It’s no secret that iPads and other tablets are infiltrating our classrooms.  Tablets have become the new education gadget that every teacher seems to want.  It’s evident in our own AAE Foundation classroom grant program.  Of the hundreds of applications we get every year, more and more of them are asking for funds for iPads or other tablet devices.

Unfortunately, it seems that many teachers are viewing iPads and other tablets in a “if you build it, they will learn” way. Seldom do teachers have a good plan for how they are going to implement this new technology once they receive it.

Sometimes teachers have amorphous ideas of tablets replacing textbooks without a clear idea of how that will happen.  Is the teacher planning on purchasing an ebook version of the same textbook, or is there another ebook that they like better?  Are they getting rid of textbooks altogether and using other content?  Have they sufficiently outlined their lessons and curriculum to make sure this will work?

Other times, teachers have a vague plan of downloading apps and letting kids go at it without really looking in depth at what apps they will utilize.  The downside to this idea is the fact most of the apps out there aren’t that great, and what apps there are tend to focus on basic skills and lower order thinking.

This is not to give you the impression that tablets aren’t valuable in the classroom.  They are!  As many grant applications that come in asking for funds, there are just as many that have plans to put tablets to new and creative uses.  My personal favorite example is Margaret Quirante, one of our grant winners who purchased an iPad to help her students create and edit videos - one of the iPads strengths.

The trick with using tablets is understanding their strengths and limitations and planning accordingly.  For teachers interested in obtaining an iPad or other tablet, or looking to make more effective use of a tablet they already have, EdTechTeacher has many resources to help out with the planning stage.  Among the best is their iPad as… page.  On this page, they cover the various ways that iPads can be used and the best apps for that.  While the page is specific for iPads, teachers who are using an Android or Windows device can get an idea for the various ways those tablets can also be used, and many apps are available for multiple platforms.

This blog mentions our scholarship and grant program.  The national scholarship and grant competition is held twice a year in the fall and spring and is open to all educators. The spring deadline is March 1, 2013. Click here to donate to the AAE Foundation.

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