Chapter 1

Education in the 21st Century

In This Chapter

Re-evaluating educational objectives for a world of constant change

Examining how iPads meet the needs of a 21st-century education

Reviewing what this book is - and is not

It's nine and a half inches long and less than one third of an inch thick. At less than a pound and a half, it can go anywhere with you. It boasts a crystal-clear display, has a microphone and two cameras, and is a great little device for taking photos and video. Whether you prefer to prop it up on a table or lay it in your lap, just tap a button and you'll instantly connect with people and information anywhere on the planet. Yes, the iPad is the face of modern technology . and given the opportunity, technology such as iPads has the potential to revitalize our educational systems.

Investigating New Educational Models

We've come a long way in such a short time. Many of us grew up in an age of relative stability. Personal computing was still in its infancy, and we'd never heard of anything called the Internet. If you wanted to communicate with your cousin in another country, you'd pull out a pen and paper, write a letter, slap on a stamp, and walk to the nearest mailbox. Imagine that! Welcome to the 21st century, where we find ourselves launched into the beginnings of a new era characterized by extreme, exponential change. The fuel that's feeding that change is technology. Computers have evolved from massive machines that weighed several tons and required several people to operate them to sleek, super-powerful, tiny devices that perform incredibly complex tasks and move information between remote locations at lightning speed. Fifty years ago, people were amazed at being able to deliver a heavily abbreviated message overseas with a telegram that might arrive at its destination a day later. Nowadays, kids complain that email takes too long! The mobile devices we carry around in our pockets today are thousands of times more powerful than those enormous computers were just a few decades ago.

Of course, change isn't a new concept, but it's the amazing speed at which society is changing that takes your breath away. Inventions such as the telephone and radio took generations to become common household items, yet after just a few short years, iPods, iPhones, and iPads have sold several hundred million units. A service such as Facebook didn't even exist ten years ago; now it has a user base exceeding 1 billion. We just reached 7 billion people on planet Earth, and there are more than 5 billion cellphone subscriptions.

Re-evaluating educational objectives in a changing world

Technology has changed almost every facet of our daily life - at work, home, and leisure. Given the right opportunity, it can also transform our educational systems; however, our school systems have largely struggled to keep pace. Take a stroll around many schools today, and they look largely the same as they did when you went to school. The problem is twofold:

• Lacking technology: Students lead technology-filled lives outside of school, yet many of them have only minimal access to personal technology for learning within school itself.
• Using technology for a 20th-century education: Simply adding a dose of technology to the standard educational mix may not be enough if that technology is patched over outdated objectives and pedagogies.

The incredibly rapid changes occurring all around us are having a significant impact on the skills students need when they graduate school. Old models of content delivery and frontal teaching - lecturing from the front of the class - aren't addressing the evolving needs of a society where information is available freely and instantly, and constantly changing. The technology revolution that encompasses us has changed all our educational paradigms. We need to consider iPad use within the framework of educational objectives that address the needs of our rapidly changing society:

• Replacing rote memorization with real skills: Skills such as critical thinking, communication, and creativity have increasingly greater value than the rote memorization of content. After all, the vast majority of content can be easily accessed within seconds on most mobile devices. We've even created a verb to describe it. What do you do when you want to know something? You "google" it!
• Navigating the information jungle: Historically, an important function of education was to provide students with access to textbook content and teacher expertise. Today, content and expertise are abundantly available online. There's so much information available that new educational priorities are needed to help students navigate the vast volumes of content. Information literacy skills help students access, organize, filter, evaluate, and use the enormous amount of information available online. The core question is morphing from "What do you know?" to "What can you do with what you know?"
• Working in groups (because there's no I in teamwork): We live in an emerging global society, and the development of collaborative skills - the ability to work effectively in teams - outweighs traditional demands that students sit still, listen, and work only on their own.
• Incorporating multimedia literacy: Text remains an important medium for conveying information, but multimedia is becoming the language of new generations, and its use should be encouraged in schools. Further, we need to discuss and develop standards that assist students in creating media that communicate the intended message effectively.
• Saying goodbye to the 30-pound backpack: At higher grade levels, most courses are still delivered and structured around the use of a single textbook - often one that was printed several years ago. That's a stark contrast to a world where news and information are always up to date and available from a wide variety of sources and perspectives.
• Reaching beyond the school walls: School is still the central hub for learning, but technology now enables us to be constantly connected. The old model of learning within the physical confines of a classroom or school campus is being completely redefined. In the age of the Internet, learning can occur anywhere and is available on demand.
• Staying flexible is key: Instruction and curriculum need to constantly adapt to new information, technologies, and interests.
• Differentiated instruction and assessment: Some students are great auditory processors. Explain something once to them and they get it. Others need to sit and read. Many students lean to more visual modes of learning. Technology offers options for differentiated instruction and alternative forms of assessment, which free us from a "one size fits all" teaching model. (And in reality, that model never worked anyway!)
• Limiting frontal teaching: New technologies placed in the hands of students empower them to research, explore, and create. Use of technology can and should move us from frontal, content-delivery models of education to more student-centered, discovery-based, and interactive learning practices.
• Knowing that learning never ends: We're all students who must continually learn and adapt to constant change. School is only part of our educational journey. Instead of focusing on preparation for assessments and certificates, we need to rediscover the joy that's inherent in the process of learning itself. Our objective should be to develop students who are independent, lifelong learners who can continue to thrive in a society of continual and rapid change.

Implementing iPads for 21st-century learning

As Ringo Starr reminded us, "It Don't Come Easy." Adding expensive technology to school environments requires significant budgeting, planning, and infrastructure development and training. With all the investment of money, time, and effort, it's even more important to focus the use of technology on critical 21st-century learning goals. The iPad is well equipped to meet those educational challenges.

• Learning on the go: An iPad weighs less than a pound and a half and is well suited to the goal of "anytime, anywhere" education. You can take it with you wherever you go. Store it easily in a bag or backpack, or just carry it on your person. Plus, the iPad's battery has up to ten hours of life, so you won't have to deal with cords and electrical outlets. Charge your iPad overnight, and it will be ready and available all day long.
• Kicking back and relaxing: Use your iPad any way that feels comfortable. There aren't any annoying upright screens forming a barrier between teachers and students. It's easily passed around when used in a group setting. Turn it on easily while sitting, standing, or even when lying down (although don't say I didn't warn you that keeping your iPad next to your bed will make it extremely difficult to get up on time in the mornings)!
• Turning on, tuning in: The iPad turns on with the simple tap of a button. You don't wait long for it to start, and you don't have to log in to use it. It's instantly accessible and can be integrated effortlessly into any activity inside...