Benefits of iPads in the Classroom
Benefits of iPads in the Classroom
For many years, educators have felt the pressure to make learning more than a singular experience. As technology becomes more popular, classrooms have gradually evolved away from the chalk and blackboard combination. The old ways of learning are now being replaced with newer, better technology, and students are required to learn a multitude of skills in a short amount of time. Teachers and schools desire to generate social and creative learners who excel in the 21st century. In order for schools to be successful with this, we need to change the way we approach teaching. iPads in the classroom are changing the way we learn by bringing excitement, engagement, and exploration into learning experiences. And we are here to discuss them one by one.
Learning Becomes an Active and Social Process
Allowing students, the opportunity to use iPads in their schools, classrooms, and at home cultivates a culture of learning. iPads inspire curiosity and creativity in the classroom, which engage students and make learning fun. The use of apps and mobile technology promotes a sense of accomplishment and pride as students compete with each other to earn badges and unlock achievements. Working together with peers to achieve goals is also a valuable skill that can be learned through the use of iPads.
iPad Apps Support 21st Century Learning Skills
As we move deeper into the digital age, it's more important than ever that schools integrate new technologies such as iPads into their classroom environment. Mobile technology empowers students to learn whenever they want and wherever they are, which encourages students to take ownership of their education. Students who use iPads in school tend to develop better critical thinking skills, higher-order reasoning skills, increased creativity, improved writing abilities, stronger communication skills, enhanced collaboration skills, a greater focus on tasks at hand, and improved organizational skills. Using iPad apps for education fosters innovation in the classroom like never before.
Better interaction with teacher, classmates, and materials
One of the best things about iPads is that they allow kids to interact with their material and their classmates in a completely new way. For example, if you're teaching an art class and the students have to draw something from memory, the iPad can allow them to see that drawing from different angles so they can work on their perspective skills. Another example: If you're discussing an article with your class and want to assign different sections of the article to different students for in-depth analysis, the iPad allows you to do that easily.
iPads encourage creativity and spark learning
Most kids and students love technology, so when you give them access to iPads in the classroom, they'll be more likely to engage with it. When they are engaged with what they're doing, they learn at a much faster rate than when they're not engaged. They will have the opportunity to create and discover more ideas that can improve their understanding of the things around them.
Increased Opportunities for Collaboration
With iPads, students have an opportunity to change the way they interact with each other and their teachers. No longer do they need to be seated at desks facing the front of the room listening to a lecture given by their teacher—with iPads, students can work together on projects, share ideas in real-time, and present their thoughts to each other. In fact, research shows that collaborative learning leads to higher levels of retention than more traditional methods of learning.
iPads can also help make visual collaboration easier, where students can work together on projects while using apps like Google Drive and Microsoft OneNote.
Personalize Learning Experience
One of the most exciting things about incorporating iPads into your classroom is that you can now personalize each student's learning experience. Gone are the days where one-size-fits-all lectures were the only way to teach—how you can tailor your lessons based on student understanding, provide more difficult material for advanced learners, and give extra help to those who need it.
Portable and Easy to Carry Around
One of the major benefits of using iPads in your classroom is that they are incredibly portable. You can easily move them around a classroom as your students work collaboratively or individually on projects, so you don't need to worry about heavy desks or chairs being moved around as well—students can just pick up an iPad and go!
Plus, they're also simple to use—most people already know how to navigate an iPad, so it's easy for teachers to explain how to use the learning software and apps.
Less Paper Used
Another benefit of using iPads in your classroom is that they use far less paper than traditional methods. There's no need for paper copies of textbooks or notes—everything is available on one device. If your students have access to tons of online resources, they won't need quite as many physical copies of texts, which means less time printing out assignments and more time getting right down to business. And most importantly, reduces the overall amount of waste produced by schools, which benefits both the environment and school budgets.
The Takeaway
There is no doubt that the iPad can be a powerful tool for learning. There are many benefits of iPads in a classroom environment. However, it is important to note that not every class or situation is suitable for digital devices. In fact, some tasks may work much better on a traditional textbook than on an iPad. The point here is that the iPad is one more tool that teachers and students have available to them in the classroom and beyond. While it has its own set of limitations, the iPad provides a modern way to learn and interact with the world around us, which has become increasingly visual and interactive.
Will iPads replace the traditional books in classrooms? No, iPads will never replace books in the classroom as they don't have physical properties as books do. Instead, they will serve as another tool to improve learning.
Helperbird is used in over 30,000 schools worldwide. Helperbird for iPad and iPhone brings all the accessibility and productivity tools to iOs. Including Immersive reader, dyslexia support, text to speech, and much more.
Helperbird’s iPad app link: https://www.helperbird.com/products/ipad/