Apple Offers to Replace iPads with MacBooks in Maine State Classrooms

http://www.macrumors.com/2016/05/23/apple-replace-ipads-macbooks-classrooms/

by drey • 10 years ago

11 5 10 years ago

Tablets are for consumption. Computers are for creation.

It's been the case since the iPad 1 came out. Perhaps it'll change in the future, but this really shouldn't be of surprise to anyone.

spdustin• 10 years ago

Respectfully, I've "created" on every iPad I've owned since the first. I write docs in Pages, create music in GarageBand, design web site graphics in Pixelmator, and edit code in Coda (and Prompt/Emacs).

Tablets make it easy to consume, but do not fool yourself into thinking that's all they can do. My iPad Pro is more capable than the laptop I owned two years ago, and costs less as well.

halviti• 10 years ago

You're definitely an outlier though, and no one is saying that it's not possible, it's just that the interface of a tablet (or lack thereof) presents an un-necessary hurdle that needs to be overcome.

My company is responsible for a number of different school districts, and I've seen this happen at all of them, despite them being warned about the outcome beforehand.

joezydeco• 10 years ago

Our PTA donated an entire array of iPads to the school. Probably $20K worth of pads/charging stands/secure carts. Took 2-3 years of saving and fundraisers to get there.

Over the last 18-24 months the classrooms have been introducing Google Docs and Chromebooks. Now the district is purchasing a mess of Chromebooks on their own. Every kid has been given their own gApps account. The iPads are going to gather dust, as far as I can tell.

I can totally understand why. The laptops are way more functional for what the kids are doing in the classroom. iOS is (finally) catching up to the needs of education with things like the multiple-login enable, but it's too little too late.

A lot of parents, myself included, are extremely pissed off at the moment. Maybe we should get in on this.

Isamu• 10 years ago

Our school district uses iPads with young, elementary school kids. Works out fine.

Middle and high school kids use chromebooks instead. Works out fine.

Should not be surprising or controversial that there are appropriate and inappropriate uses for technology.

For high school students, the iPad Pro is great in art class. Again not surprising.

Apple Offers to Replace iPads with MacBooks in Maine State Classrooms

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