iPads for All District 833 Students? How About Some Answers, First?

Upon reading in a post from a blogger in the Patch that District 833 is looking to purchase iPads for all the students, I felt compelled to ask the following questions of my fellow tax paying community members. Questions that need to be asked of the school district officials, along with some observations along the way. 

In a district that seems to be flush with money and an eagerness by some to spend it in ways that look trendy and flashy, the purchase of iPads for students may seem enticingly attractive at first blush. But as all good citizens and parents must do, we must dig deeper in to the subject before leaping forward, blindly, in to unknown waters. 

Why an Apple product? Was it because some school board members received an all-expense paid trip (except for the taxpayer-supplied airfare) in the dead of winter (March) to California to view the Apple facilities? (No solicitation occurred, I’m sure) Why not a much cheaper tablet? There are many out there with far less cost price points. What were the attempts to negotiate a bulk purchase and was that even done? Bureaucracies are not known for their success in negotiating low costs on the behalf of the tax payer whom funds them. 

Why tablets? Tablets are fragile. They are small. They are easily lost, easy to sell, easy to break, and having owned one they are difficult to type on, not always easily navigable, and limited in what can be put on them. If technology is the goal, which it seems to be for this district’s administration, why not laptops? I have both an iPad and a laptop. I do my work on the laptop, not the iPad. There seems to be no thought in to actual application and usage of this technology. 

What happens to the dynamics of a classroom filled with screens instead of texts? My friend, a teacher, said she could look out at the classroom to make sure everyone was literally “on the same page.” That is impossible with a tablet, or even a laptop. Kids will be looking at the gadget, not the teacher. What happens when the device locks up? Will the teacher have to take class time to help the student ‘fix’ their device? How often will this happen? How much time out will it take? How does a teacher compete for attention when a flashy, shiny object is placed in front of a child? I can see advantages of tablets in computer labs, but already there are enough reasons to reevaluate tablets in the classroom.

What happens when the next development in technology happens? If we are going to sink vast amounts of tax dollars in to flashy technology, shouldn’t it have a durability of time? I think all citizens can agree, technology is advancing at such a great rate and leap-frogging every year, to invest heavily in one particular device is foolish from a financial point of view. They are already developing Google glasses and computers on your wrists. When these things come out, it will make iPads look obsolete and antiquated.

While we are talking about advancing technology, we need to ask questions about the support systems in place. Are our schools capable of handling that volume of demand on the wireless networks? If not, how much will it cost to upgrade? How often will we have to replace the devices? How much will that cost? What will be put on these devices? What are the security protocols to ensure security, privacy and safety to our children? What is the cost of the apps that will be on these devices? What is actually available to be put on them? (Not all books can be read on an iPad, since Apple has proprietary rights to certain books) 

Speaking of books, where is the research that proves learning on a tablet is superior to physical text books? I have used both to read, and when reading texts that require learning, tablets are cumbersome and frustrating to use. I personally prefer a standard text book. I am curious if there has been any valid research that evaluates which method results in higher learning ability. If the concern is physical book weight, why not provide students with a second set of books to keep at home? In California, that is exactly what they did. As a result, children’s back issues disappeared. I cannot imagine that providing a second set of books is more expensive than purchasing, maintaining, replacing, upgrading and servicing a fleet of iPads. 

These are just some of the questions that came to mind, I am quite sure there are many more from other citizens. It is important that we ask these questions and we demand answers from the District before committing the hard earned dollars of the community. So I ask my fellow members of the community to call your school board representative and ask them to answer these questions. If answers are not available, then ask them why not? When spending other people’s money, one should not be frivolous but instead thoughtful and frugal. If you are not satisfied with the answers, then I would suggest we start interviewing those running for school board and see where they stand.