Sunday, September 13, 2015

Benefits of Using iPad's in the Elementary Classroom

iPad's are starting to invade elementary classrooms across the nation, and the schools who haven't hopped on this bandwagon yet are starting to look like they are falling behind their counterparts. Schools who have implemented iPad's into their classrooms are trying to encourage the schools who haven't done so to allow the new technology into their classrooms for the students to use for further learning. Allowing technology into elementary classrooms is very controversial, but I'm here to discuss the benefits of using iPad's in the classroom.
One of the most beneficial things about using iPad's in the elementary classroom is that the students are going to be paying attention when the iPad's are out because the students will be fully engaged in using the iPad's that they won't be distracted (Wainwright). Most students don't enjoy doing boring busy work like worksheets so an alternative to doing math problems on worksheets could be using an educational math game on the iPad where the students are still learning but having fun while they do it. iPad's will be more interactive for the students so the students will be more excited to use the iPad's than filling out worksheets. Another beneficial topic with iPad's in the classrooms is that the teachers can control what apps and information is on the iPad's so the students can't get off topic (Cohen). The teachers who use iPad's in their classrooms have the power to download the educational games and reading formats that the students will be using so they have control over what the students will be using when it's time to use the iPad's. iPad's can be very useful tools for learning, but it takes the right apps and reading formats for the students to be successful.
In conclusion, I think iPad's in the elementary classroom can be very beneficial for both the students and teachers because the students will be more engaged in learning, but the teachers still have control over what the students are doing while they are on the iPad's. I hope to use iPad's or some type of technology similar to the iPad in my classroom because they are very easy to use, and the iPad's will keep the students engaged in learning.

References:
Wainwright, Ashley. "Effects of iPads in the Classroom on Elementary Education."
     Secure Edge Networks. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Sept. 2015.
Cohen, Johnathan. "Using iPads to Increase Productivity in Elementary
     Education." eSpark. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Sept. 2015.