Running Head: iPADS: A DETERRENCE OR ENHANCEMENT IN THE GRADES 7-12 SETTING

Deterrence or Enhancement: How are 1:1 iPads used by Students in the 7th through 12th grades

and is there a difference between the grades?

RESM 5080: Research for Teachers

University of Colorado Denver

Wendee Vezzetti

May 5, 2017
iPADS: A DETERRENCE OR ENHANCEMENT IN THE GRADES 7-12 SETTING

Abstract

1:1 iPad programs have emerged in recent years in Title I schools as an effort to bring 24-hour

technology access to low income students. As 1:1 programs have been implemented over the

past five years, there are questions around student use of the iPad, especially in the secondary

setting. To gather how students use the iPad and analyze if it changes as students mature through

the grade levels, a survey was administered to 236 students in a high-risk Title I secondary

(grades 7 through 12) school during the fourth year of a 1:1 iPad program. Themes identified

from the survey included the types of use, app analysis, at-home use of the device, and use of the

device as students progress through grade levels. Although students are equally split on their

daily use of the iPad at school, they overwhelming do not use the iPad at home. The survey

found that students primarily use their iPad for school work and very little for personal reasons.

The survey found that close to 85% of the students have SmartPhones, which could be a reason

that the iPads are not utilized much at home. As hypothesized, student use of the iPad declines

as they mature through the grade levels; as students get older, they prefer to have the

ChromeBook as device. Further studies on how how student perceptions of the iPad impacts

their use and academic performance should expand device and technology planning at the

secondary level.
iPADS: A DETERRENCE OR ENHANCEMENT IN THE GRADES 7-12 SETTING

Deterrence or Enhancement: How are 1:1 iPads used by Students in the 7th through 12th grades

and is there a difference between the grades?

Soon after the emergence of the iPad in 2010, schools and districts across the country saw

an opportunity to provide students with a mobile device that would enable students to have 24-

hour access to educational tools. This is especially relevant for students in low-income schools

where they may not otherwise have access to technology in their homes. In the classrooms, iPads

were also intended to bring creativity, collaboration, equality, technology resources (such as the

internet) and management tools. With so many potential benefits, of course schools jumped at

the opportunity to offer one-to-one (1:1) mobile device programs to their students.

What was supposed to have transformed education, soon turned into an expensive tool

that students would reject. Research by Ditzler, Hong and Straddler (2016) supports that,

“Students often do not use the technologies for learning purposes.” A simple Google search,

“iPads in Schools”, produces a landing page full of articles about problems, findings, and

suggestions about how to run an iPad program. The more recent the article, the more likely it is

to be about the problems with iPads: lack of teacher training, students view the tablets as

entertainment, the purpose of their use is not clear, they cause a distraction in class, they are

expensive, there are technical glitches, students aren’t learning the art of personal discussions,

Apple ID and passwords don’t work, its an expensive substitute for paper, and many more

challenges. This all gets in the way of classroom learning.

While many schools throughout the country are making technology integration part of

their schools’ programs, some of the better performing schools across the globe are holding back
iPADS: A DETERRENCE OR ENHANCEMENT IN THE GRADES 7-12 SETTING

citing that there is no proof that the technology actually improves academic performance

(Keegan, 2017). Across Colorado, schools are disseminating positive press releases about their

21st century learning programs in which there is an integration of technology and skills such as

collaboration, innovation, and creative thinking; and, some of those success stories took four

years to develop (Reeder, 2016). The same school district (Montrose, CO) is reporting that the

investment made to supply their high schools with iPads, preferred for student engagement and

three times more expensive than ChromeBooks, is equivalent to a years worth of salary steps and

pay increases for teachers and staff (Reeder, 2016). With an epidemic of flat test scores, it seems

as if school districts are grasping towards tablet technology as the panacea that will invigorate

education.

Specific to our school, Jefferson Jr/Sr High School in Edgewater, CO, in its fourth year of

a 1:1 iPad program, there is a love-hate relationship with technology. “Sometimes they

[students] don’t take things as seriously on screen as they do on paper,” according to a veteran

teacher at the school who has experienced all four years of the 1:1 iPad program (personal

communication, January 30, 2017). One of the biggest complaints from teachers: they don’t

bring their iPads and if they do, they aren’t charged. Just like not bringing their pencils and

paper to class to avoid tasks, students rebuke the iPad. “An iPad loaded with inane apps is just

another boring textbook,” expresses Tervalon (2015), a writer for Times and an ex-English

teacher.

With the lofty investment and high sustainability cost of a fairly recent technology,

research into how students actually use iPads in the secondary setting is needed. If students

refuse to bring the iPad to school and use the device for academic purposes, then the iPad turns
iPADS: A DETERRENCE OR ENHANCEMENT IN THE GRADES 7-12 SETTING

into entertainment at home. If students use the iPad to access learning while in the school

setting, then it becomes a tool to access learning. If students perform off-task work, like texting,

Facebook-ing, watching videos, playing games, looking up the next Nike to buy, then it erodes

the educational culture. Discovery into student use of the iPad at Jefferson will shed light on (1)

its primary function (academic or entertainment), (2) how students specifically use the device

(i.e. workflow between apps, internet access), and (3) does the type of use change as the student

progresses from middle through high school? This study is two-part. First, we will investigate

how students in our school use and view the iPads in a secondary school setting. Secondly, we

will explore if the student usage in the secondary setting is different between the grade level

(ages) 7th through 12th grades because of their development and academic tasks.

