iPad A Tool For Digital Natives | Technology Integration Mentors

Recently my son came home from school all excited with a letter saying that his school was going to start an individual iPad program for the senior grades from next year.

This is great to see! Not only because his Dad is a IT Teacher but because….

Our children are growing up in the 21 Century, it’s a very different one in which you or I grew up in! I saw and used my first computer when I was in year 9 in High School. It was a Commodore Vic 20 – Remember those?

: Commodore Vic20

Right from an early age our kids are exposed to all kinds of technological devices and technologies such as fridges that can tell you when you’re out of milk, microwaves that literally tell you how to cook a meal, televisions that you can surf the internet on, smartphones, GPS devices, digital cameras, voip phones you name it they are surrounded by it – TECHNOLOGY IS EVERYWHERE! (well almost everywhere!) Whether you like it or not this is the world that our kids are growing up in. And what’s more our kids are experts and intuitive at using all this technology!

Our kids are digital natives so what better way to keep them engaged and enthusiastic about the learning that they do at school, by giving them the tools or in this case, an iPad to use to enhance their learning.

In his recent article Sesh Kumar from Learning Solutions magazine said that…

“The iPad… enables a host of activities such as referencing, collaborating, and creating content. In an August 2010 Wired.com article, “The Web Is Dead. Long Live the Internet,” the transformation from open Web browsing to specialized apps was a change driven by the Apple model of mobile computing. The iPad leverages this trend by providing personalized choice of content, a big plus for student users…. …there’s no doubt that the iPad has taken personal computing to the next level. Considering computing devices began with a vision of revolutionizing education, it’s not surprising that many of the iPad’s features appeal to educational users.”

You can read the whole article by Sesh here – Why the iPad is a Learning Tool

Some other interesting articles you might want to read about iPads in Education

How the iPad 2 Will Revolutionize Education

Top 4 Advantages to using iPads in K-12 Schools

10 Big Benefits of Using iPads in Schools

You might also be interested in looking at the videos below

Year of the iPad in Education

iPad as an Educational Tool

Rather than re-invent the wheel I’ve put together a list of websites that provide links, review, guides and resources to some of the best iPad apps you can find on the net. Some are free apps and others you have to pay a small fee to download.