Field+Based+Activities+Reflection+VIII.A

Standard VIII A is about the current research in educational technology (Williamsong & Redish, 2009). My district was fortunate enough to have an Apple "guru." He was a treasure trove of knowledge about all things Apple, which was fortunate for me since I was put in the position of trying to help our Visual Art department with their aging iMac lab. Our district supports both PC and Apple platforms, as well as iPads. However, the Macs and the PC's have many more differences than the obvious different operating systems. For instance, a student with an Apple computer or device can easily connect to the district's WiFi, while a student with a PC or other smartphone may not be able to do so. Additionally, teachers who use district Mac's can download and/or install software without special administrative priveledges, while the district PC's have varying degrees of restrictions.

As I was trying to begin planning technology purchases for the coming year, I met with our Apple expert to discuss the future of Apple in the district, in order to help me with my plan. As it turns out, our meeting was one of his last official duties in the district before leaving for his new position as an Educational Systems Engineer for Apple.

Most of the discussion was about iPads, and if they were going to remain "unlocked" meaning that teachers could add whatever apps they want for their classrooms. What I found out is that there is no clearcut policy yet on how to handle the iPads, and whether or not the district will approve and purchase certain widely used apps, and limit purchase or downloading of others.

Meanwhile, the price is just to attractive to pass up for me. I can get 3-4 iPad minis for the price of one laptop. And there are countless free apps to use for instruction. Even if the district decides to lock them down in some way, they are still great portable devices for web searches and other activities. We still have our laptop carts, but for the money, I'm ordering an iPad mini cart!

References

Williamson, J. & Redish, T. (2009). I // STE's technology facilitation and leadership standards: What every K-12 leader should know and be able to do //. Eugene, Or: International Society for Technology in Education.