iPads in my Classroom?

This past spring was very interesting for me in that it was my department's turn to suggest/request resources to purchase. This happens approximately every seven years as part of the curriculum cycle that we have set up. Since I am a one person department, this meant that I was in charge of all research and decision making in this venture. Typically, these resources that are purchased are textbooks, or other traditional teaching materials.

After requesting and reviewing available textbooks and pricing for my subjects (Construction, Woodworking, Engineering, Automotive, Home Maintainance, Small Engines, Drafting, Computer Animation, Industrial Technology 7, industrial Technology 8, and Video Production) it became quite obvious to me that I would not be able to afford textbooks for each of my classes. So which classes got textbooks and which classes went without? That was the question that I had a very difficult time answering.

Another issue that I encounter was the fact that most of the textbooks had more information that we would be able to cover over the length of a semester course. Or, some textbooks included information that I felt was either irrelevant or outdated. In only one instance was I able to find a textbook that fit perfectly into one of my classes. That left 10 classes without a textbook.

Fortunately, my school has recently taken a broader look at what they consider resources for the classroom. In years past, other departments have purchased equipment and other instructional supplies with these funds. I approached my principal and inquired as to what qualified as classroom resources.

To make a long story somewhat shorter, I broached the idea of using these funds to purchase either iPods or iPads for my classroom. My inquiry was meet with a pause, then a smile, and finally a "go for it". I was ecstatic, but I also soon realized that I was going to have to convince the other administrators and school board member that this was indeed a worthy investment.

After some thought on the best way to present my case, I decided that it would be best to create and present my presentation on on iPad. What other way was there to show the power and usefulness of these tablets than for it to produce it's own argument.





I created a short video on my iPad 2, uploaded it to Youtube and embedded it into a Prezi. I had to setup the Prezi on my desktop because the Prezi app doesn't allow you to edit, yet. However, the video embedded below was 100% created and distributed on my iPad.

Link to video on Youtube

I am still waiting to hear if my proposal was accepted, but I will update you when I find out.

I would love to hear from any of you considering integrating iPads or iPods into your classroom, or if you already have them in.