I found myself somewhat startled by the conversation sparked by the article that we read in class today. I’d seen mention of it already on Twitter, and had partially read it then abandoned due to the writing. I was surprised at how quickly some people jumped on the anti-technology bandwagon, or perhaps more specifically, the anti-Apple bandwagon.

A bit of history here… My first computer was a Commodore 64. I had PCs for all of my life. My brother gave our mom his old iPod Touch one year. She couldn’t get it working, so I took it over. I loved that thing, and eventually bought myself a fourth generation iPod Touch. This was the first Apple product I had purchased in my life. When the iPad came out, I thought, nah, it’s just a big Touch, I don’t need that. Nope, I don’t need that… don’t… need… WANT. I eventually purchased a second generation model.

I love my iPad. I love what it lets me do. I love checking my email in seconds, checking Twitter, playing Kingdom Rush, and quickly typing up a handout for class and then sending it to wirelessly print. I love the app store, and all of its bounty. There’s a whole lotta love there.

Understand this, however. I do not love it because I am a fangirl, or an Apple fanatic. I love the piece of technology that allows me to do so many of the things that I want to do. I love the technology that allows me to quickly check something for my students, to show them a video that I have on hand ready to go, to play the song of the day, to hand over to use for translating work for French, to type a handout that will make things easier, to play a game with my class. I love what it allows me to do.

Now, back to the article.

Gasp, there are people launching schools where kids will study all day on iPads! Egad! There are people launching schools where kids will never touch an iPad, there are schools where kids learn through tinkering and building, schools with no discipline or grades, schools that use religious education, that teach mainly practical skills such as gardening and sewing, and many more. What we think as school in the example of the public system we have here in BC is not the universal format. People have experimented with education for thousands of years, and will continue to do so.

Education SHOULD shift, evolve, and change. We’ve all seen things come and go through the classroom. Well, hopefully some of the things go yet some still hold on. I taught the first half of the year for a teacher who was still very attached to his overhead projector. Cassette decks can still be found in classrooms, along with VCRs. Our teacher-librarian asked me what I thought she should do with the videotapes… I won’t repeat my answer, but save for a few that see actual use, our library no longer has VHS tapes.

The article… is filled with half truths, ignores research, and seems aimed to rile and upset people. It is not a clear and concise informational piece, but is very provocative. I laughed out loud when I went to one of the links recommended in the article, written by a “respected education consultant.” This person turns out to work for PEARSON, among others. And yet he’s being used to argue why iPads cost more than books. ARE YOU KIDDING ME??? Never mind that his numbers are not accurate, and don’t reflect the assorted costs that go with textbook use (circulation programs, barcodes, tape, stamping, time for processing, time for checking out books to students and back in, to name just a few…).

Please, please, please… do some research and thinking before jumping to conclusions. Consider arguments from all sides, verify information, and THINK. It’s easy to jump into a standpoint that teachers are more important than iPads, but that’s not the reality of the decision that most school districts are making. They cannot choose to buy 160 iPads instead of hiring a teacher. Getting sucked into arguments over which is better distracts us from what we need to do… that is, argue for inclusion of technology in our schools, technology that will allow our students to be 21st century learners and give them all the opportunities in the world.

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