Knoxville High School Makes iPads Mandatory

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deck

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[citation][nom]snoogins[/nom]While I agree with every single one of you.. look at it from the school's perspective.What other tech can they lock down as they see fit.. no pr0n.. no usb.. LOLLOL[/citation]


Umm, any tech. If they have an even moderately competent network admin.
 

rantoc

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[citation][nom]Tesla1483[/nomI would find a printer instead.Not to mention how much use and abuse that battery would go through in a year. I don't know how much they cost to replace but knowing Apple I'm sure it's ridiculously expensive and not user-serviceable.[/citation]

"If your iPad requires service due to the battery's diminished ability to hold an electrical charge, Apple will replace your iPad for a service fee."

How much does it cost?
"The service costs $99, plus $6.95 shipping. The total cost is $105.95 per unit.
All fees are in U.S. dollars and are subject to local tax."

Will the data on my iPad be preserved?
"No. You will receive a replacement iPad that will not contain any of your personal data."

Soo over 100$ for a replaced battery and you wont even get your data copied to the replacement. (pre-owned i bet)...
 

mdillenbeck

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Any serious educator knows that highlighting is fairly useless when learning from a text - what you need to do is write in the margins (thus demonstrating an ability to synthesize information and reprocess it in your own terms).

Yes, I know, you all seem to hate tablet PCs... that is abundantly clear. However, as a learning tool, inking directly onto the textbook or into homework sheets would be quite valuable. This means the iPad with its touchy-goodness is not the ideal platform.
 

digitalgriffin

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The Wow Gee Whiz factor is great
The leadership of that PRIVATE school however isn't so great...(That's me calling them wasteful and stupid.)

I WALKED home with books under my arm. By the middle of my seventh grade year I could do 30 chin ups. (No joke.)

If they are so worried about kids carrying heavy books, get them a kindle or nook.
 

cirdecus

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I think high-school may be a bit of a stretch to make them a mandatory device.

However college, definitely a good idea. Students can spend easily up to $1000 on books a semester and if you're a tech major, like I was, those books are obsolete in less than a year.

Over a 4-year or even a 2-year degree, college students would save thousands.

Also, you're forgetting the opportunities that teachers will have with iPads. Not just as a replacement for books, but for content as well. Imagine homework no longer being pencil and paper types of assignments, but rather digital and even interactive types of practices and tests. Sounds like a fantastic idea. Students can also utilize apps like webex to allow for video conferencing, which could possibly lead to the idea of telecommuting to school.

I like the step forward, small price to pay in my opinion
 

Accidental

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The director of this private school is a douche who is fist-deep in Apple. He thinks Apple products will save education. It was only for his own satisfaction that he made all students and teachers carry one.

Surprisingly, I live off Lovell Rd. - near where this school is. Only minutes from home. It's a pricey private grade school (students drive late-model luxury cars/SUVs and it sits next to a golf course).
 

maximus20895

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I live in Knoxville and this doesn't surprise me. Webb kids here think they are so awesome. Believe me, the kids aren't buying these, the parents are.
 

cirdecus

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Well if you remember, it was Apple who did revolutionize the use of technologies in education, with their Apple II computers. I see nothing wrong with believing that Apple is capable of doing the same thing again
 
G

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I think I got the school got exactly what it wanted out of making the iPad mandatory: publicity.
 

southernshark

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Its a good idea to replace textbooks with tablets. I would much rather see a full sized 14" Kindle though. The IPOD isn't quite big enough to be a book. And I would prefer the children to look at the print on the Kindle rather than the traditional LCD of the IPAD. To me the Kindle is much easier on the eyes. Also it does not run game apps.
 

skyway211

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Just wait until the kids start to forget to charge their ipads over night. Then they wont have any books, notepads, calculators, to use the next day
 

inthere

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[citation][nom]rantoc[/nom][citation][nom]The service costs $99, plus $6.95 shipping. The total cost is $105.95 per unit.All fees are in U.S. dollars and are subject to local tax."Will the data on my iPad be preserved?"No. You will receive a replacement iPad that will not contain any of your personal data."Soo over 100$ for a replaced battery and you wont even get your data copied to the replacement. (pre-owned i bet)...[/citation]

All iPads are backed up every time you plug them into a computer, so there's no need for data replacement, you can just restore the new iPad to your latest backup and you're gtg.
 

dkant1n

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Excellent that they want to include new tech in education but why IPAD?? There are and will be even more options that are cheaper and better
 

alextheblue

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[citation][nom]kianteck[/nom]On the long run, i guess the rental is still cheaper than purchasing text books no?[/citation]
Only if they throw the books away every year. What about history books - oh wait, with the way history is being rewritten, those are probably discarded often too.[citation][nom]inthere[/nom]ANYONE in the technology field with an ounce of sense would have recommended the iPad over any other tablet or ebook reader. A. ITunes has the largest documentary and audio book collection by far. It also has the largest legal movie collection. B.The iPad is superior to any eBook reader because of its internet and multimedia capabilities. iBooks has a huge book catalog plus Kindle is an iPad app that gives you access to their entire catalog. IPad has calculator apps, and you can also take notes on your iPad in class. C. No competing tablets are established as stable yet (Android OS not ready for tablets yet, Windows 7 too young). D. With iPad, you're sure everyone is on the same hardware, will download the same books, same apps, and same films. Everyone being on the same hardware is crucial in a school environment. With that in mind, no other tablet has established itself as a permanent product; you don't know if the product is here to stay for awhile or not. Google discontinuing the Nexus One did no favors for the Android OS.[/citation]
A) Relevant to school how? They provide the eBooks and other content, and even determine what content they can or can't access.
B) e-ink solutions are FAR SUPERIOR to any LCD. Period. I can read on a good e-ink device all day long and it is even easier on the eyes than a real book in some cases. Furthermore it wouldn't have to be charged as often as they get much better battery life.
C) You're an Apple shill, we know.
D) There are reader apps for other OS, and you could choose a small selection of devices (or even a specific device such as a particular model of Android tablet) and preinstall reader software on them. Apple will eventually discontinue the iPad and replace it with the iPad 2. What's your point? There are always newer models coming out, as long as they can run the software who gives a flying frag grenade.
 

alextheblue

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[citation][nom]Cirdecus[/nom]I think high-school may be a bit of a stretch to make them a mandatory device.However college, definitely a good idea. Students can spend easily up to $1000 on books a semester and if you're a tech major, like I was, those books are obsolete in less than a year.Over a 4-year or even a 2-year degree, college students would save thousands.[/citation]
What makes you think anyone is going to give away digital copies of schoolbooks for free? They'll end up costing almost as much as their physical counterparts - otherwise why would anyone bother writing, reviewing, and publishing new books? Or are you suggesting that students should pirate their schoolbooks?
 
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