The suggestion that classrooms could get rid of PCs to save costs is stupid. iPads are not going to replace PCs in the worplace so the kids need to know how to use them.
If I'm reading this right, it looks like they're comparing 1 year of textbooks against 4 years of iBooks.
If you take the same 6 textbooks per student per grade for 4 years, then it's 24 x $75 = $1800 per student. $1800 x 2000 students = $3,600,000. Divide that cost over 5 years and you get $720,000 per year for textbooks instead of the $180,000 they cited and it puts you far over the $430,000 per year for iBooks. But, you have to add in the initial $400 cost per student for the iPad over the same 4 year period, and that adds $800,000 to the iPad route, an additional $200,000 per year, which brings the yearly cost of iBooks to $630,000 vs $720,000 for the textbooks. Every year, you could replace 225 broken iPads and only then come out even with textbooks. Not to mention that iPads have far more uses than a textbook, and students have only one light thing to carry around with them all year instead of 6 heavy things.
Again, this is 4 years for iPads vs. 5 years for textbooks. I would think that, given a yearly budget to spend on "textbooks" that it's kind of irrelevant. At the end of the cycle, however long that cycle is, you replace either your traditional textbooks or your iPads. The money you spend year to year doesn't change, though, so I'm not sure if you'd even need to worry about the different length replacement cycles. I'm neither an accountant nor a mathemetician so I may just be talking out of my ass.
This is assuming, of course, that I'm reading and interpreting their infographic correctly and that my math is also correct. Considering the night I had last night, I wouldn't put good money on either being true.
Care to suggest how iPads will run 3D Studio Max, Maya, CS5, AutoCAD and a ton of other professional applications that require more computing power?
Apple and their fanboys must think that all people do with computers is write essays and browse facebook. I wouldn't even use a tablet to write essays.
They're less expensive than the cost of college textbooks, but not high school. Plus that doesn't account for them getting lost/stolen/broken - or having to be upgraded after 4~ years.
Sure, some textbooks are replaced purely to supplement the teachers pay packet but quite often it's the way people teach that changes and the depth of the subject changes. Also over the years, certain parts of subjects like math become less and less important to teach while other parts gain in priority.
For example.
When I was in school, our computer classes were about word processing and spreadsheets. Now kids learn to program (something I had to go to university to learn). That's because kids learn word processing at a much earlier age now.
Well it's the same with maths too. The maths my parents learnt in school was different to the maths that I did and the way they were taught was completely different to the way I was taught.
Do you know your times tables? 1 x 1 = 1, 1 x 2 = 2, etc. Well, teaching analysis showed that instead of actually learning the math behind 6 x 8, people simply learned to memorise the answer. This meant when they got to a number outside of the standard times tables, it became hard for them to do the math. 6 x 17 would stump a lot of people and have them counting.
So the method changed and so did the text book. Also, pop culture changed and one of the theories is, it's easier to teach kids about things they are interested in. So instead of saying "Bobby has 5 pogs" new text books say things like "Bobby bought 5 apps from the app store".
Why would you go to an iPad when you could get every kid a laptop which can do a lot more than an iPad. As a bonus, you could have a class on how to maintain your computers which is something everyone should know in the first place.
There is no doubt about it, we need to get rid of the books. My backpack used to weigh up to 50 lbs at some times.
They are saying that the textbooks can be reused and will only need to be replaced about every four years. Whereas the iPad books need a new book each year for each student.
This will mean much higher expense for the iPad route.
The iPad can take a fall to the floor just fine. In fact off a table is optimal, because it will generally land flat.
Meanwhile when you AREN"T dropping your textbooks on the floor what about the rest of the time when you are trying to look something up? An Arbitrary text search is far superior.
@macparrot
Just because you can doesn't mean you should. Though multi track video / audio editing may be possible on a phone OS, you won't find professionals doing it that way, because the work-flow just isn't good enough. If you're always hiding and revealing panels and tools it just slows you down too much.
Most schools prior to college don't teach the skills required to use those applications. iPads can be vary useful as far as writing goes whether you use the onscreen keyboard (which I can't stand on any touchscreen device I've used so far) or one of the many bluetooth enabled keyboards available.
Tablets (and not just the iPad) are becoming more than just content consumption devices. I recently attended a particular conference (doubt I need to say which one) as press, and I blogged, recorded and edited audio, recorded and edited video all on iOS devices. Didn't even bring a laptop. It takes more time certainly since the mono-tasking nature of iOS prevents easily switching apps (and no, double-tapping the home button to pick another app isn't the same thing as multi-tasking), but not dragging around 30 pounds of stuff (video cameras, laptops, cables, tripods, extra batteries) certainly made it easier to get around and set up by myself on a busy show floor.
This is just 2-3 years after the first modern tablet was released. Where do you think the market will be in the next 5-10?
Doubtful, for the simple reason they don't have enough screen real-estate to make them usable for anything beyond the trivial, certainly as fas as 3D goes.
matt88Feb 12, 2012Buried
The thing that gets me is how can maths books change every 2 years. The maths doesn't change you are just ripping us off
ammattikiFeb 12, 2012Buried
The suggestion that classrooms could get rid of PCs to save costs is stupid. iPads are not going to replace PCs in the worplace so the kids need to know how to use them.
dooftooFeb 12, 2012Buried
If I'm reading this right, it looks like they're comparing 1 year of textbooks against 4 years of iBooks.