Literature Review

There is much research available about one-to-one (1:1) device programs, their

implementation, and how they are viewed by teachers. Because the tablet is a relatively new

technology, the most recent research was reviewed.

Teachers view of technology. One example from researchers Cho and Wittenberg-

Tobias (2016) found that teachers view technology in concentric circles in relation to the most

immediate impact and everyday work: the inner circle relates to students focusing (immediate,

what is happening right now in the classroom), the middle circle relates to student learning (short

term, content knowledge), and the outer circle relates to affecting students’ development, lifelong

success, and self-understanding (longer-term). The teacher views of technology could influence
iPADS: A DETERRENCE OR ENHANCEMENT IN THE GRADES 7-12 SETTING

how students use the devices, especially regarding immediate needs related to functionality like

downloading articles, submitting work, taking photos, or emailing the teacher.

Type of 1:1 computing devices. In comparing tablet devices to laptops, the Shamir-

Inbal& Blau study (2016) found that there are no differences in the functionality of how laptops

and tablets are used in the classroom, it does suggest that teachers focus on developing their

“digital wisdom” and TPACK pedagogy with tablets as students view the tablets as having

greater learning potential than with laptops. The Willams and Larwin, published in 2016,

analyzed 1:1 computing devices over time and its possible impacts of student achievement on the

Ohio state standardized tests. Because of the eight-year time frame, some of the computing

devices now used, like tablets, have very little mention, while laptops and netbooks do. Still, the

analysis found no difference in student achievement when comparing different types of

computing devices.

Student achievement with 1:1 computing. When investigating the potential impact of

1:1 technology over time and its influence on student achievement, Williams and Larwin (2016)

found that there is no different in achievement with 1:1 computing devices. However, the study

reported that though students has access to devices 24/7, it is not known how they used the

devices in their classes or at home.

The HaBler, Major & Hennessy (2015) report, which critically reviewed 23 tablet studies,

found that most (about 69%) generalized positive learning outcomes. Additionally, from the

neutral or negative learning outcomes (31%), students still reported having a positive attitude

with, and enjoyed working on the tablets. The same critical review indicated that there are many
iPADS: A DETERRENCE OR ENHANCEMENT IN THE GRADES 7-12 SETTING

factors influencing tablet studies (e.g. teacher pedagogy, device features, rapid changes in

technology, and availability/portability) and that more specific examinations are needed. They

did find that the portability and long battery life are features of a tablet that support the greatest

learning outcomes.

Students using iPads. More specific to students using iPads, a 2016 study by Ifenthaler

and Schweinbenz found that a students effort expectancy (the degree to which a student believes

the use of the technology will be free of effort) and the performance expectancy (the degree to

which a student believes using the tablet will improve their performance in school) does have a

positive affect on their attitude towards tablets. The same study did not find that the iPads had

any affect on their academic performance. Interesting also about this study is that they measured

the social expectancy (the degree to which peers and teachers expect students to use the iPads).

It found that social expectancy did not have any affect on students’ attitudes toward using the

iPad. This means that when implementing 1:1 iPad programs, having high teacher expectation

alone for student use may not be an effective strategy.

Method

The problem in this study discovered how students in a secondary (grades 7th-12th), low-

income setting use the school school-issued 1:1 iPad tablet, and analyzed if the use changes as

students mature through the grade levels. Again, many of the tablet studies have gathered input

from teachers (not students), have been internationally-based or conducted out-of-state, and have

been conducted mainly on students in an elementary setting. Also, the studies and reports have

addressed the implementation of iPad/tablet programs, but have not gathered feedback on the
iPADS: A DETERRENCE OR ENHANCEMENT IN THE GRADES 7-12 SETTING

actual student use of iPads. Therefore, we conducted an anonymous survey of our student

population, across all grade levels 7th through 12th, and analyzed how they are used and

discovered if there are any changes as the students mature through the grade levels.

There are variables in this study which can affect results or provide further analysis:

grade level of the student, how students rate themselves academically, and how they rate their

attendance. At Jefferson, all students are issued a 1:1 iPad for the semester in which they can

take home, so accessibility to a tablet would not be a variable. Though, for questions regarding

iPad use at home, the research does ask whether or not the student has internet access while at

home which could affect how they use the iPad outside of school; the survey also addressed if

students have access to other technology at home, like a netbook, SmartPhone or gaming device.

Other variables are harder to address, such as how the teacher presented the survey (with excited

importance or with boredom), if and how teachers enforced or encouraged the student to take the

survey, and the students’ fidelity and thoughtfulness when taking the survey. Finally, language

could a variable as many of Jefferson students are English Language Learners (ELLs).

