Advantages of iPad Education

Recent technological developments have presented teachers with unique opportunities to

expand and modernize teaching methods in the classroom. With many educational technologies
to choose from, it is important to utilize a tool that will not only provide an engaging experience
for students but also have the potential to fulfill a broad range of subjects. An analysis of
supportive applications has resulted in concluding that the Apple iPad will provide an engaging
educational experience while presenting many interactive opportunities for the students and
teachers to explore a broad range of subjects. Additional information shows that the initial cost
of iPad purchases will, if used properly, be exceeded by educational benefits.
Influencing student engagement in the classroom can be achieved through the
implementation of a computer interactive program. These interactive programs have been
recently proven to increase both student engagement and the average number of correctly
answered questions. A recent study conducted by James Basham compared the engagement and
test results of students with emotional disturbance when using paper worksheets and an iPad.
The results of this multi-test study showed significant increases for all students. The average
amount of engagement for students while using a paper worksheet was 81.4 while the average
number of correctly answered questions per minute was 0.66. Compared with the same tests
conducted on the iPad, average engagement was increased to 98.9 while the average number of
correctly answered questions per minute was increased to 3.24 (Basham, Haydon, Hawkins,
Denune, Kimener & McCoy, 2012). This shows that the iPad scored 21.5% higher in
engagement and improved the average number of correctly answered questions by 490%.
This evaluation of the effectiveness for an iPads ability to provide an engaging
experience is an important aspect to consider. A students outlook on the learning process
dictates the amount of engagement they have with the topic at hand. Therefore, a more positive
Washington 1

outlook results in increased engagement, and this subsequently results in improved test scores.
The iPad and its supportive applications are helpful in supporting student engagement in two
important ways. The first is that iPad educational applications provide immediate feedback for
correctly and incorrectly answered questions. The immediate feedback satisfies and reassures
students as to how they are currently performing and overall progression. The second is that the
iPad can utilize functions to show students how to correctly solve incorrect questions. This
provides help in some cases where students may not take the time to ask the teacher how to
correctly solve a certain type of problem or methodically work to a correct conclusion.
According to James Basham of the University of Kansas, Researchers have shown that students
tend to choose to engage in assigned work that results in the presentation of more immediate and
higher rates of feedback stimuli that might reinforce on-task and work completion behavior
(Basham, Haydon, Hawkins, Denune, Kimener & McCoy, 2012).
The successful implementation of the iPad in the teaching environment has already been
documented in classrooms in Chicago. More than twenty Chicago public schools received iPads
to test its reliability in enhancing education and the results, money aside, are strongly supportive
for implementation in all public schools. The feedback from both students and teachers is
overwhelmingly positive and whether its helping special education students speak to grocery
store clerks on field trips, assisting high school physics students in building roller coasters to
understand motion and energy, or conducting daily formative assessments to improve student
performance, the iPad engages students and according to experts, thats the most rewarding
part (Mulholland, 2011). The use of iPads in Chicago has shown be successful if the initial
purchase cost can be made. However, it is important to note that to ensure the success of the
implementation of this program teachers themselves must first be familiarized with the product
and develop a lesson plan tailored to this new technology.
Washington 2

One of the most useful iPad applications to be utilized in the classroom is a development
by Educreation. Originally released in 2012, this application enables the iPads to utilize a
recordable, interactive whiteboard that captures voice and handwriting to produce video lessons
(PRNewswire 2012). These lessons, which can be created by teachers or students, can be
posted online and shared publicly or with a created classroom group. This innovative technology
allows for students to learn about a subject from their teacher, peers, and even student across the
country. A public announcement reported that since launching only six months ago, more than
50,000 teachers have created and shared lessons on the Educreations platform, and its now being
used in over 12,000 schools and in 117 countries (PRNewswire 2012). Although this
application is extremely useful in the classroom, there is a potential problem that will need a
solution if iPad integration is to be utilized. The time constraints of the classroom may prove to
be a problem if a project will take more than one class period to complete. Once a project has
been saved it cannot be edited so unless students have their own iPad and can finish the work at
home, students may have to stay after class until the project is completed. This is impractical for
students who utilize the classroom iPads and special arrangements may need to be made to deal
with this issue. However, it should be clear that the educational benefits of this iPad application
bound over the aforementioned inconvenience.
Aside from Educreation, there is an incredible number of educational applications to be
used through classroom iPads. Additionally, there is a large demand for this particular market so
an investment in iPad education would be fruitful because of a supply guarantee for newly
developed educational applications. Some of the many iPad applications available for use are
relevant to project-based learning, social media, gamificationscavenger hunts, news reports,
Instagram bulletin boards, podcasts and commercials (Brantley 2013). These applications
enable the iPads to be tailored for specific grade levels, whether reinforcing second grade math
Washington 3

or eleventh grade physics. Although the cost for equipping three twenty-six-student classrooms
with the hardware and educational programs would cost approximately forty-thousand dollars,
costs could be mitigated through sharing of iPads and taking into account the benefit-cost ratio
for an estimate of five years of use. With these aspects taken into account, seventy-eight students
can be equipped at one time at a cost of one-hundred and three dollars per student per year.
These costs are further reduced by sharing iPads and accounting for the rotational aspect of high
school classrooms. The implementation of an iPad educational program is strongly
recommended and the benefit of its implementation will serve current students throughout their
lives.

Works Cited
Basham, J., Haydon, T., Hawkins, R., Denune, H., Kimener, L., & McCoy, D. (2012). A
comparison of ipads and worksheets on math skills of high school students with emotional
disturbance. Behavioral Disorders, 37(4), 232-243.
http://ehis.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.umuc.edu/eds/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=2f3b42a8-df1e-451bac16-47ebeb7bd473@sessionmgr12&vid=1&hid=17
Brantley, B. (2013). ipad apps for teaching success. Techniques, 8-9.
http://ehis.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.umuc.edu/eds/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=6e8c7c83-5053-4a4ab3ce-74058f216c54@sessionmgr11
Mulholland, J. B. (2011, April 01). ipads strengthen education.
http://ehis.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.umuc.edu/eds/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=8254b832-e196420a-8196-cde406943482@sessionmgr4&vid=1&hid=17
PRNewswire. (2012, August 14). Educreations Announces $2.2mm Series A from Accel
Partners & NewSchools Venture Fund. PR Newswire US.
http://ehis.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.umuc.edu/eds/detail?sid=bd818ee7-5e34-4c09-849b36b00f343d4f
Washington 4

%40sessionmgr12&vid=1&hid=17&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWRzLWxpdmUmc2NvcGU9c2l0ZQ
%3d%3d##db=bwh&AN=201208141200PR.NEWS.USPR.SF57251

Washington 5