If you take the same 6 textbooks per student per grade for 4 years, then it's 24 x $75 = $1800 per student. $1800 x 2000 students = $3,600,000. Divide that cost over 5 years and you get $720,000 per year for textbooks instead of the $180,000 they cited and it puts you far over the $430,000 per year for iBooks. But, you have to add in the initial $400 cost per student for the iPad over the same 4 year period, and that adds $800,000 to the iPad route, an additional $200,000 per year, which brings the yearly cost of iBooks to $630,000 vs $720,000 for the textbooks. Every year, you could replace 225 broken iPads and only then come out even with textbooks. Not to mention that iPads have far more uses than a textbook, and students have only one light thing to carry around with them all year instead of 6 heavy things.
Again, this is 4 years for iPads vs. 5 years for textbooks. I would think that, given a yearly budget to spend on "textbooks" that it's kind of irrelevant. At the end of the cycle, however long that cycle is, you replace either your traditional textbooks or your iPads. The money you spend year to year doesn't change, though, so I'm not sure if you'd even need to worry about the different length replacement cycles. I'm neither an accountant nor a mathemetician so I may just be talking out of my ass.
This is assuming, of course, that I'm reading and interpreting their infographic correctly and that my math is also correct. Considering the night I had last night, I wouldn't put good money on either being true.
razorsfuryFeb 12, 2012Buried
wait... so an ipad will survive a pint of water also?
razorsfuryFeb 12, 2012Buried
so... you would be one of those people that doesn't know any better I take it...
barackalypseFeb 12, 2012Buried
Knock an iPad and a textbook off a desk and tell me which one is going to last longer. Books are still readable after hundreds of years.
asdafasdfafsadfafadafsasFeb 12, 2012Buried
iPads replacing computers in school?
Care to suggest how iPads will run 3D Studio Max, Maya, CS5, AutoCAD and a ton of other professional applications that require more computing power?
Apple and their fanboys must think that all people do with computers is write essays and browse facebook. I wouldn't even use a tablet to write essays.
gvoakesFeb 12, 2012Buried
They're less expensive than the cost of college textbooks, but not high school. Plus that doesn't account for them getting lost/stolen/broken - or having to be upgraded after 4~ years.
dandoniaFeb 12, 2012Buried
Sure, some textbooks are replaced purely to supplement the teachers pay packet but quite often it's the way people teach that changes and the depth of the subject changes. Also over the years, certain parts of subjects like math become less and less important to teach while other parts gain in priority.
For example.
When I was in school, our computer classes were about word processing and spreadsheets. Now kids learn to program (something I had to go to university to learn). That's because kids learn word processing at a much earlier age now.
Well it's the same with maths too. The maths my parents learnt in school was different to the maths that I did and the way they were taught was completely different to the way I was taught.
Do you know your times tables? 1 x 1 = 1, 1 x 2 = 2, etc. Well, teaching analysis showed that instead of actually learning the math behind 6 x 8, people simply learned to memorise the answer. This meant when they got to a number outside of the standard times tables, it became hard for them to do the math. 6 x 17 would stump a lot of people and have them counting.
So the method changed and so did the text book. Also, pop culture changed and one of the theories is, it's easier to teach kids about things they are interested in. So instead of saying "Bobby has 5 pogs" new text books say things like "Bobby bought 5 apps from the app store".
4Herp2Derp0Feb 12, 2012Buried
Why would you go to an iPad when you could get every kid a laptop which can do a lot more than an iPad. As a bonus, you could have a class on how to maintain your computers which is something everyone should know in the first place.
There is no doubt about it, we need to get rid of the books. My backpack used to weigh up to 50 lbs at some times.
ammattikiFeb 13, 2012Buried
They are saying that the textbooks can be reused and will only need to be replaced about every four years. Whereas the iPad books need a new book each year for each student.
This will mean much higher expense for the iPad route.
superkendallFeb 13, 2012Buried
The iPad can take a fall to the floor just fine. In fact off a table is optimal, because it will generally land flat.
Meanwhile when you AREN"T dropping your textbooks on the floor what about the rest of the time when you are trying to look something up? An Arbitrary text search is far superior.
dandoniaFeb 13, 2012Buried
I've been to 3 schools, 2 colleges and 3 universities. ALL running Windows as their main system.
4rp4n3tFeb 13, 2012Buried
@macparrot
Just because you can doesn't mean you should. Though multi track video / audio editing may be possible on a phone OS, you won't find professionals doing it that way, because the work-flow just isn't good enough. If you're always hiding and revealing panels and tools it just slows you down too much.
crashdvisFeb 12, 2012Buried
They last longer than a text book? Come on now.
mainmacFeb 12, 2012Buried
Yes, old ones for a small fee, probably every model going forward will. While shock & temp sensitivity will be ongoing issues, waterproofing won't.
dandoniaFeb 12, 2012Buried
Over services like OnLive.
This isn't going to happen over night, it will take a few years.
macparrotFeb 12, 2012Buried
Most schools prior to college don't teach the skills required to use those applications. iPads can be vary useful as far as writing goes whether you use the onscreen keyboard (which I can't stand on any touchscreen device I've used so far) or one of the many bluetooth enabled keyboards available.
Tablets (and not just the iPad) are becoming more than just content consumption devices. I recently attended a particular conference (doubt I need to say which one) as press, and I blogged, recorded and edited audio, recorded and edited video all on iOS devices. Didn't even bring a laptop. It takes more time certainly since the mono-tasking nature of iOS prevents easily switching apps (and no, double-tapping the home button to pick another app isn't the same thing as multi-tasking), but not dragging around 30 pounds of stuff (video cameras, laptops, cables, tripods, extra batteries) certainly made it easier to get around and set up by myself on a busy show floor.
This is just 2-3 years after the first modern tablet was released. Where do you think the market will be in the next 5-10?
4rp4n3tFeb 13, 2012Buried
Those aren't tools, they're toys.
4rp4n3tFeb 13, 2012Buried
Doubtful, for the simple reason they don't have enough screen real-estate to make them usable for anything beyond the trivial, certainly as fas as 3D goes.