Finding how students use the iPad both in a school setting and outside of school can drive

school and district level instructional decisions. It can also greatly impact future technology and

device budgeting, staff training, and 1:1 program management. For example: if the results

produce findings that students use the iPad for internet-based applications that are accessible on

less-expensive devices, the school and district may decide to replenish their technology with

netbooks (such as ChromeBooks) that have the same functionality. However, if students report

that they use the devices mostly for creativity (such as ExplainEverything, Keynote and iMovie),

then schools/district may decide to further fund an 1:1 iPad program. Finally, it is hypothesized
iPADS: A DETERRENCE OR ENHANCEMENT IN THE GRADES 7-12 SETTING

that as student mature through the grade levels toward graduation, the appeal for table use

declines as students need to use an external keyboard for essays, reports and college/career

applications.

Setting

The research was conducted a suburban Title I secondary school serving 7th through 12th

grade students. The school is situated just outside of an urban city in the Western region of the

United States. There are 731 students, primarily considered “at risk”, enrolled with the following

demographics: 81.5% Hispanic, 11.9% Caucasian, 3,8% multiracial, and 2.7% Black. Jefferson

has 87.6% of their student population on free and reduced lunch programs. 38.4% of the student

population are ELLs as English was not their native language. The primary language for the

ELLs is Spanish. However, Jefferson is experiencing an increase in ELL students with other

primary languages such as Sudanese and French. Jefferson's overall attendance rate is 87.3%

and their mobility rate is 21.2%. 12.6% of the students are on special education plans.

(Colorado Department of Education, School Dashboard).

Sample and Protocols

To collect data efficiently across the grade levels, as well as to collect a wide response, an

anonymous survey was administered school-wide at the same time during an advisement period.

As the school's teacher-librarian, I created the survey and posted it as an assignment on

Schoology (our school's learning management system). It is regular protocol for teachers at the

school to copy assignments from Schoology into their course for weekly delivery. I showed

teachers the survey and explained its purpose at a morning staff meeting the day of delivery. I
iPADS: A DETERRENCE OR ENHANCEMENT IN THE GRADES 7-12 SETTING

also find-out who had a substitute teacher that day and then delivered the survey myself in one of

those classrooms. I also sent links to the survey to all staff in an email with a QR code to the

survey. Additionally, during the week of delivery, teachers had two opportunities to have their

classes take the survey (on a Thursday and a Friday).

The survey is a Google.Forms tool (see survey in Appendix A), one of which is

accessible and familiar to all the teachers and students at the school. The students will be

allowed to submit their survey only once. Approximately 11 students practiced with the survey

to provide feedback: all stated they understood the questions, that it was an anonymous survey,

and that there was no confusion at any point answering the questions. Two beginning English

language learners also took the survey and used their phones to translate the questions; both

reported they understood the questions. The practice survey took an average of 15-minutes for

students to complete.

Data Collection

Reporting through Google.Forms is instantaneous and visually represented in graph form.

Additionally, responses through the Google.Forms survey can be exported to an Excel

spreadsheet for data analysis. Through Excel, data can be managed to report variances in grade

levels, and the other variables such as academic performance ratings (self-reported), and

attendance ratings (self reported). For our research question, we can analyze results overall, and

can also break-down data by students grade level to evaluate our main variable. Additionally, the

data can also be broken-down with the other variables such as attendance, performance and at-
iPADS: A DETERRENCE OR ENHANCEMENT IN THE GRADES 7-12 SETTING

home structures (something that is of interest for our school and district). Though for our

research, we mainly looked at the difference in iPad use across the grade levels.

Results

A total of 236 students completed the survey in mid-April 2017. The student responses

dwindled in the upper-grade levels, especially with the 10th and 11th grades, which is also

representative of the number of students in each grade level as well as attendance rates during the

advisement period in which the survey was administered: 7th graders (82, 34.9%), 8th graders

(46, 19.6%), 9th graders (54, 23%), 10th graders (12, 5.1%), 11th graders (16, 6.8%), and 12th

graders (25, 10.6%). Students self-reported their GPA, attendance and behavior, with the

majority of their responses for GPA and attendance being in the good to fair range.

Table 1

Great Good Fair Poor

GPA 17% 43.4% 33.6% 5.9%

Attendance 24.2% 42.5% 28% 5.1%

Behavior 44.6% 45.5% 9.3% 0.6%

Most students report having access to technology at home. 84.3% have SmartPhones and

77.9% have internet at home. When asked what other technology is in their home, many

students reported having gaming devices, while a good portion have either tablets or laptop

computers. This access to SmartPhones, the internet, and other computing or technology devices

is important when considering the perceptions and use of the iPad while at school. The theory at

the time of iPad 1:1 iPad implementation four years ago at Jefferson was that the student
iPADS: A DETERRENCE OR ENHANCEMENT IN THE GRADES 7-12 SETTING

population, due to 90% on free/reduced lunch programs, didn’t have access to technology at

home. This drove the district’s decision to provide iPads to the school. Over the course of four

years, this survey does provide information that students do have access to technology and the

internet. Therefore, it could impact their perceptions and their value towards the device.

