• We’re currently investigating an issue related to the forum theme and styling that is impacting page layout and visual formatting. The problem has been identified, and we are actively working on a resolution. There is no impact to user data or functionality, this is strictly a front-end display issue. We’ll post an update once the fix has been deployed. Thanks for your patience while we get this sorted.

Parents - What are your thoughts on the iPhone / iPad as an educational tool?

P

pennyhill

Junior Member
Hi everyone!

I am hoping to get a feel for how other parents are using the iPhone/iPad as an educational tool for their kids (anywhere from Pre-K to 8th grade). *It seems like there are too many options to keep track of: edu games in the Apple App Store, eBooks, videos on the web like Khan Academy, etc.*

If you use anything like this, is it a pain to find good stuff? *Would you consider paying for some kind of app/service/platform that would help you find the best stuff for your kid?

Again, I know this is pretty off topic so thanks for reading and an ever bigger thanks if you reply!
 
My wife and I let our son (who is 3) play with an IPAD 2 quite regularly. He does tons of stuff with it, ranging from basic racing games (1 touch games are easy for him) to educational stuff (alphabet, basic math, reading, etc.), to watching movies, etc.

There are TONS of websites out there that review kids apps for the ipad. So, unless the service you mentioned was free, there is no way I would use it. While there are a lot of "bad" apps for kids, I wouldn't say that it is a pain to find the good stuff. Ratings and reviews generally point the way.
 
As long as they're doing interactive stuff. Just watching videos is no different than sitting them in front of a TV.
 
brianmanahan said:
just because you are not able to learn via a computer with an extremely poor interface, doesnt mean that myriad of modern-day children are not
Click to expand...

FTFY.
Why do we need to take a step back in utility just to use the latest and greatest? Some tasks are done far better with paper and pencil than ANY computer known to man. Results count, bullshit trends are just that.
 
Early childhood? No. 10 or 11? Maybe.

In early childhood, the most important thing for the kid to do is develop his imagination. He does that by inventing his own games with toys that lend themselves to imagination. Lincoln Logs, Tinker Toys, Legos, Tonka Trucks. That's what young kids need. Too many kids aren't capable of entertaining themselves when they grow up because they never managed to develop an adequate imagination.

So, until my kid is old enough to know roughly how they work, he's not getting anything like an ipad to play with.
 
MagnusTheBrewer said:
FTFY.
Why do we need to take a step back in utility just to use the latest and greatest? Some tasks are done far better with paper and pencil than ANY computer known to man. Results count, bullshit trends are just that.
Click to expand...

It's called a step forward. Do a little research, you might learn something.
 
It was good for my kids before they went to school. Alot of good apps for learning numbers and letters. Some good reading apps to.

But beyond that (Kindergarden stuff) I have found it useless. It's doesn't replace anything that doesn't already exist and there isn't the temptation to switch to a game with a book. Studies are already showing that the ease to quickly change are making kids absent minded. Seriously, read up on these studies, they exist. People forget that using iPads doesn't teach kids to focus on a task. Give them a book and have them sit on a couch and read. Without distraction. last thing your kid needs is a popup from a friend so they can chat in the middle of reading Moby Dick. Ya, great idea!.

Did I mention that I don't care much for technology?
 
IHateMyJob2004 said:
It was good for my kids before they went to school. Alot of good apps for learning numbers and letters. Some good reading apps to.

But beyond that (Kindergarden stuff) I have found it useless. It's doesn't replace anything that doesn't already exist and there isn't the temptation to switch to a game with a book. Studies are already showing that the ease to quickly change are making kids absent minded. Seriously, read up on these studies, they exist. People forget that using iPads doesn't teach kids to focus on a task. Give them a book and have them sit on a couch and read. Without distraction. last thing your kid needs is a popup from a friend so they can chat in the middle of reading Moby Dick. Ya, great idea!.

Did I mention that I don't care much for technology?
Click to expand...
Nothing wrong with technology, it's the proliferation of "solutions" for problems that don't exist.
 
<-- Master's degree in educational technology.

