iPads in the classroom, from http://www.educause.edu/NC12/Program/SESS20

Right now, iPads (and other tablets) are mostly being used as "small, compact PCs". Aside from the lower cost and use as an e-Reader, there's not much that can't otherwise be done with laptops.

The key is taking advantage of the fact that the tablet is a platform with a large variety of sensors (accelerometer, microphone, camera, GPS, etc) in a small single package. A laptop could have a movable camera, a GPS sensor, and an accelerometer in the form of peripherals, but it's hardly mobile in that form factor.

Examples of apps taking advantage of sensors:

  • "Leafsnap" from the Smithsonian
  • "Video Physics" where students can take a video of an action (e.g. a ball bouncing), trace paths of objects on the screen, and change things like angles, forces, etc to see what would change.

The other selling point is apps with a really good UI – better than their desktop/laptop counterparts. One example here is Blackboard Mobile, which has a much better UI for their "virtual whiteboard" and some class sites. Same info as in the web-based version, but makes for a better UX.

  • No labels