Ipads in the Classroom

iPads in the Classroom
English
Research Paper
Due: 12/13/2013

iPads in the Classroom As a left handed writer, one comes in contact with what is called “silver surfer syndrome.” This condition is highly contagious while writing a paper or compositing answers to test questions. Not only will this disease turn a hand of any color into a metallic silver, but it will also cause one’s work to blend together with a smear like tint. A recent solution has been in testing mode for this syndrome; bringing iPads into the classroom. This “improvement” is actually causing more harm to students’ future abilities. Having iPads in class is damaging in many aspects from the communication skills in children being disregarded, the high cost of the products, the lack of focus in students, and the extended hours of work for teachers. Even though technology is a rapidly growing interest in all generations having it in school is a distraction to learning.
Giving a developing child an iPad for classroom learning is harmful because it pulls away from activities that develop children’s social skills. Children seek to learn new information; whether they ask the age old question “why?”, or talk to anybody who will listen, children learn from the things around them. With advancing technology, iPads and phones, children are more involved with technology rather than growing their life needed skills. “We’ve recovered six full school days’ through our iPod and iPad use…elementary students have been using...math apps to refresh their skills as they transition from recess to class” (D’Orio). This is a great example of how communication is being ignored during the school day. Kids in the Generation X and Generation Y loved recess. It was a time of the day that one could play with all their friends and not have to focus or worry about school, just be a kid and run and play. Now that iPads are allowed in the school, students are giving up their time of interaction with other students to play on their technology gadget. According to “School Recess and Group Classroom Behavior” research article by Romina Barros, MD, unstructured play is important to a child’s social, emotional, and cognitive development. “Unstructured play helps kids manage stress and become resilient.” Without the freedom of unstructured play in schools children are losing opportunity to practice their social skills with other children. Many kids lack the safety of being able to walk around their own neighborhood or play in their own yards without an adult present, thus making recess in school a key time for children to develop essential life skills.
“Students are getting used to posting online and responding to comments…this could potentially change the dynamic of the classroom,” explains Wayne D’Orio a scholastic writer. A lot of children are growing up with social issues that affect their communication skills. If schools change the classroom discussion to an online atmosphere then this will have an even greater effect on these students’ future. With a growing communication level in crisis, the local community needs to turn the focus to personal skills rather than just technology skills. Imagine when this generation goes to get jobs, how will they pass an interview with weak communication skills? If they do manage to communicate well enough for a job, will they be able to communicate with customers on a day to day basis? Once at a retail store in the mall, a teenager that was home schooled, in no sports and involved in little community activities was asked to control the line on Black Friday. Being one of the busiest days of the shopping year this young lady had a job that was relying strongly on her communication skill to help organize and keep the line moving. This teen’s schooling was focused on technology and online activities, when the store got busy and customers started forming two lines she had no confidence in her communication skills to speak up and ask to form one line. This resulted in a cashier having to stop taking orders and come do her job for her. One customer got so upset that she ended up throwing the merchandise she intended to purchase at the cashier and complained about how the line was not controlled or organized. In this situation the lack of communication skill made the business suffer due to the fact that speaking to others was not taught or enforced in this teen’s schooling years. In the article “Educators Evaluate Learning Benefits of iPad” by Ian Quillen, an educational technology writer, he explains how iPads are desirable in the classroom due to “a battery life of eight to 10 hours and a weight of just over a pound, the iPad offers more portability and less startup time during the full school day than laptops or netbooks…” Even though the iPad may be saving time it is not saving money. With a cost of fifty million dollars for the first phase of the one billion dollar plan for high-tech learning tools, a school will be paying off first phase even after the devices are out of use. According to The Press-Enterprise, the 23,000 devices that were distributed to 40 schools across the district of Los Angeles Unified School District will take the district over twenty-five years to payback. The iPads purchased for this program cost on average $768 a piece. That price tag includes a limited three-year warranty, a protective case, a stylus, a connection cable and of course the 32GB unit. Even though one would think this is the end, the list gets bigger and more expensive when one adds the software needed to do basic school work. Howard Blume, a writer for the LA Times explains that future tablets will drop in price, costing $200 to $400 a piece. However, the district will still need to purchase the accessories; case, stylus, connection cable, Apple care, Apple Pages, Keynote, Office2 HD and iAnnotate to make the iPad student ready.
When officials addressed the problem of figuring out how to pay for the upcoming years of the project and new devices they came up with four scenario. Even though Los Angeles Unified already doesn’t have enough bond money to fix up and maintain its school, the first funding idea brought forth was to use funds left over from construction projects. Bonds that Los Angeles Unified School District obtains only covers about 25 percent of maintenance and repair over the years it is awarded for. The second and third scenarios are to ask taxpayers to vote that their taxes go to the use of buying iPads for schools. This is highly unlikely of a scenario because it is already upsetting to parents and voters for the first approval of a bond for technology in the classroom. Lastly, is the option to set aside one hundred dollars per child each year between now and 2017 from the general school fund to have enough money for new devices by 2018 (Blume). Another reason why having iPads in schools is not a respectable program is the focus that would now be lost to technology. Although students can now use apps to complete activities and use internet privileges to access blackboard for discussions, technology is still a major child development draw back. The Ocean Charter School in Los Angeles Unified believes in child development over skill development. “Ocean asks parents to keep students away from technology and media on school nights. It also avoided computers, even for school work, until sixth grade.” (Blume). Yet this is one of the schools chosen for the $1-billion effort to provide an iPad to every student and teacher. This takes away from the direct philosophy of limited technology to help child development. However, another reason kids are losing focus in school is due to the fact that kids are getting too smart for their own good. This is because kids are hacking into schools’ security systems and gaining access into forbidden websites like Facebook and YouTube. With these news distractions it is taking away from learning in the classroom. Teachers already feel that they are not needed when kids are involved in apps and online learning and if this trend continues teachers do not see a point to have so much workforce. They also fear that school districts will come to the same conclusion and start cutbacks. This is a good example of why teachers feel unappreciated in this technology movement. Another reason is because they have to now work harder to get paid the same. “Evaluators will need to use a desktop or laptop computer for part of the work, but the app itself will be able to cut back three hours – and loads of paperwork – from every teacher observation,” (Quillen). This quote not only goes for teachers being evaluated but also lessons being taught in the classroom. Students are required to use apps and blackboard for assignments, yet teachers have to spend extra time out of their day to design and compose these assignments online. Even though teachers are going above and beyond their duty by personalizing reading assignments with different students reading levels to help build and give one on one help and guidance. However, teachers now believe that they need to have a team –two or three teachers – who will just sit down and go through this [online book with activities] and put stuff on there that’s going to matter (Quillen). Another drawback about iPads in schools is that Apple has no file structure and no saving place to save documents. This along with not being compatible with Adobe Flash Player sets students with iPads a major disadvantage than students with school issued laptops. No Adobe Flash Player makes math lessons, and tools used in English, Science and History, are not able to be played on the iPad device. This makes some homework programs and books impossible to use. As well as Adobe Flash Player, Apple does not support Microsoft Office so it is not possible for students to type out essays or compose PowerPoint or even take notes on their nearly eight hundred dollar school equipment (D’Orio). This means that even when a student wants to write a paper they would need to go to a real computer. This makes the iPad in the classroom a waste of money because writing essays is a necessity in both high school and junior high.
The focus of every community should be the future, the future of our society, our workforce, and our children. With technology being in the classroom is an atrocious decision because students’ skills of communication are being affected, it cost too much annually, the students lose focus in learning, and the teachers now spend more time on redesigning materials. When it comes to technology, even though it is a valid study tool, it is harming the future of America by reducing social development in children thus affecting our future America. As voters it is the responsibility of our actions to help this new age epidemic and get involved with the development of classroom activities.