They're over-rated. Actually, a lot of those electronic "computerized" toys are crap. They've been with us for a generation - surely we should see a difference in results by the time the kids get out of high school, but we're not. The ed psych professor I have the most respect for uses the term "sugar popped." Those toys temporarily get kids ahead of the other kids, but they really don't lead to long lasting differences in IQ or ability. For the iPad, there are some apps that are decent; they make drill & kill fun. And for this, *maybe* I'd consider getting one for the kids. Once you get to the high school level, the vast majority of educational apps (at least of the hundreds I've tried) are crap; at least in mathematics & physics. For both, and especially for physics, there are an incredible number of resources online - various applets, javascript, etc - that don't run on ipads - that are an order of magnitude better than the next best thing I've found on the ipad. For example, look at the Phet site (physics educational technology from the University of Colorado at Boulder.) Won't run on the ipad; there's nothing that equals it on the ipad.

Furthermore, virtually anything you can do on the iPad, you can do on other platforms for far less money. A number of years ago, a lot of schools were pushing for a 1 to 1 student to laptop ratio. The results of that experiment are marginal, at best. I don't mean to be completely negative about the iPads though. They're a tool, nothing more, nothing less. In the hands of the right teacher - and with the right subject material, they can be very useful. I'm seeing a push in some schools to get iPads as a way to save money on texts. (Cue cynical) Yeah, right. Like the textbook publishers are going to let that happen. They're already taking steps to make it look desirable, but effectively not really save any money - the online textbooks are tied to one device; online textbooks expire after a number of years (a hard copy can be used for a decade for some courses without compromising educational quality (in most subjects.) At least, I don't expect there to be some monumental discovery that changes the face of high school algebra, geometry, trig, or most science matter (e.g., in the majority of states, virtually no physics from the 1900's forward is taught in high school.) The only definite difference is that students don't have to carry as heavy of a backpack home.
 
Last edited:
DrPizza said:
<-- Master's degree in educational technology.

They're over-rated. Actually, a lot of those electronic "computerized" toys are crap. They've been with us for a generation - surely we should see a difference in results by the time the kids get out of high school, but we're not. The ed psych professor I have the most respect for uses the term "sugar popped." Those toys temporarily get kids ahead of the other kids, but they really don't lead to long lasting differences in IQ or ability. For the iPad, there are some apps that are decent; they make drill & kill fun. And for this, *maybe* I'd consider getting one for the kids. Once you get to the high school level, the vast majority of educational apps (at least of the hundreds I've tried) are crap; at least in mathematics & physics. For both, and especially for physics, there are an incredible number of resources online - various applets, javascript, etc - that don't run on ipads - that are an order of magnitude better than the next best thing I've found on the ipad. For example, look at the Phet site (physics educational technology from the University of Colorado at Boulder.) Won't run on the ipad; there's nothing that equals it on the ipad.

Furthermore, virtually anything you can do on the iPad, you can do on other platforms for far less money. A number of years ago, a lot of schools were pushing for a 1 to 1 student to laptop ratio. The results of that experiment are marginal, at best. I don't mean to be completely negative about the iPads though. They're a tool, nothing more, nothing less. In the hands of the right teacher - and with the right subject material, they can be very useful. I'm seeing a push in some schools to get iPads as a way to save money on texts. (Cue cynical) Yeah, right. Like the textbook publishers are going to let that happen. They're already taking steps to make it look desirable, but effectively not really save any money - the online textbooks are tied to one device; online textbooks expire after a number of years (a hard copy can be used for a decade for some courses without compromising educational quality (in most subjects.) At least, I don't expect there to be some monumental discovery that changes the face of high school algebra, geometry, trig, or most science matter (e.g., in the majority of states, virtually no physics from the 1900's forward is taught in high school.) The only definite difference is that students don't have to carry as heavy of a backpack home.
Click to expand...
Make apps. It's your calling.
 
MagnusTheBrewer said:
Nothing wrong with technology, it's the proliferation of "solutions" for problems that don't exist.
Click to expand...

who needs a solution? we are thinking adding to.

With the right software yes a ipad would be a great learning TOOL. issue is right now 90% of software sucks ass.
 
You could probably develop some very nice language learning applications for a tablet.
Great way to include video, audio, text and even some feedback on pronunciation etc.

The thing is, at an early age especially, children learn many things better, if the learning tool has a tangible component, and if there is a social framework in which the learning happens. The iPad takes both of these away. Also, the fragility means, that it is not suitable for anyone under, say, 14 years of age or so, as the first reaction in a fit of frustration, is to throw the frustrating item away from you, with maximum force. I believe tablets can be engineered to withstand that, but it would be a supplementary challenge.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

TRENDING THREADS

Back
Top