iPads Everywhere

That's right - at ISTE11 it seemed that everywhere you turned everyone was either using an iPad or running a session on them or talking about how they would be rolling them out in their schools in August (which crazily enough is the new year in the northern hemisphere) as their 1:1 device.


One of the interesting perspectives was that something that was deemed too expensive for our parents to afford (see video below) has become the 'cheap' option for  schools facing budget cuts and parents wanting to reduce spending from laptop programmes in affluent areas of society.


There was no doubt that the iPad is a magnificent learning tool, or as Gary Stager said in one session I attended, "The perfect accessory to a MacBook".  But our years of podcasting showed when Wes Fryer demonstrated a reason why every school needs iPads.  He approached Russell for an interview at the Google Party!  A crowded, dark, noisy room and was adamant that his iPad was equal to the task of an interview.  Wes collared a passer-by to hold his iPad (to video record) and with his highly directional iRig mic he conducted the interview you can hear very clearly below.


Imagine how this would change podcasting in the classroom if you had this set-up?  No longer would you need a quiet room, or a laptop/computer.  Watch this space - I think we are about to acquire an iPad kit.....