Studying abroad: there are good and bad things about replacing textbooks with iPad in the classroom.

At the beginning of the new semester, Apple iPad entered many high school classrooms in the United States, replacing traditional textbooks, which was welcomed by teachers and students, and also aroused the concern of some education experts. Into the classroom

Students at Burlington High School in Connecticut received a brand-new iPad as soon as school started. When they opened it, electronic textbooks and related tutoring materials stood out.

Patrick Larkin, president of Burlington High School, told the Associated Press that compared with traditional textbooks, the $500 iPad is a better long-term investment, but for some courses without electronic textbooks, the school still uses traditional textbooks.

Larkin said that the traditional paper textbooks are quite outdated, "iPad will give our children the opportunity to use more suitable textbooks".

Officials from the Kentucky Department of Education said that Woodford County High School will provide each of 1250 students with an iPad, making it the first public high school in the state to adopt electronic teaching with an iPad. Some schools in new york, Chicago and other big cities also bought iPad in large quantities.

Apple officials said that more than 600 regions have launched a "one-on-one" project, that is, at least one student in a classroom is equipped with an iPad to use in the classroom; Nearly two-thirds of them were launched in July.

There are many benefits

The price of the iPad depends on the software configuration and services, and is usually 500 to 600 dollars. According to the calculation of brookfield High School in Connecticut, a student needs to spend at least this amount on textbooks every year, and there are auxiliary tools such as graphic calculators and dictionaries on the iPad, so the latter is more cost-effective.

Some educators believe that this thin tablet computer has many advantages, including solving math problems in an interactive way, taking notes in pads and bookmarks, sending test papers and homework to teachers quickly, and watching videos from major historical events to foreign language learning.

Teachers engaged in special education especially welcome iPad into the classroom. For children with autism and learning disabilities, it is better to impart knowledge through visual images rather than words.

Advocates believe that iPad e-learning is characterized by interaction, which is more suitable for today's students, because for them, electronic devices are a part of daily life. Christian Woods, a sophomore, said, "I think everyone will like it. I really don't know which high school student doesn't want an iPad. We often use electronic products at home and (paper) textbooks in class. Unification is good. "

worry

Amid the support, some experts pointed out that more and more schools are introducing iPad for teaching, and the device is used frequently. Relevant departments need to ensure the support and maintenance costs of wireless facilities.

Even if students have the most modern equipment, they still need scientific courses and experienced teachers. Mark Washore, a professor of education and information science at the University of California, Irvine, specializes in the relationship between technology and education. He said: "As the saying goes, music is not in the piano; Similarly, learning is not in the device. "

The trend of iPad entering high school classrooms has attracted the attention of textbook publishers, who began to develop electronic textbooks for iPad to seize the market. In the United States, the annual sales of high school textbooks reach $5.5 billion.