1. All in one
With your iPad, you have everything in one. With iCloud, it’s even more powerful, because you can then access all your files on all other Apple devices. And for transferring documents or photos between your Apple devices, you don’t need any wires. Using wireless AirDrop technology, you can send things from/to the iPad within seconds. In the other case, an USB reduction is also available for iPads.
2. No more papers and pencils
Schools somehow really like papers for some unexplainable reason. Having thousands of papers is ineffective and non-ecological. With your iPad, you can scan all documents the school gives you in paper form and convert them into PDF documents. You can easily access all your documents just by naming them properly. Editing documents is simple on iPad. You can highlight important text or copy it and paste it wherever you need using Apple’s built-in text recognition.
3. The future of taking notes
Does your handwriting look so awful that even you can’t read what you’ve written a few seconds ago? You’re not alone. Try writing on an iPad using Apple Pencil, maybe it will suit you more. If handwriting doesn’t suit you generally, use a keyboard instead. Using an iPad with a keyboard is mostly cheaper than buying a MacBook, for example, if you buy a non-official keyboard. You can also connect any Bluetooth mouse. When it comes to taking handwritten notes, you don’t need a pack of highlights and pens. Apple Pencil can replace such things. One pencil, endless possibilities.
4. Powerful and cooperative
Even though it may not be visible at first look, the iPad is a very powerful device. It handles basic school things, such as writing essays, making presentations or charts etc. However, that’s only a small piece of all the things you can do with it. iPad also handles photo/video editing, making music, drawing illustrations or animations, coding, online video calls and much more. And no worries, the battery will last the whole day even with difficult tasks.
5. Fun and universal
Working with an iPad is fun and interactive. You have so many options and it’s only up to you what will you choose to do with them. As mentioned before, it’s capable of basically everything. It’s more reliable and faster than most school computers. And it has an unbelievably gorgeous display to look at so your eyes won’t hurt even after hours of looking at it, unlike on most school IT gadgets. You will certainly enjoy doing work with iPad even more.
Personal experience:
I started using iPad at school in September 2021. I’ve experienced a huge upgrade in my study life. My handwriting on paper always looks very chaotic and childish, but it’s so uncomfortable for me to write on it. But on iPad, it’s different for me. It’s more comfortable because the Apple pencil tip slides better and faster on a display. I actually started to enjoy handwriting that I hated so much before. You can unleash your creativity in taking notes because you’re not limited by how many pens and highlighters (colours) you have.
The biggest advantage I see in it is the universality. You don’t need 20 different books, which makes your bag heavy. You don’t need to look for that one paper, you’ve probably lost somewhere. Just tap on search. It doesn’t search just names of the documents but it also recognises the text in all documents. Do you know how much time you can save just by this simple, yet very useful thing?
The iPad is also very fast. Rapid. This device is suitable for quick-tempered people. All the work flows smoothly and you are done faster, than all the other students that use school IT gadgets (personal experience).
I didn’t understand the power of iPad until I experienced it myself. So don’t worry if you don’t understand it either, I also didn’t expect so much from it. But I recommend you to try it. Experience it by yourself and you’ll see.
Problems:
But there are not exclusively good things about iPads and using tech generally at schools. There are two major disadvantages: the cost and the relationship between schools and modern technology.
First, you certainly know that iPad is not something everyone can afford. It costs a lot and so do the accessories. Apple offers discounts for college students and teachers usually between August and October, but don’t expect some huge deals. Consider if it’s a problem for you before buying one.
The second may be a bigger problem. Most schools or teachers don’t allow using even smartphones. I perceive this as a huge problem for students of the 21st century. Technology is a part of our lives and we should consider implementing it in education. Outdated methods of education don’t work. But computers and tablets are just the start. Read about VR here. You may point out that I’m not an expert and that is true, but I feel it by myself. I am a high school student and I see how a such thing as iPad dramatically changed my study life to the better. Now I have a better overview of what I’ve studied, iPad helps me to study more effectively and I have better grades.
I think the biggest problem is that most of my classmates and younger pupils don’t know how to use IT tech for productive work. They associate them just with games and entertainment, which is not necessarily bad, but if it’s the only thing they use their smartphones for, then it is a huge problem.
On the other hand, teachers shouldn’t be against technology and not all of them have to be IT experts. Nowadays, there are so many applications and they are made to be as simple as possible. Introducing them to students will help them to comprehend the possibilities of new technology and they will eventually find themselves in them.
So that is my question: why we don’t prioritise modernising education? Why is the upgrade so slow or none at all?