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Monday, April 18, 2011

iPads Making a Splash On Campus

The Apple iPad is making quite a splash on college campuses across the nation. Buena Vista University, Storm Lake, IA, plans to provide the tablet computer, along with a laptop computer, this fall, according to an article in Campus Technology.

“These are all important to effective learning, which is really the most important thing,” said Jamii Claiborne, assistant professor of media studies. “For students and faculty in media, the iPad means we can gather, create, edit, publish, promote, and then consume what we make—all from one small, mobile device. That’s exciting. Students and I have all been searching for relevant apps and telling each other about them. Together, as partners, we're figuring out how to use this new technology effectively.”

Then there’s experience at George Fox University, Newberg OR. The school, one of the first to provide students with laptop computers, jumped on the iPad bandwagon when the device hit the market last year. Now administrators there are ready to pull the plug on the program according to another Campus Technology article.

Students already show up on campus with smartphones in their hands and have begun to have table computers in their backpacks. So administrators at George Fox are looking at ending the giveaway program in favor of beefing up the school’s wireless network and to better accommodate the printing needs of the campus.

“Right now, we’re throwing tremendous amounts of resources into this whole idea of video management with the ultimate goal of developing more collaborative classrooms that are enabled with state-of-the-art technology,” said Greg Smith, chief information officer at the school.