[October 09, 2010] EDITORIAL: iPads and education Tweet Oct 09, 2010 (The Frederick News-Post - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) -- Imagine a college or university where instead of carrying to class bulky textbooks, notepads and pens, all crammed in a backpack, students instead carry a sleek, thin, mobile device that is connected to everything they need. Such a vision may begin with the Hood College class of 2015, who will start classes in fall 2011. Paid for with a bequest of $150,000, the program known as iPad Launch will investigate whether Apple's latest device will have a measurable impact in the classroom. It's an engaging idea, and we'll be interested to see how this goes, although we think Hood should have done some research before deciding to spend the money just to see what happens. The Apple iPad, for those who are unfamiliar, is the first great leap forward for tablet computing. It's about the size of a sheet of letter paper, and is virtually all screen. No keyboard, no mouse. It's touch sensitive, meaning users can write or type on the screen. It can connect to the Internet wirelessly, or, in some versions, through the same network AT&T mobile phones do. The iPads, at $380 a pop, will be disseminated to students who will become test subjects to determine if the devices bring enough value to their educational experience to continue the program. "I hope to see enough information that allows us to know whether or not this is a good investment of the time of the faculty and students and the resources of the institution," said Provost Katherine Conway-Turner. Some faculty and students aren't sold on the plans for this technology, and we have our doubts as well. Do Hood College students need an iPad? We doubt it. Private companies do extensive research before rolling out costly new technology. If they don't need it, especially in this troubled economy, they won't buy it. Hood has flipped this equation, it seems to us. Rolling out these iPads before determining the actual needs of students and faculty has it backwards. Hood should determine whether this is a good investment before spending the money, not after. Could other technology be better suited to the needs of the class of 2015? Morgan Wright, editor of Hood's student newspaper, makes a compelling point about what the real rationale may be behind the offer of an iPad. "The trial is clearly intended to boost applicant numbers, not advance academic pursuits," Wright said. No doubt the students who get iPads will find ways to use them -- educational or not. But isn't that the difference between a want and a need? To see more of the Frederick News-Post or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.fredericknewspost.com. Copyright (c) 2010, The Frederick News-Post, Md. Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services. For more information about the content services offered by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services (MCT), visit www.mctinfoservices.com, e-mail [email protected], or call 866-280-5210 (outside the United States, call +1 312-222-4544). [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]