Table 2

How students use the iPad

Overall, 51.9% of the student population report using the iPad in at least four or more

classes (out of 7) per day. A large portion of the students report that they use the iPad “most of

the time” or “always” for school work (70.6%), while 29.3% of students report using the iPad

“some of the time” or “never” for school work. Only 9.3% of the students report that they

“most of the time” or “always” use the iPad for personal reasons. This number is surprisingly

low; a contributing factor could be because almost 85% of the students have SmartPhones, which

takes away from the need and desire to have a school-supplied iPad as their tool for digital
iPADS: A DETERRENCE OR ENHANCEMENT IN THE GRADES 7-12 SETTING

entertainment and socializing. Though the overall usage rates are low (just over 50% in four or

more classes/day), the results of the survey do report that when the iPad is used in the school

setting, students are using it for academics and not personal entertainment.

Online classwork. As predicted, students use the iPad as a means to access online

course curriculum through learning management systems (LMSs), like Schoology and

Google.Classroom. This is no surprise as over the last four years many teachers have moved to

LMSs as a means for distributing course content, materials, links, videos, resources and even

rubrics. LMSs are also systems in which teachers can provide individualized feedback to

students.

Information Gathering. Information gathering, like accessing information through

research databases, news sites, Google.com or through online literacy sites like Newsela.com, is

a secondary use of the iPad. As digital natives, it is no surprise students are adept at using the

internet for accessing online information.

Table 3

How iPads are Used in a Secondary Setting

Type of Use Combined: “Always” Always Most of the time

and “Most of the
Time”

Online Classwork 74.9% 42.1% 34.8%

Information Gathering 67.2% 30.2% 37%

Creating 48.1% 17% 31.1%

iPADS: A DETERRENCE OR ENHANCEMENT IN THE GRADES 7-12 SETTING

Type of Use Combined: “Always” Always Most of the time

and “Most of the
Time”

Productivity 47.6% 15.3% 32.3%

On-Task Photos & Videos 42.6% 14.9% 27.7%

Collaboration 40% 11.5% 28.5%

Multi-Tasking 38.3% 17% 21.3%

Communication 20% 6% 14%

Off-Task Activities 13.6% 5.5% 8.1%

Off-Task Photos & Videos 10.7% 4.3% 6.4%

236 respondents in grades 7 through 12.

Creating. Behind LMSs and online information gathering, students use of the iPad for

creating. The survey defined this activity as doing projects on the iPad such as presentations,

writing essays and creating movies. This function of the iPad to create and store projects on the

device is one of the major elements that separates the iPad from other devices like the less

expensive ChromeBook, which simply accesses cloud-based programs.

Productivity. Unlike producing a product (this would be defined as creating),

productivity was defined as utility, such as using the calculator and calendars. Surprisingly, this

was rated lower than expected at less than half (47.6%) of students using these functions at least

once a day. One of the reasons students might not use these features is because almost 80%

(77.9%) of students reported having a SmartPhone which also offers the same utilities.
iPADS: A DETERRENCE OR ENHANCEMENT IN THE GRADES 7-12 SETTING

Collaboration and Communication. Part of having a mobile device is the ability to

collaborate (defined as document sharing) and communicate (defined as messaging and

emailing). These are two skills often emphasized in a 21st century curriculum. Only 40% of the

students report collaborating with other students. This data can be shared with instructional

coaches so that professional development can be created to train teachers various ways in which

students can share documents and collaborate in creating projects. With only 20% of students

reporting that they message or email, is a surpassingly low number. Future studies study could

be conducted that investigate in more detail how student use technology to communicate. For

example, instead of emailing, students could be communicating by submitting their projects,

sending messages to their instructor, and posting online discussions to an LMSs. This also can

be considered communicating, but for this study it was considered “online classwork.”

Off-task activities, photos and videos. Walk in to any classroom at Jefferson and you

will witness students engaging in off-task behavior with electronic devices. For several years,

teachers blamed the iPads. This year many teachers have reported in discussions and in staff

meetings about students off-task behavior with their cell phones. The student responses unveil

that they are not using their iPads for off-task work (13.6% report off-task activities, and 10.7%

report off-task photos and videos). With a rising surge of SmartPhones in the classrooms, this

personal device could be replacing the school-issued iPad as a tool for off-task behaviors.

However, at the beginning of this survey, only 9.9% of students admit to fair or poor behavior in

class. So, either the data is skewed because of surveying a student population that attends an

often poorly-attended advisement class, or students aren’t honest in their self-reported off-task
iPADS: A DETERRENCE OR ENHANCEMENT IN THE GRADES 7-12 SETTING

behavior. A further observational study needs to be conducted on electronic distractions in the

classroom.

App Analysis. A more in-depth analysis is available through survey results if school and

district administration want to look further into how specific applications are utilized on the iPad.

For example: Notability is an application well-utilized throughout the school. It is an iPad app

that stores information on the device (not on the cloud) and not available on ChromeBooks. 77%

of the students report using Notability once or more a day. However, it is not a complicated app

and its functions can be duplicated in Google.Docs or other apps that can be connected to

students’ Google.Drive accounts which is available on the ChromeBook. Another creation app,

ExplainEverything, also stores student work on the device. Only 8% of students report using

that app on a daily basis. So, when making decisions on what devices to purchase and support,

an in-depth analysis of app usage is available through this survey to school and district

administration. When making those analysis, it is also important to consider whether or not the

same utilization can be made on ChromeBooks by connecting it with other Google-supported

applications.

As students progress through grade levels

As students move through the grade levels, their use of the iPad declines, with grades 11

and 12 using them the least, and grade 7 using them the most. Though the survey asked the

barriers to iPad use, this survey did not go in to details to make comparisons between the grade

level barriers as it was not the research focus. A further study is recommended to compare the

grade level motivation for using the iPad and grade-level barriers to using the iPad.
iPADS: A DETERRENCE OR ENHANCEMENT IN THE GRADES 7-12 SETTING

Table 4

How iPads are Used in a Secondary Setting: Comparison between grade levels

Frequency of 7th Grade 8th Grade 9th grade 10th grade 11th grade 12th grade
Use at School

Almost every 40.2% 32.6% 31.5% 8.3% 6.3% 3.8%

class period

4-5 out of 7 34.1% 17.4% 14.8% 33.3% 6.2% 3.9%

classes

2-3 out of 7 15.9% 39.1% 37% 25% 12.5% 30.8%

classes

1 out of 7 9.8% 10.9% 16.7% 33.3% 75% 61.5%

classes

236 respondents in grades 7 through 12.

In looking at answers to other questions, 92%of the 12th grade and 100% of the 11th

grade respondents have a SmartPhone. 100% of both the 11th and 12th grade responded that

they have other devices in the home (laptops, video-gaming systems and tablets were the most

common devices). Again, because they have access to technology on their own, it could affect

the perceptions of and usefulness for the school-issued iPad.

Student use in comparison with perceptions of iPads

To find more information as to why students in the upper grade levels don’t use the iPad,

I compared open-ended comments between the grade levels (Appendix F: Table 8). Most all

grade-level comments reported poor perceptions of the iPad and the request for opening the App

Store so that students could download games (entertainment). In the literature review, Cho and
iPADS: A DETERRENCE OR ENHANCEMENT IN THE GRADES 7-12 SETTING

Wittenberg-Tobias (2016) reported that teacher perception could influence how students use the

devices. The findings of this survey report that students are using the iPad for school work. But,

a question for future studies is whether or not teacher perceptions affect student perceptions

which is different from student use. In this survey, though, students still use the iPad, but their

comments reflect poor perceptions of the iPad across all grade levels in the secondary setting.

Even more compounding, the comments about the iPad contradict the survey’s specific

questions about iPad perceptions. Students answered agreeably that the iPad makes school work

easy, interesting and that the device has made a positive impact. Though, the positive

perceptions are marginal, just over 50% and in the 60% range. Additionally, student comments

stating that they prefer the ChromeBook contradict the Shamir-Inbal & Blau 2016 study

reporting that students view the tables as having greater learning potential than with laptops.

Supporting that contraction, our students do not have a positive attitude towards tablets, which is

inconsistent with the Ifenthaler and Schwinbenz study that a positive effort expectancy and

positive performance expectancy will have a positive affect on perceptions of the iPad. Our

students both believe the iPads are easy to use and that it will improve their performance, yet

they have a negative attitude towards the iPad. Finally and clearly, our students do not prefer the

iPad as a learning device and they would rather use the iPad for entertainment.
iPADS: A DETERRENCE OR ENHANCEMENT IN THE GRADES 7-12 SETTING

Table 5

Perceptions of the iPad in a secondary setting

Question Very much agree Agree Disaggre Very much

disagree

The iPad makes 22% 44.4% 23.7% 9.9%

school work EASY

66.5% very much agree or agree 33.6% disagree or very much

disagree

The iPad makes my 13.9% 36.8% 36.4% 12.9%

school work
INTERESTING

60.7% very much agree or agree 46.3% disagree or very much

disagree

The iPad is 7.2% 19.9% 49.5% 23.3%

DISTRACTING in
my school work

27.1% very much agree or agree 72.8% disagree or very much

disagree

The iPad is an 17.7% 41% 28.3% 12.7%

important park of my
education

58.7% very much agree or agree 41% disagree or very much

disagree

The iPad has made a 14.8% 50.5% 24.1% 10.5%

POSITIVE impact on
my grades/learning

65.3% very much agree or agree 34.6% disagree or very much

disagree

The iPad had made a 6.3% 21.1% 47.8% 25%

NEGATIVE impact
on my grades/
learning
iPADS: A DETERRENCE OR ENHANCEMENT IN THE GRADES 7-12 SETTING

Question Very much agree Agree Disaggre Very much

disagree

27.4% very much agree or agree% 73.8 disagree or very much

disagree

236 respondents in grades 7 through 12.

