The recent buzz is that Apple will release its new iPad next week. Although tablets had a bad rap for several years, the iPad is changing that; we see these devices all over the place (in classrooms and in libraries and in kids' backpacks). The buzz has also been that the iPad was the only real tablet--all of the competitors were inferior and would never gain any market share. (I even read a prediction that all other tablets would be off the market by the end of 2011!)
A recent report on NPR's Marketplace suggests that the tablet market, contrary to the prediction I mentioned above, is going to heat up and consumers are going to have many choices in the coming year.
http://marketplace.publicradio.org/display/web/2011/02/25/tech-report-new-tablets-to-ponder/
What does this have to do with education? Well, I have mentioned BYOT (bring your own tool) which is the idea that educators should start to leverage the technology in students' packets and backpacks. It seem these devices are going to be in that milieu in increasing numbers. It also seems that we have a responsibility to model our information technology use after what is common in society--after all our job is to prepare youngsters to be full participants in the communication world of the future.
No comments:
Post a Comment