iPads in the Classroom

Abstract

Since Apple introduced the iPad in 2010, it has come to dominate the world of mobile computing. Applications for the iPad are designed to help preschool users learn basic skills such as counting and colors. The iPad is also used in K–12 and college classrooms for everything from note-taking to embarking on virtual tours to learning about outer space. Teachers across disciplines have used iPads to teach literacy, literature, writing, language, social science, history, mathematics, science, geography, computing, medicine, pharmacology, business, art, drama, and music. The iPad has also been used successfully with special needs students. Technology like iPads became even more essential as students learned from home during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Overview

Since Apple introduced the iPad in 2010, it has come to dominate the world of mobile computing. Applications for the iPad are designed to help preschool users learn basic skills such as counting and colors. The iPad is also used in K-12 and college classrooms for everything from note-taking to embarking on virtual tours to learning about outer space. Teachers across disciplines have used iPads to teach literacy, literature, writing, language, social science, history, mathematics, science, geography, computing, medicine, pharmacology, business, art, drama, and music. The iPad has also been used successfully with special needs students. Technology like iPads became even more essential as students learned from home during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Personal computers first appeared in the 1970s, but it took another two decades before the home computer became part of the American mainstream. During the mid-to-late 1990s, colleges and university students wholeheartedly adapted to using technologies that included everything from email and instant messaging to personal digital assistants (PDAs). K–12 classrooms were more likely to provide desktop computers in a computer laboratory setting, requiring teachers to sign up for computer time for their classes. On January 27, 2010, Apple introduced the iPad, which had been designed by Apple's founder Steve Jobs. The marketing campaign for the iPad revolved around the theme "Reinventing Textbooks." Jobs saw the iPad as the answer to expensive and bulky textbooks because the iPad could essentially put an entire library at the fingertips of any user. Apple also announced that it was partnering with McGraw-Hill, Pearson PLD, and Houghton Mifflin Harcourt to publish textbooks for use in grades K-12. Jobs believed that ultimately every schoolchild in the United States should have his/her own iPad. From the outset, the iPad was intended to be both educational and fun. For a generation that had exposed to computers, cell phones, and video gaming for all or much of their lives, the iPad was viewed as a means of "playing" during school hours. The iPad had the added benefit of preparing students for eventual entry to an increasingly technology-dependent workplace.

Released in April 2010, the cost of the first generation iPad was $499, and the device was available only at Apple stores or on the company website. The iPad sold 300,000 units on its first day. By August 2014, 13 million iPads had been sold or donated to U.S. schools ("Apple and Google," 2014), and beginning in 2012, Apple offered more than 20,000 educational applications for downloading. The iPad ran on iOS, the same operating system used in the iPhone and the iPod Touch. The iPad 2, which was introduced in March 2011, sold out in preorders. The second generation model included advanced features such as dual-facing cameras, video conferencing capabilities, improved processing, doubled random access memory (RAM), and the ability to connect to HDMI devices or the Apple television. On March 16, 2012, Apple released the iPad 3 featuring a Retina display, an A5x chip and a quad-core graphics processor. The new model also offered high-definition video recording and voice dictation capabilities. The third generation model ran on iOS 5.1. That same month, Apple released the iPad Mini, with a smaller screen and a cheaper price tag. Advances continued in the ensuing decade and, by 2022, Apple had released its 10th generation of the iPad as well as several companion devices (Lynch & Villas, 2023).

Marketing the iPad as "a world of content," Apple offered 80,000 educational applications by 2014. Key features included Pages, an application designed to help students write term papers; Numbers, which provided tools for creating tables, charts, and graphs; and Keynote, a presentation application (Apple, 2014). All three applications were compatible with Microsoft Office, which meant that students could move files back and forth between their iPads and desktop/laptop computers. Other iPad features that made the device popular in classrooms included iPhoto, for keeping video journals; GarageBand for recording and mixing music; and iBooks Author for creating original interactive classroom material. Through iTunes University, users of the iPad, the iPhone, and the iPod Touch had access to a wealth of educational material on everything from computing to chemistry. Connecting an iPad to an Apple TV allowed teachers to stream content to an entire class using AirPlay.