Barriers to iPad Use

Based on comments from both staff and students this past year regarding charging

frustrations, I hypothesized that the greatest barrier to iPad use was the inability to charge the

devices. However, students reported that it was slow infrastructure; for example: the web pages

not loading fast for streaming. Lack of charging did come-in slightly behind. Overall, students

rated the barriers low. Though, when reading through anecdotal comments about iPad, I missed

a couple important barriers. Several complaints appeared about the weight and bulkiness of the

iPad (students are required to house them in an OtterBox), which could be a barrier to their use

as students don’t want to carry it around the building all day, plus to and from school. Also,

students don’t like the filtering. They want the iPads to be unrestricted so that they can

download games, apps of their choice, and watch less filtered YouTube videos. It is important to

note that the filtering, both app control and YouTube videos, are district managed programs.

YouTube videos are filtered regardless of the device a student uses.

Limitations

Although this survey was administered school-wide, there are a few limitations to

consider. First, this survey was administered during an advisement class (like a homeroom) that
iPADS: A DETERRENCE OR ENHANCEMENT IN THE GRADES 7-12 SETTING

is poorly attended. The students that took the survey are likely to have good attendance and

performance rates which could shed favorable light on the iPad usage. Secondly, the

underclassmen grades are better attended than the upperclassmen. It is more of a challenge to

get them to attend this advisement class. Thus, there are fewer respondents in the upper grade

levels. Finally, the study took place during the testing month in April when motivation levels

school-wide are low. Several other tasks during this advisement period were requested by

administration and counselors, so some teachers may have not gotten the chance to administer

with fidelity and enthusiasm the survey.

Action Plan and Conclusion

This project investigated how students in a secondary low-income setting use the school-

issued 1:1 iPad and if their use changes as they progress through the grade levels. The research

questions addressed concluded that students do primarily use the iPad for school related work

and very little for at-home school work or personal use. They primarily use the iPad for

accessing online course content through LMSs, for accessing information, and then equally for

productivity and creation. Although students report having a good learning perception regarding

the ease of use and its positive impact on their learning, their comments contradict that

perception and are overwhelmingly negative stating that they do not prefer or even like the iPad.

Further studies can look more in-depth at that contradiction. Finally, although the survey

touched the surface about barriers to iPad use, a study to investigate the barriers of iPas use as

the student moves through grade levels would have impact on matching device preferences to

students age and educational need.

iPADS: A DETERRENCE OR ENHANCEMENT IN THE GRADES 7-12 SETTING

In order for school administration to design an effective iPad 1:1 or other technology

program, results of this survey should be used to determine how to move forward. There are

several different options. The school can continue with the 1:1 iPad program for certain grade

levels while moving to classroom sets of ChromeBooks in the upper grade levels. Since the

devices are getting older (next year will be the fifth year for most devices), the school can setup

the iPads as a shared-model and issue teachers classroom sets. Additionally, the administration

can use the results in how students use the various application to determine if the iPad is an

appropriate device in future purchases for the school. The cost of iPads is generally more

expensive (by two times the amount) than ChromeBooks. If the applications that are used most

commonly are also available on the ChromeBook, then it makes more fiscal sense for a school to

invest in the less expensive device. Finally, the misconception that students in poverty don’t have

access to technology at home can be dissolved. Our school is one of the most highly impacted

Title schools with almost 90% of the families qualifying. Yet, almost 85% of the students have

SmartPhones and almost 78% have internet in the home. In todays age, most households, even

those in poverty, have access to technology and thereby eliminating the need for devices to be

sent home.
iPADS: A DETERRENCE OR ENHANCEMENT IN THE GRADES 7-12 SETTING

References

Colorado Department of Education. (2017). School Dashboard (Data File). Retrieved April 11,

2017, from http://www2.cde.state.co.us/schoolview/dish/schooldashboard.asp.

Ditzler, C., Hong, E., & Strudler, N. (2016). How tablets are utilized in the classroom. Journal

of Research on Technology in Education, 48(3), 181-19. doi: 10.1080/15391523.2016.

1172444

Hauler, B., Major, L., & Hennessy, S. (2016). Tablet use in schools: a critical review of the

evidence for learning outcomes. Journal of Computer Assisted Learning, 32, 139-156.

doi: 10.1111/jcal.12123.

Ifenthaler, D., & Schweinen, V. (2016). Students’ acceptance of tablet PCs in the classroom.

Journal of Research on Technology in Education, 48(4), 306-321. doi:

10.1089/15391523.2016.1215172.

Keegan, T. (2017, Jan 1). More chalkboards, fewer iPads. Denver Post, The (CO), p. 4D.

