IPad in the classroom

Throughout the past few weeks of the One to One Initiative, I, with my fellow classmates of APUSH have used our iPads tto further expand our learning in the classroom and broaden our participation in class discussion and projects for school. Despite my more traditional beliefs and views on technology, I have found the iPads to be a great benefit in a a classroom setting. Never believing that a tablet such as this would replace a standard pen and paper for me in taking notes during a lecture or during a conversation, I found myself to be quite honestly astounded at just how quickly I had adjusted to using such a piece of newfangled machinery so much, while relying less and less on physical notes. I was quickly drawn to how neat and organized my notes had become as opposed to my previously scratched out lectures that only I it seemed, could read. When needing to ask a question in or out of school, the messaging capabilities of the iPads are truly quite astounding in how I can quickly and quietly ask a question on a topic or about a homework assignment without causing a classroom disturbance or use up minutes on my tracfone. Using an iPad in the classroom is like having the world at ones fingertips, you are able to access almost any information to contribute to a discussion or debate on a subject. Holding this much knowledge in ones hands, with all this technology at my disposal truly has seemed to make me a far more productive student and at the very least more informed on politics, society, and current issues, thus expanding my maturity and ability to take part in conversations of adults at any given time. All of these benefits rely on my ability to practice self control and use this device only when it's appropriate though, and to not use it correctly only let's it serve as a distraction to myself and others. But, fortunately, self control has always come effortlessly for me, so this is not an issue. All in all, I have found no real hindrance of any sort with this device as it takes notes just as quickly as anything else, but perhaps the only drawback for this being that in Chemistry,mi have found that making certain compounds on paper and writing different equations has proved intriguing in that you have to improvise to make it appear as written. Despite this minor drawback, I, not wanting to be open to this iPad, have found myself, quite ironically, taken to it and greatly appreciating its benefits.