The use of mobile technology by college students rose from 1.2 percent in 2005 to 62.7 percent in 2010 when the first-generation iPad was introduced (Rossing, Miller, Cecil & Stamper, 2012). By 2012, 80 percent of Internet users were accessing web portals through mobile devices such as iPads and smartphones. Experts predicted that tablet computers would become more common than desktop computers by 2015 (Rossing et al., 2012); however, a 2015 Pew Research Center study found that 73 percent of American adults owned a desktop or laptop computer while only 45 percent owned a tablet. By 2021, 64 percent of U.S. households owned a tablet computer, with households containing children far more likely to have the device (Mejia, 2023). By 2021, 53 percent of adults owned a tablet computer (Laricchia, 2023). The success of the iPad, however, contributed to what came to be known as the digital divide, the educational gap that separated those who could afford mobile devices and Internet access from those who could not.

In 2011, it was estimated that only 2 percent of low-income students had access to mobile tablets as compared to 17 percent of middle- and higher-income students (Rossing et al., 2012). According to Pew Research Center, by 2021, 41 percent of low-income students had access to a tablet computer compared to 68 percent of middle and upper class. While the divide was narrowing, it was still apparent (Vogels, 2021). Because of the wide range of access to iPads or other such devices, knowledge of technology in classrooms varied greatly along socioeconomic lines. Another digital divide has been identified separating the richer nations of the world from countries that lack access to modern technology. A generational divide also exists, separating older people who may distrust technology or lack technological skills from younger people for whom technology has been an important part of their daily lives.

Applications

School systems immediately saw the advantage of using iPads in the classroom. New York was the first city to come on board, and the school system spent $1.3 million to purchase two thousand iPads for classroom use. Chicago used federal grant money to place iPads in two hundred schools. At Indiana University-Purdue University at Indianapolis (IUPUI), iPads were placed in classrooms for use across disciplines, encouraging teachers to seek out ways to improve learning experiences. At the University of Minnesota, first-year instructors and first-year students were given iPads in 2011. They were used for everything from writing in English classes to analyzing data in math classes. The experience was seen as highly successful. Business schools around the country saw the advantage of iPads immediately, and business majors were among the first to endorse the use of iPads in the classroom.

Within a year of the iPad's initial release, more than three-fourths of respondents in a survey conducted by the International Society for Technology identified iPads as the leading technology in education (cited in Howard, Vu & Vu, 2012). While newer technology such as Google Chromebooks became ubiquitous in classrooms as the twenty-first century progressed, iPads remained important in education. While iPads in the classroom are chiefly intended to promote academic performance, they also allow students to access games, music, videos, and the Internet. While some educators view non-academic use of school-issued iPads as wasteful, others see such activities as essential tools in promoting student confidence, decreasing differences in students with and without home access, and familiarizing students with the technologies of the twenty-first century.

In 2015, the International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) ranked American fourth-graders eleventh in mathematics and eighth-graders, ninth, among the forty-nine developed nations' education systems surveyed. In TIMSS 2015, American students also ranked eighth in science . That finding focused attention on the need to improve academics in the areas of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). Placing high priority on introducing cutting-edge technologies to students of all ages is considered a major element in STEM education. School districts have found that it is cheaper to provide iPads for the classroom than to buy either desktop or laptop computers. Costs can be reduced even further by purchasing refurbished iPads that have been discarded as newer models have entered the market. While the chief focus in education has been on iPads, cheaper tablet computers of high quality are also available for classroom use. With iPads in the classroom, teachers no longer have to wait their turns for scarce computer laboratory time since iPads can be assigned to each classroom.

A number of other advantages have also been attributed to using iPads in the classroom. Teachers have complete flexibility of location since iPads can be moved around the room or from one room to another. The flexibility of use is provided by the wide range of applications available. The iPad is pre-equipped with applications designed to handle photographs, music, and videos, and teachers may choose to use the iPad's note, clock, calculator, maps, and weather applications to enhance learning experiences (Banister, 2010). By 2023, 455,000 educational apps were available for download on the iPad (Business of Apps, 2023). Educators have also hailed the iPad's e-reader capabilities, contending that it encourages students to read. Because it is more difficult to use copy/paste functions on the iPad or other tablet computers than on desktops or laptops, some advocates suggest that students may be likely to commit plagiarism.

Educators have also found that the video conferencing capability of the iPad can become an essential tool in helping homebound students participate in classroom discussions and activities. Thus, during the COVID-19 pandemic iPads, along with other mobile devices, became an essential component of remote learning. Thousands of applications for the iPad are free, and others are relatively inexpensive. Other advantages include reduced teacher training time since software applications tend to be more user-friendly than traditional software used on desktops and laptops. The opportunity for teacher experimentation is considered one of the chief advantages of the iPad.

