Orewa College iPad plans move ahead
AMY MAAS
Relevant offers
Education
An Auckland school has moved forward with its controversial plan to make expensive tablet devices compulsory for junior pupils by rolling out a training programme for teachers.
In June Orewa College made headlines across the country after telling parents of all Year 9 students that they needed to purchase an iPad 2, which costs between $799 and $1148, or a similar handheld tablet device for their children's lessons next year.
Teachers have been schooled in using the high-tech device by IT organisation Core Education and by other staff members, and have been familiarising themselves with tablet software since last term.
Orewa College Principal Kate Shevland said that training would continue until the end of the year.
Shevland said the training "covered a range of practical aspects" of using the tablet as well as showing teachers how the device would change the "way students submit work and how teachers assign work and respond to work".
"We've had an overwhelming response from teachers the more they get to know the potential of the tablet," she said.
Introducing tablets as compulsory stationery items drew criticism from budget and education advisors who believed it would cause a two-tier education system as many families would struggle to afford it.
One of those critics was labour education spokesperson Sue Moroney who said low-income families were already struggling to pay for school uniforms and basic stationery items.
"I think what we've got to be careful of is that we don't end up with a two-tier education system where we put low-income families in a really embarrassing situation where they can't provide their child with really expensive technology and therefore limit their education," she said at the time.
She added the move would also affect middle-income families who are fighting to stay afloat in the current economic climate.
"The school needs to recognise the financial pressures that are on people. The price of everything is going up faster than expected, and as well as that wages are flatlining," she said.
Her views were backed by Raewyn Fox, the chief executive of New Zealand Federation of Family Budgeting Services, who said some families may forgo essential household items so they could afford the device.
"Parents quite often put their kids' education absolutely first and they will pay for that before paying for food or paying for the power bill or something like that," she said.
But Shevland is adamant parents are on-board with Orewa College's plans.
"We have had a meeting with the parents of the students coming in to Year 9 - many of them are new students, even though our main intake is Year 7 - and we've been through all these issues," she said.
It is not clear when the entire school will have handheld tablets as a compulsory stationery item, but Shevland is already surveying Year 8 students about suitable times to introduce them.
"Obviously we haven't entirely made a decision on that matter, but we're working through the training and seeing what is practical."
Shevland said the introduction of tablets is already changing the education landscape worldwide.
"It enables more personal attention and an individual approach to learning. Students will become more independent, be able to collaborate with peers better and have access to information earlier."
- © Fairfax NZ News
Sponsored links
Newest First
Oldest First
I think this is a load of rubbish. I am currently sitting my 3rd year university exams and after three years of note taking on a laptop and doing assignments etc on a computer I find it very hard to sit through a three hour exam an have to hand write my answers. why are we enforcing this on our younger generation? sure technology is becoming more and more important in our everyday lives but why should teenagers loose the skills of handwriting and doing proper research for their homework rather than copy and pasting from Wikipedia?
Embrace the future. This is happening, in 10 years time technology is going to play a HUGE part in teaching children - well teaching in general. 4 year old children know how to work the phones, computers, t.v's where 10 years ago they could not. In order to teach the new generation teachers are going to have to up thier game and implement up to date technologies. Ipad is a great way to do this - cost effective no. But it is going to happen. Sure there are some fundamental methods in teaching that will stick arond but idealy it's changing. Studying teaching myself now - you get taught how to use technology with children. You can bet your dollar that your children will not be taught the same way you were. The problem is not implementing technology into a school setting its how to do it - and that's where government funding comes along. I disagree that parents should have to pay that price etc.
Parents are complaining about having to buy an Ipad, because of their cost, and instead will buy a netbook, they are effectively the same price (a matter of $100 or so). and in reference to peoples concerns that the students will just play games, well they can do that on any internet enabled device... a laptop, netbook, ipad, ipod, hell, even a cellphone. and the school blocks those applications and sites from being accesses when setting up a wireless connection fro students anyway, so they really will only be used for educational purposes. and really surely its easier for a kid to carry around their ipad, than a pile of textbooks, textbooks which can cost up to $100 each anyway. Moving forward with technology is the way forward, the costs are effectively minimal, as an ipad/netbook/laptop will last long enough for the cost to be covered by the benefits reeped.
Ereaders (particularly with wi-fi like the new Sony) rather than ipads could make useful portable educational devices - they are far more robust, no movable parts, batteries last for weeks, far better for broad daylight, you can have all your textbooks on it and they look kind of dull and boring and black'n'white. Most importantly, they're cheap (low $200s). If my school required ereaders, I'd be all for that, as long as they didn't insist on a particular proprietary brand.
Were the teachers made to buy their own iPad or were they supplied by the school
@Jon - Kindle sucks. You can do so much more with an iPad.
Just like to point out that Orewa College have never said that the iPad or devices of equivalent price/power to the iPad is compulsory. Here's the original letter Orewa College sent to parents, for those who are curious:
Which says that anything from laptops to netbooks to tablets are fine, and even says that if the student has an existing device they can bring that in, they don't have to buy a new one. They simply recommended the iPad. So, let's all relax.
Although I'm for replacing pen and paper with technology, apple iOS devices are just way to fun for academic use,like downloading games such as Infinity Blade (a high-end fighting game)and other apps like Facebook etc..heck my iPhone is a massive distraction from work sometimes and I'm a 27 year old.Need a cheaper and boring tablet for school use like Indias $100 tablet.
ipad = games movies and internet (quality learning) yeah right
Murder sentence 'not excessive'
Death threat emails 'clearly a hoax'
Climber dies in Fiordland fall
School bus crash accused in court
Heavy rains, wind pound country
Man jailed for crossbow, machete incident
Engineer denies conflict of interest'
Carterton tragedy: Safety chief would refuse balloon ride
Foreign Affairs Ministry confirms 305 jobs to go
Carterton tragedy: Safety chief would refuse balloon ride
Major courts overhaul proposed
Foreign Affairs Ministry confirms 305 jobs to go
Mob cancels star's performance
Kiwis not up with online security
Helena Bonham Carter 'honoured'
New hope for kiwifruit growers
Gender non-conformity linked to abuse
Nelsen cleared to lead NZ against Jamaica
Robinson starts for Chiefs against old team
Man's childhood comic collection fetches $4.2m
Carterton tragedy: Safety chief would refuse balloon ride
Mob cancels star's performance
Girl's three-hour punishment run fatal
Model ignores Victoria's Secret snub
Reviewer: Henry star of new show
PSA disappointed Key won't discuss cuts
Protester hijacks Auckland Council meeting
Surfer hopes more sponsors will help give her a break
Port strike to last three weeks
Two arrested at mall after car stolen
Policewoman's alleged attacker bitten
lol its already done all of my yearhas ipads apart frm 10 who hav laptops....... it has helped alot and it will be soooo much easier (: