IPad in the classroom

Personally I feel that the iPads have done both good and bad. Having this device has definitely made me more organized. With the various note-taking apps, I have been able to take much neater notes, and becoming accustomed to typing took very little time. Also, for times when I or someone else have been unable to take notes for whatever reason, or for working on projects, it's much easier to collaborate and share notes and information. Even apps such as FaceTime and iMessage have come in handy because they allow for easy communication when one needs help with a project or homework assignment. In my English class, I have communicated with students to get missed notes, taken notes, and set up and downloaded pictures for various projects. In Chemistry, my notes are much neater and very thorough. Engagement in class has actually increased, especially in Chemistry because my notes are that much more thorough. Engagement in APUSH has also increased because most of the work is now done on the iPads. My own personal preference is my netbook to my iPad, for a few reasons. The iPads are limited; they are set up like a mobile tablet, not like a computer. Many websites need Flash Player, and some just don't translate well to a mobile device. Also, many apps crash a lot, and simple fixes don't always do the trick. For instance, on my iPad, I was unable to access this site for long enough to figure out how to post because Safari kept crashing. I've also had an experience with Sundry Notes where 4 pages of notes that I had taken had been somehow deleted. This was easily fixed by sharing notes with someone else, however, I would have preferred to not have had to been in that situation. Because this is a learning experience, and a piloting program, there are going to be positives and negatives, and over the course of this second semester, I have a feeling that we will be experiencing our fair share of both.