Educators have found that the iPad is ideal for helping preschoolers and special needs students learn basic skills since the device promotes both visual and tactile learning. Applications such as Khan Academy Kids and ABCMouse are designed to begin teaching students basic concepts involved in the STEM curriculum that are viewed as essential to career success. Because even preschoolers are already involved with interactive and touch screens through daily activities such as smartphones, video gaming, and supermarket displays, they are generally viewed as accessible technologies (Aronin & Floyd, 2013). Research on the use of iPads by preschoolers was still relatively new in the early 2010s, but early results indicated that classroom iPad use significantly improved student performance (Aronin & Floyd, 2013). In 2023, researchers in the United Kingdom continued to stress that iPads provided educational benefits such as increased motivation and opportunities for collaboration (Tynan, 2023). Aronin and Floyd (2013) advised educators to remember that applications for preschoolers and special needs students needed to be simple enough that students had no trouble performing required actions, had to make clear connections between cause and effect, needed to allow students to understand how their own actions affect outcomes, and had to ensure that outcomes take place immediately after the student performed a specific action. These recommendations remained true in the 2020s. The ideal scenario is also still considered to be workstations where teachers or aides work with students using iPads in small groups.

Not all initial reactions to the iPads were positive, particularly in college classrooms where students were often more at ease with traditional laptops. For example, in 2011, Stanford School of Medicine issued iPads to all new students in the hopes of reducing printing costs. About half of all students stopped using their iPads after a few weeks, preferring to continue to work with laptops. Other critics objected to the iPad's initial inability to use flash player applications or run multiple applications as both desktop and laptop computers were able to do. Many students complained that the lack of backup capabilities increased chances of losing important work. Durability was also a major issue, though purchased iPad cases offered some protection from damage if dropped or thrown.

Critics of iPads in the classroom insist that the biggest obstacle to success is not Apple's technology but the lack of technological training for teachers. This is particularly true of older teachers who may not have grown up using devices such Apple's iPod or cell phones. While one of the advantages of the iPad is that it does away with the need for permanent technical support staff, it is recommended that schools have someone on hand to provide information or advice when untrained teachers run into problems. Some researchers insist that schools need to do more to improve functionality of the iPad by providing backup and battery charging capabilities. They also suggest that students need to be prevented from installing or uninstalling applications (Khalid, Jurisic, Kristensen & Ørngreen, 2014). By 2023, however, many of these challenges had been confronted as aging educators retired from school systems and were replaced by individuals who had grown up with technology.

In 2013, Los Angeles Unified School District superintendent John Deasy announced an ambitious plan to provide every student in the district, the second largest in the United States, with an iPad. Resistance to the plan was immediate, with critics arguing that the cash-strapped district needed to invest in facilities repairs rather than providing expensive and breakable devices to students, whose responsibility for loss, theft, and damage was unclear. Problems emerged with the pilot program, including more than three hundred students easily skirting their devices' firewalls to pursue non-school-related activities. The total cost of the program grew as add-ons to the devices, such as Bluetooth keyboards for high school students, who were expected to type reports on their iPads, became necessary. At the cost of $1.3 million, the devices purchased under contract were immediately superseded by a newer model, and questions arose about Deasy's early and exclusive commitment to the iPad (and preloaded Pearson software) over potentially less expensive tablets. The Federal Bureau of Investigation launched an investigation into the district's relationship with Apple and Pearson. In September 2014, before the program was fully implemented, it was suspended, and Deasy resigned (Jacobs, 2014). Pressure to supply students with devices, required for Common Core testing remained, and a smaller number of iPads were subsequently purchased without the Pearson software.

Discourse

Virtually all developed countries and many developing countries are using iPads, along with other, newer technology, to enhance learning experiences for students and prepare them for participation in the technological revolution. With the introduction of the iPad in 2010, the year became known internationally as "the year of the tablet" (Khalid, Jurisic, Kristensen & Ørngreen, 2014). In 2012, the government of Denmark committed 500 million Danish Kroner (US$ 81,678.460) to place iPads in the classroom. Countries as diverse as New Zealand and the United Arab Emirates also jumped on the iPad bandwagon. In Ireland, school districts began replacing textbooks with iPads in regular classrooms. The Galway Adult Basic Education Service (GABES) used iPads to teach long-term unemployed adult learners through the Intensive Tuition in Adult Basic Education Program sponsored by the Department of Education and Science. Students gained important job skills as they learned to blog and use the Internet. Because of the digital divide that separates richer and poorer countries, international organizations have allotted funds for bringing poor developing countries into the fold of new technologies.

iPads are more expensive than many other mobile devices. A large number of schools have instituted a Bring Your Own Device policy that allows students to use a wide range of personal mobile devices such as smartphones and tablet computers at school. The availability of retired models, pre-owned devices, and lower-priced tablet computers and mobile phones has enabled the majority of students to have access to these devices even where districts do not adequately provide them. Further, in 2023, this problem has been addressed by the introduction of Google Chromebooks into a large majority of classrooms in the United States. In 2021, 90 percent of middle and high schools in the United States provided students with Chromebooks, while 84 percent of elementary schools provided them as well (Gutterman, 2023).