Retrieved February 8, 2017, from http://infoweb.newsbank.com/resources/doc/nb/news/

161B2C8DCEA9FF70?p=AWNB

Reeder, R. (2016, Nov 17). Apple honors Columbine for using iPads in classrooms. Montrose

Daily Press, The (CO). Retrieved February 8 2017, from http://infoweb.newsbank.com/

resources/doc/nb/news/160B77AEF97C81C8?p=AWNB

Reeder, R. (2016, Jan 31). Teachers’ Union has concerns about technology use. Montrose Daily

Press, The (CO). Retrieved February 8, 2017, from http://infoweb.newsbank.com/

resources/doc/nb/news/15AB8E17F07749A0?p=AWNB
iPADS: A DETERRENCE OR ENHANCEMENT IN THE GRADES 7-12 SETTING

Shamir-Inbal, T., & Blau, I. (2016). Developing digital wisdom by students and teachers: The

impact of integrating tablet computers on learning and pedagogy in an elementary school.

Journal of Educational Computing Research, 54(7), 967-996. doi:

10.1177/0735633116649375

Tervalon, J. (2015, June 18). Why we need to keep iPads out of the classroom. Time. Retrieved

February 7, 2017, from http://time.com/3926875/ipad-use-classroom/

Williams, N., & Larwin, K. (2016). One-to-One computing and student achievement in Ohio

high schools. Journal of Research on Technology in Education, 48(3), 143-157. doi:

10.1080/15391523.2106.117587.
iPADS: A DETERRENCE OR ENHANCEMENT IN THE GRADES 7-12 SETTING

Appendix

Appendix A: iPad Use Survey, https://goo.gl/forms/u71GeqAPq6tLUl0E3 . Most

questions on this survey are presented in a simple Likert scale.


iPADS: A DETERRENCE OR ENHANCEMENT IN THE GRADES 7-12 SETTING

Appendix B: Overall Use of iPad Across Grade Levels


iPADS: A DETERRENCE OR ENHANCEMENT IN THE GRADES 7-12 SETTING

Appendix C: Daily Use at School Across Grade Levels

iPADS: A DETERRENCE OR ENHANCEMENT IN THE GRADES 7-12 SETTING

Appendix D: How iPads are Used in a Secondary Setting


iPADS: A DETERRENCE OR ENHANCEMENT IN THE GRADES 7-12 SETTING

Appendix D: Table 6

How iPads are Used in a Secondary Setting

Type of Use Combined: “Always” Always Most of the time

and “Most of the

Time”

Online Classwork 74.9%% 42.1% 34.8%

Information Gathering 67.2% 30.2% 37%

Creating 48.1% 17% 31.1%

Productivity 47.6%% 15.3% 32.3%

On-Task Photos & Videos 42.6% 14.9% 27.7%

Collaboration 40%% 11.5% 28.5%

Multi-Tasking 38.3% 17% 21.3%

Communication 20% 6% 14%

Off-Task Activities 13.6% 5.5% 8.1%

Off-Task Photos & Videos 10.7% 4.3% 6.4%

236 respondents in grades 7 through 12.

iPADS: A DETERRENCE OR ENHANCEMENT IN THE GRADES 7-12 SETTING

Appendix E: Table 7

Daily Use of iPad Across Grade Levels

Grades Combined Responses: Every class, Combined Responses:

and 4-5 out of 7 classes 2-3 classes out of 7, and

1 out of 7 classes

7th 74.3% 25.7%

8th 50% 50%

9th 46.3% 53.7%

10th 41.6% 58.3%

11th 12.6% 87.5%

12th 7.7% 92.3%

TOTALS 50.2% 49.5%

iPADS: A DETERRENCE OR ENHANCEMENT IN THE GRADES 7-12 SETTING

Appendix F: Table 8

What other suggestions do you have for the future of iPads in the school?

Grade Open-ended comments

12th grade • No one really brings a charged iPad to class. So, I say we just stay with Chromebooks and
laptops and get a higher speed internet.
• Don’t have iPad, but have them in stations [do not issue 1:1, but keep them as classroom
sets]
• Let kids have games
• Have more interaction with it. Seems there isn’t much use for the iPad and it is a bit
outdated. Biggest problem is teachers don’t watch how people use it, and so they don’t
create plans involving it.
• Its mostly for research. So yes, it’t not bad
• I prefer using paper.
• Just get ChromeBooks. The iPads weight too much in our backpacks. I feel like sucker
because of that.
• Unrestricted them.
• Don’t give them out if they won’t be used.
• Get rid of them.
• Make it where it is not forced.
11th grade • Don’t block everything on them
• Be able to have more freedom using the iPad and not limi so much of what vetoes to see on
YouTube
• We should be able to use the iPad in class more. We barely use them.
• To not use them
• Take them away. We don’t want them. We don’t use them, and we just carry them back-
and-forth
• Don’t really need them
• To not have them
10th grade • Not blocking a lot of programs
• Replace with ChromeBooks
• Make is easier to work on
• Paper is better
• Give better chargers
• The iPads were okay, but we could do is paring out the works we have
• I do not like the use of iPads in my education. It is the source of many problems. As well
as the destruction for many students. Also, it makes kids relay more on technology.
• iPads should not be given anymore. Kids are not responsible and only adding a fat bill to
their parents.
• Get rid of the iPads
iPADS: A DETERRENCE OR ENHANCEMENT IN THE GRADES 7-12 SETTING

