lepi, K. (2012, Sep 23). 9 Surprising Ways Schools Are Using iPads Around The World. Retrieved from http://edudemic.com/2012/09/9-surprising-ways-schools-ipads-world/ Miller, H. J. (2007). Societies and Cities in the Age of Instant Access. Springer. Snavely, L. (2012). Student Engagement and the Academic Library. ABC-CLIO. Zapata, J. O. (2010). Ipad Means Business: How Apple's Tablet Computer Is Changing the Work World. Happy About. Read More