Works Cited
Barros, Romina M., MD, Ellen J. Silver, PhD, and Ruth E. K. Stein, MD. "School Recess and Group Classroom Behavior." American Academy of Pediatrics 123.2 (2009): 431-36. Print.
Blume, Howard. "Funding for L.A. Unified 's iPad Program Uncertain after Three Years." Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles Times, 05 Nov. 2013. Web. 15 Nov. 2013.
Blume, Howard. "iPad Use out of Sync with L.A. Charter School 's Philosophy." Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles Times, 14 Nov. 2013. Print. 15 Nov. 2013.
D 'Orio, Wayne. "iPads in Class." Scholastic, Helping Children Around the World to Read and Learn. N.P., n.d. Web. 15 Nov. 2013.
Quillen, Ian. "Educators Evaluate Learning Benefits of IPad." Tablet Culture 15 June 2011: 38, 40-41. Print

Outline
Thesis: Technology in the classroom is an atrocious decision because students’ skills of communication are being affected, it cost too much annually, the students lose focus in learning, and teachers now spend more time on redesigning material.
I. Child development skills are being affected because of technology.
a. Unstructured play time is being shortened
b. No communication in classroom, posting online instead
c. Black Friday example
Counter Argument – Recovering school days because of technology.
II. The cost of every student having an iPad is too costly.
a. The grant for the program will take 25 years to pay off
b. Technology is always changing and improving.
c. An iPad warranty only last for three years.
d. Have to purchase programs and textbooks
Counter Argument – Cost will decrease with time.
III. Children will lose focus in learning objectives to play with iPad
a. Kids can hack into security systems
b. Apps take teaching away from teachers
c. Teachers have to design apps and notes for students to do on the iPad
IV. Teachers have to put out more effort for the same pay.
a. Have to make blackboard assignments
b. Have to make personalized reading programs for each child
c. Preprogramed textbook activities need to be gone through before given to students
Counter Argument – saves trees and paper
V. iPads lack programs and files computers have.
a. Adobe Flash Player
b. Microsoft Office – Word, PowerPoint, Excel, Access

Cited: Barros, Romina M., MD, Ellen J. Silver, PhD, and Ruth E. K. Stein, MD. "School Recess and Group Classroom Behavior." American Academy of Pediatrics 123.2 (2009): 431-36. Print. Blume, Howard. "Funding for L.A. Unified 's iPad Program Uncertain after Three Years." Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles Times, 05 Nov. 2013. Web. 15 Nov. 2013. Blume, Howard. "iPad Use out of Sync with L.A. Charter School 's Philosophy." Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles Times, 14 Nov. 2013. Print. 15 Nov. 2013. D 'Orio, Wayne. "iPads in Class." Scholastic, Helping Children Around the World to Read and Learn. N.P., n.d. Web. 15 Nov. 2013.