The iPad
While some critics call it an iPod on steroids, or a souped up picture book, Steve Jobs, the co-founder and executive chief officer of Apple, released the iPad in April, 2010. The iPad is Apple’s tablet computer designed for internet browsing, media consumption, gaming, and content creation. Rather than using a stylus, the user is in control with the touch of a finger. “Apple answered two of the three major arguments against eBooks. The color, two-page turning mechanics make it hard to challenge the iPad on aesthetics. The iPad’s a picture book with zoom, pan and output to a projector” (Harris, 2010, p.14) The iPad is the kin to the iPod, providing all of the same features an iPod has plus other new and exciting features. A common trademark of modern Apple technology is their endless possibilities for “apps,” short for application software. When the iPad first hit the stores, “a little over a week ago…there were already 1,000 different applications created specifically for the [iPad]. It also runs nearly all of the 150,000 iPhone and iPod Touch apps available” (Stansberry, 2010, p.1).
How to incorporate the iPad in education
The thousands of possibilities for apps is one of the strongest arguments educators have to plead their case for the need for iPads in the classroom. Katie Stansberry (2010), a writer for The International Society for Technology in Education, developed a list of some of the best new iPad apps for education. For geography, “try Beautiful Planet HD, which features more than 750 images...spanning seven continents and 160 countries” (Stansberry, 2010, p.1). This visual encyclopedia not only makes a great teaching tool, it also makes full use of the iPad’s High Definition capabilities. When it comes to mathematics, teachers can use the Bloomberg app which is “packed with tools to teach students about how the world marked function…and basic investment practices” (Stansberry, 2010, p.1). Integrating a commonly disliked subject with a tool as well liked as the iPad can make a successful combination. In the field of art, “budding Monet’s and Picassos can paint their masterpieces using the new iPad app, Brushes” (Stansberry, 2010, p.1). While Google Earth may have charted the world, GoSky Watch Planetarium has mapped the heavens. Astronomy students can, “locate celestial bodies with a quick touch, or by simply pointing the iPad screen at the sky.” One of the amazing functions of this app is the ability to direct the image of the current night sky backward and forward through time, “allowing students to check out the arrangement of stars on the date of their birth” (Stansberry, 2010, p.1). For eager musicians, many apps are available to turn the iPad into the instrument of their choice. “Magic Piano turns an iPad into a handheld keyboard” (Stansberry, 2010, p.1). Not only can users play music individually on their iPad keyboard, there is also a unique function, the ‘piano roulette’ function, which makes it possible for pianists to join in duets with performers around the world. The Elements: A Visual Exploration is one of the first eBooks developed solely for the iPad. This app is a virtual periodic table where “users can zoon in on the element and see razor-sharp images and up-to-the-minute facts about the chosen sample” (Stansberry, 2010, p.1). With thousands of applications for apple technologies, the possibilities are amazing for the iPads use in education.
The iPads influence in education
Schools began with chalkboards, which soon evolved into a washable “dry erase” board. More recently, dry erase boards have evolved into SMART Board technology. It is time for schools to welcome the next advance, the iPad. With this technology, students will have individual chalkboards, dry erase boards and SMART Boards. Students will be able to do word processing, create slide show presentations, make spreadsheet, take notes and even read textbooks. With this advance, “textbooks would no longer be printed on and the publishers could the charge a ‘rental’ fee or subscription. The information could be immediately updated unlike the current format of a textbook that in some instances is obsolete before it is in the hands of the user. When rental time expires, there is nothing to throw away or take up space” (Reynolds, 2010, p.1). The amount of money saved by schools will be incredible. Rather than racking up expenses, purchasing new textbooks for each and every student whenever a new edition arrives, educators can provide students with an iPad for only $499.00, saving the school unneeded expenses which could benefit the school in other ways. College students will be saved a tremendous amount when they can rent their textbooks each semester rather than give in to the over-inflated prices of campus bookstores. “Tablets will change education this year and in the future because they align neatly with the goals and purpose of education in a digital space” (Reynolds, 2010, p.1). 
There are four major qualities of the iPad that will lead to its success in the classroom. First, iPads are about productivity. “In the 21st century, learning is contextual and promotes engaging students in real-life applications. This means learning on-the-go but with all of the necessary materials and digital tools necessary for their tasks” (Reynolds, 2010, p.1). A phone isn’t quite up to these demanding task, and the laptop is not as mobile as it name suggests. A tablet is the perfect device. Second, iPads are about convergence. “An e-reader is a single-use machine and a fairly limited one at that. The tablet, on the other hand, will support e-textbooks, Web based and offline, Web productivity and a whole host of other media, content creation, and communication options” (Reynolds, 2010, p.2). The tablet will serve many functions while e-readers, like the Kindle, can only serve one. The iPad is the first to truly usher in the new world of convergence media. Third, iPads are about mobility. “Tablets will run mobile apps, have mobile contracts in some cases, and be designed for productivity on-the-move. They are perfect for augmented reality applications, distributed learning and student success tools” (Reynolds, 2010, p.2). Our on-the-go, always on culture yearns for mobile technology. Luckily, this new technology is affordable and easily accessible to all. The last element of the iPad, which will lead to its classroom success, is that they are afforadable and available. “Tablets will allow users to have the functionality they want at a price they can afford. More importantly, they will usher in a new era of learning material distribution and subscription models for textbooks” (Reynolds, 2010, p. 2). The overall result will be lower costs for education across the board. 
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