When ?Digital Natives? Discover the Encyclopedia
I?m sure my friends at the Department of Education were thrilled to read in the Raleigh-based News & Observer that North Carolina school districts are using their Race to the Top funds to advance structural reform by? purchasing iPads. Durham, N.C. is spending $3.5 million in RTT funds to ?put Apple iPads in the hands of students and teachers at two low-performing schools.? Durham Public Schools Superintendent Eric Becoats said, ?Our kids are telling us, ?This is how we learn. This is what we want.??
Ah-ha, yes, this is the change we?ve been waiting for. Look, I own an iPad. I like the iPad. But I?ll tell you, when I?ve been to schools that feature one-to-one computing, personal computers, and iPads, they seem to get mostly used in one of two ways. Neither impresses me. The first involves students working on graphics, clip art, powerpoints, or adding sound and visual effects to video shorts. The second is students Googling their way to Wikipedia for material to cut-and-paste into powerpoints or word files.
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