I-pads+at+OC+?

This Wiki is to Inform and to start discussion on introducing the compulsory use of iPads at Orewa College Auckland New Zealand

Orewa College is a State Co Educational Secondary school about 30 minutes north of Auckland. It comprises of approximately 1800 students from Years 7(10-11 year olds) to Year 13 (17-18 year olds)

The school has High Speed Internet via a fibre connection and is 90% covered wirelessly. While the school has some 400 computers in PODs, Labs, Classrooms, and the Library. Access to ICT for prolonged periods of time is difficult, as demand is very high.

Students are entitled to bring their own computers to school but only about 10-15% do so.
 * Yet the demand for computer time in Labs and Pods by students and classes is increasing and access is decreasing! **
 * Technology is the way of the 21st Century world and not go backwards... It should and needs to be an integral part of the education of our future generations. It is in their daily lives and needs to be leveraged in education **

Research undoubtedly demonstrates that 1:1 use of technology in Education has huge benefits to engagement connected ness thinking creativity collaboration ...... Yet providing this access in a state secondary school ...Any Where, Any Time, In Time, is virtually impossible. To purchase, install, maintain and room, more and more computers laptops and other devices is a budget breaker and the school can sustain what facilities it has but cannot increase those facilities.

Thus our students are getting piecemeal access to this vital technology.

So we have a chicken and egg situation. Teachers do not change their pedagogical approach and really leverage the use of the web and web 2.0 technology for learning because they cannot guarantee access to machines. Students do not bring machines because teachers still use a basic "chalk and talk " pedagogy although digitized to an extent.

So do we insist on students bring a mobile computing device to school?

If so ... Any device? An iPad? An Android tablet?

We are leaning strongly towards the iPad. Why? The apps available, the hardware is there and tested and reliable, Portability,......

Your thoughts...