Since the introduction of the first generation iPad in 2010, teachers have used the iPad to enhance learning at all educational levels. Preschool and kindergarten teachers use the iPad for teaching basic skills such as shapes, colors, the alphabet, and numbers. Elementary school teachers use the iPad to build vocabulary, test mathematical skills, and make science come alive for students. At the high school and college levels, iPads have become an essential classroom tool for both students and teachers. Practice exams for professional school entrance exams are helping to prepare students for medical, law, and pharmacology degrees. iPads (using iCloud) can use cloud computing to store data and other materials online. That capacity has made tablet computing more reliable for students because the danger of losing work has been minimized.

Research of the 2010s reveals that learning to use iPads in the classroom made it easier for students to understand difficult concepts. A 2014 study conducted by Matthew Schneps and a team of researchers at Harvard University's Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics found that using the iPad or another tablet computer for only 20 minutes raised neurocognitive abilities. Students receiving guided instruction revealed the highest increases in neurocognitive scores (Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, 2014). The research team studied 152 students at a Massachusetts high school using second-generation iPads and Solar Walk, a 3-D simulation of outer space and tested their knowledge of the solar system in comparison with 1,184 students who had studied the same material taught in traditional ways. Since iPads and other tablets have the "pinch" function, students were able to zoom the screen in for a close look and zoom out to see the solar system to scale. By contrast, students viewing traditional tools for viewing outer space were exposed to a solar system in which the size of the Earth and other planets were greatly exaggerated.

Scientific research into claims that iPads and other mobile devices revolutionized classrooms and enhanced learning experiences continued in the 2020s. By the late 2010s and the early 2020s, Chromebooks had begun to replace iPads in the classroom, though they still remained important educational devices. The advantages to Chromebooks over iPads are a cheaper cost, they have keyboards, they are simpler to use, and they can be shared (Hoffman, 2014).

Terms & Concepts

Applications (Apps): Software installed on iPads and other mobile devices that allow users to perform a wide range of activities.

Cloud computing: Technology that allows information and material to be uploaded to the Internet for storage. The technology allows users to back up files for safekeeping and extends the storage capacities of iPads and other mobile devices.

Digital divide: Socioeconomic division that separates those who have access to and knowledge of technology from those who do not.

iPads: Small mobile computers manufactured by Apple that broke ground in the tablet computer market and pioneered mobile devices designed to enhance classroom learning.

Pinch function: Movement that brings fingers together to mimic a "pinch" on a touch screen to instruct an iPad or other device to zoom the screen in or out.

Smartphones: Mobile phones such as Apple's iPhone that also have the capability of running software applications and accessing the Internet.

Tablet computer: Mobile computers that are small enough to be held in the hand and which provide access to a wide range of software applications and the Internet. A self-contained touch screen and trackpad replace a peripheral monitor, keyboard, and mouse, and file storage is by cloud or memory stick rather than an internal drive.

Bibliography

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Suggested Reading

Flewitt, R., Kucirkova, N., & Messser, D. (2014). Touching the virtual, touching the real: iPads and enabling literacy for students experiencing disability. Australian Journal of Language and Literacy, 37(2), 107-116. Retrieved December 21, 2014, from EBSCO Online Database Education Research Complete. http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=ehh&AN=96256130&site=ehost-live

Isaacson, W. (2011). Steve Jobs. New York, NY: Simon and Schuster.

Levin, B., & Schrum, L. (2012). Leading technology-rich schools: Award-winning models for success. New York, NY: Teachers College Press.

Wardley, L. l., & Mang, C. (2016). Student observations: Introducing iPads into university classrooms. Education & Information Technologies, 21(6), 1715-1732. doi:10.1007/s10639-015-9414-4. Retrieved December 27, 2016, from EBSCO online database Education Source. http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=eue&AN=117574698&site=ehost-live&scope=site