I pride myself in being a loyal Apple customer - I have a MacBook and an iPod touch, and desperately wanting an iPad. After researching the education apps for the iPad, I think I've finally convinced myself purchasing it will be completely worth it. It's obvious that Apple sets education in high regard. If their "buy a macbook, get a free iPod" for students only strikes you as a marketing ploy, hopefully this changes your mind!Without even viewing the links from Apple's Education page, it's clear what opportunities are right in front of educators and students alike.
But why is Apple so important, instead of just a PC? After all, Apple does carry a higher price tag. See the pdf, 10 Reasons for MacBook in Education. Macs are:
- Secure
- Sturdy
- Simple
- Compatible
- Environmentally friendly
- Lightweight
If I wasn't already an apple user, I'd probably still be skeptical. But after learning about Greene County school district in North Carolina, any skeptics should be left thinking. In 2002, their college-going rate for graduates was sitting at only 26%. After putting MacBooks into the hands of every student starting in sixth grade, 90% of this agricultural school district's graduates attend college. 90%! That's a 64% difference . . . in only 8 years. This is remarkable! If one school can make this big of a change, imagine the entire nation implementing this. Where would America be sitting then?
Photo provided by flickr user d!zzy
The question, though, is what happens to those who don't have the support at home. What happens when there is no internet access in the rural homes of those who are in these 1-1 laptop initiatives? What happens to those who have not one single person at home who can help with a project, who understands anything about computers? Some students won't ask for help.
ReplyDeleteIt reminds me of this cartoon: http://theinnovativeeducator.blogspot.com/2010/05/digital-divide-tale-of-two-school.html
But with that said, it is a great start. I subbed in a school today that had laptops for student use in a tech class environment. I do think there needs to be more information literacy instruction rather than reinforcing the ol' cut-and-paste mentality.