Discussion #2: iPad

Currently I do not have an iPad and personally, as of right now, anything that I would want to use the iPad for I can do on my android phone.  It’s not that I don’t see the benefits to an iPad, I know there is a lot, it’s just that as of right now in my life, an iPad isn’t a necessity for myself.

I have used an iPad before; as my in-laws have one and so does my 3 & ½ year old nephew.  For my nephew there are so many educational apps that he uses from games to animated books and movies, it’s interesting to watch, as he is learning so much more while ‘playing’ educational games on his iPad than I think he would without it. Watching him, I can see how an iPad has the potential to captivate kids and get them excited about learning.

I also used to work at a family relief center for children and adults with disabilities. Recently the psychologist and speech pathologists there have converted everything over to iPads, and most of their clients now have their own.  The benefits for them are that their clients with apraxia or autism are able to communicate through the use of the iPad. This is much easier and a lot more portable than the traditional Velcro communication books children with aphasia or autism usually carry around because it gives them a wider choice of vocabulary to choose from. The disadvantage to the iPad for these children is the cost as not everyone can afford to purchase an iPad.

Posted in: Week 09: iPad Apps