Grade Open-ended comments

9th grade • To fly be used for projects

• Allow older kids to have one game from the iPad store
• Let us have some games and apps we want on them
• Restrict more things
• TAKE THEM OUT
• I hope we could download games on the App Store, like maybe 3 to 5 games
• More apps
• Make it fun
• The iPads at the school are really helpful to the students to help us get information a lot
easier
• Less actual assignments, unblocking a couple of sites
• They suck. I don’t think we should be carrying around a heavy thing if we never use them.
Stick to PAPER.
• Give us a little more freedom with them. We can’t even change the wallpaper.
• Helps with education
• Do not restrict music websites
• Don’t have iPads no more because its stressful and most of everyone doesn’t bring them, or
fi they do they don’t use them because they prefer paper copies.
• Don’t have them ever!!!!!!!
• I personally hate the iPad. I think it’s a waste of money and very distracting.
• I don’t really like the iPads because I don’t like doing work on them. I work better on
paper.
• I don’ think we should use them because not everyone likes to use them.
• I think we should use the computers
• I just don’ wanna use it
• Get rid of them
iPADS: A DETERRENCE OR ENHANCEMENT IN THE GRADES 7-12 SETTING

Grade Open-ended comments

8th grade • Allow appropriate videos. When looking for something, I’m often blocked but the video is
appropriate
• Have video games on it
• Let us download a couple of games for the kids who are REALLY good
• Give me a SmartPhone
• For them to be lighter
• I feel like it is a wast of the schools’ money and just puts more stress on our teachers for
making plans. Kids hardly come with them anyway and we have a lot of problems and a
lot of other complications like Schoology and Notability. The iPads are just a waste I think.
• I suggest that the school allow educational games for free time, mostly for lower class-men
• To work better and better wifi
• Better quality more organization apps
• Have more apps we can use to do our work
• Can you make it better
• Do not put messages and Facebook
• More projects. Better iPads.
• Let us get games we actually want
• Sell them and get your money back
• No more. I think they are dumb and I want to use like a ChomeBook or phones or paper
• Do not use them. They’re garbage. I hate them, I hate doing work on this crap. Makes
things so difficult and confusing. I wish we can all use paper again.
• Do not use them that much.
• Better internet
• To work better
• To use it a lot more
• I say we should use laptops instead
• The classroom teacher should keep the iPads [versus the 1:1 take-home model]
• To not have them. I hate iPads.
• Use iPads less dawg
• More notes
• I lost my iPad and I really need it, but Ive tries to find it but it hasn’t come up and not
further help was there. They just gave up on finding it.
iPADS: A DETERRENCE OR ENHANCEMENT IN THE GRADES 7-12 SETTING

Grade Open-ended comments

7th grade • Use the iPads 100% of the time

• Let us at least download games for free time only when the teachers out us for a reward
• Keep them
• That my iPad don’ work with my internet in my home
• To do more active work
• Use the iPads more in the future
• More apps
• To not use it as much
• I can do my homework with my iPad
• No iPads. Computer
• Use them properly and do not drop them or district them
• I know that kids abuse this advantage, but nobody wants to use the iPad. You guys took
away all the fun it it and teachers say, “if you can charge your phone, you can charge your
iPad.” Nobody cares about the iPad because there is nothing to do on it.
• Less confusing ways to find and turning work. Also typing
• Don't spend money on iPads because barely any kids use it
• There needs to be less restrictions
• I think for the future if iPads I think they would do nothing in my opinion. I think the iPads
are fine.
• To use everything right
• If iPad is slow to clear all apps and try again
• ChromeBooks
• Typing stories, getting my work done, and a little free time on it
• App lock if needed in class
• More work on iPads
• To have free internet to get games
• To make sure they don’t glitch because my iPad has glitches a lot during classes when I”m
doing my work
• To not use it as much
• Try being more complex with the iPads
• Games (x2)
• Kahoot
• That teachers let us use the iPad for free time, to let us surf the internet with appropriate
websites
• To not have homework on the iPad
• Make sure that all iPads work good
• Let us have the App Store
• To let us play games after work is done
• More games
• Add a way to use Schoology without wifi
• Well, I really don’t like to use it that muchI think we should use the iPad to read instead of
carrying books
• Don’t make most work only based on the iPad
• Let us download games on the App Store
• Don’t block everything
• I don’t like the iPads
• Having the App Store
• I want to keep them
• For the teachers to explain more
• For us to be able to download a maximum of games off the App Store
• Lessons on how to search using the iPad

236 respondents in grades 7 through 12.

iPADS: A DETERRENCE OR ENHANCEMENT IN THE GRADES 7-12 SETTING