Remember when the LA School District announced an iPad buying program in which they would be handing out iPads to students who are part of their district? Well it looks like they are planning on expanding that program to include laptops and hybrid devices as well. This new program will be kicking off in the fall which will see teachers and students try out a laptop program to see if it will be a good fit.
So why the change of heart? Why not tablets all the way? Well the answer is one size certainly does not fit all, at least as far as education is concerned. According to a LA school board member, Monica Ratliff who spoke to the LA Times, “Why would we treat all our students – whether they are a first-grader or a high school freshman – as if they all had the same technology needs? They don’t.”
It was also problems with the iPads that caused the school district to rethink its program. The tablets were meant for educational purposes, but students managed to figure out how to hack the iPads to allow it to be used for other things, like web surfing and gaining access to social media. There was also issue with educational materials being incomplete, which is why under the new program, materials from three different publishers will be tested.
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