What the Tech... iPads in the Classroom?

"Oh what extravagance! What a waste of such sophisticated technology on such young children!" Similar comments were heard in the halls of a private school in a third-world country, as the teachers learned that the school's curriculum for the next year would include the use of iPads, and that the school would be purchasing an iPad for each of the children. I could understand the sentiments of my colleagues, as I knew what they were really trying to say: It's not that they didn't want the students to use iPads in the classroom, but they felt the school was not focusing their resources on the right aspects of the school. The teachers' salaries were barely over the required minimum wage, and the fact that the school was instead investing in purchasing new expensive equipment, as well as in training the teachers in how to use it, was frustrating. But as time went on, the advantages of the iPads in the classroom became apparent.
The usefulness of the iPads in the classroom is due more the apps that it has rather than just the apparatus itself. Sure, it's mobile and has a touchscreen, but the quality of the apps and their availability make a difference in whether they will enhance or detract from the lesson. The school in the opening story purchased the necessary software to implement a bilingual curriculum with supporting workbooks and materials. But that did not stop the teachers from researching free apps that had educational merit and using those they found effective with their students. Aside from apps, the iPads allow access to the Internet without the bulk of a computer, making it a facilitator of research. It can also be used to read stories and textbooks that have been published electronically, and these often come with interactive features like imbedded videos and websites.
A few disclaimers about iPads: most students seem to associate iPads with games, and may initially want to find what games are available, and get to work on downloading their favorites. As with most technology, there is always the potential for distraction and security breaches in the classroom. But with the proper safeguards, these can be minimized to allow the students to benefit from the iPads as an educational tool. The school in the opening story allowed only the teachers to take home the iPads, but allowing the students to take them home could be seen as both necessary (for homework assignments) and costly (if the iPads should be damaged). Schools which have implemented the use of iPads have had the parents purchase insurance to help safeguard against such losses.
While the iPads in the school I used to work at took some getting used to, both for the teachers and the students, with training and patience, both now consider them invaluable tools in their classrooms. I find that I would agree with them, and would like to use them as often as possible in any future classrooms I work in. For example, teaching a math class in which the students could watch videos about geometric principles at their own pace (or with a partner), being able to use both physical manipulatives and electronic ones from an app on the iPad, and completing exercises on an electronic worksheet that includes manipulative images and numerical answers, which could then be shared with the class via a SmartBoard connected to each iPad, seems more time-efficient, engaging to the students and environmentally friendly (less paper) than a class without an iPad. Although I think that financial issues (such as teachers' salaries, school budgets and the students' socioeconomic status) should be considered, using iPads in the classroom would not only enhance the students' learning experience, it would also help them acquire 21st-century skills with using technology.