Running head: IPAD RESEARCH

iPad Research
Danielle Brooke Adams
March 5, 2015
Liberty University Online

Abstract

IPAD RESEARCH

The Apple iPad is a handheld portable device that has many uses. It can be used for personal
reasons as well as for educational purposes for students of any age. Because of its portability, the
iPad can easily be taken to and from school without adding a great deal of weight to a backpack.
The slender design saves space in school lockers, and makes it easier for students to carry around
within the classroom, making collaboration between students and teachers an easier task. The
interactive nature of the iPad also increases student engagement and focus. This interactive
design is carried over to the applications that can be downloaded with ease. From the possibility
of using it as a digital textbook, to replacing the pen and paper for a flat screen keyboard, the
Apple iPad reaches a multitude of various learners, languages, and age groups. When a school
provides a teacher with a class set of iPads, there are endless learning opportunities at their
fingertips.
Keywords: iPad, educational technology, digital textbooks, teacher collaboration, study
applications, learning styles, student engagement

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The educational system in todays society is continually flourishing with new technology
that supports student learning and engagement, as well as teacher creativity and planning. The
company Apple came out with the personal, portable tablet called iPad in 2010. This iPad
has provided numerous opportunities and presents a plethora of benefits to students inside and
outside of the school environment. For example, the iPad has increased the engagement level of
the student in his or her work and studying, it is an appropriate learning tool for all ages, and it is
flexible in its use for different learning styles used by students. The iPad provides an abounding
amount of opportunities and conveniences that are currently being used by students and schools,
and surely ones that are yet to be discovered!
Portable
Amongst the many benefits of the iPad, is the fact that this lightweight device is portable.
Portability is a huge factor in any tool that is being used by students. To increase usefulness of a
tool, it is beneficial if it can be taken anywhere by the student! A laptop computer is portable, but
it has that added extra weight to it that can sometimes be too much for students to carry back and
forth to school. A laptop can also be significantly bulkier than an iPad device, taking up needed
space in backpacks or bags. As for a desktop computer? That stays in place whether it is at home,
at school, or somewhere in between. Work, projects, and pictures must be saved on a flash drive,
emailed to oneself, or another form of saving work.
However, students who use an iPad do not have to worry about any of those issues. As an
example of portability, according to the Apple website (2015) the newest iPad Air 2 weighs
only .96 pounds compared to the average laptop which most likely weighs around 5 pounds. The
Apple website (2015) also shares that the height of the iPad Air 2 is 9.4 inches, the width is 6.6
inches, and the depth is a mere .24 of an inch! All students ranging from kindergarteners to adult

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students could easily tote an iPad in their school bag without noticing anything extra besides
their regular book load. Instead of having to save work on a flash drive and hoping there is
enough storage for their next project, or having to email themselves an assignment, they can
simply bring their iPad with them to and from school.
Increased Engagement
Whether some form of technology is already being implemented in the classroom or not,
there is almost always a need for increased engagement among students and their work at hand.
Creating a lesson that constantly engages students is vital to deep learning, classroom control,
and an enjoyable and relatable lesson. When students are not engaged, or they are in and out of
engagement, behavior issues rise because they are not focused on the task in front of them. When
behavior issues come about, (even if only from a student or two), distractions are created for the
students around them, affecting the learning environment in the classroom. When the learning
environment is affected, the deeper level of learning that should always take place may not.
Teachers noticed that when using the iPads, students were on task--even those who had
been difficult to engage or those with learning disabilities. In fact, many teachers and
administrators from within and outside the district who came to observe the classes
commented that it was difficult to identify students with special needs or English
language learners because they all were engaged in the learning activity and assisting
each other (Conn, 2012, p. 33).
The use of the iPad presents an increased level of engagement because it is a change of
pace from the run of the mill paper and pencil schoolwork. Instead of writing on
worksheets, they get to use their fingers to tap away while writing something, or use their

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fingers to draw a diagram on an interactive application that has been downloaded for
specific educational purposes.
For All Age Groups
The use of the iPad, inside or outside of the classroom is beneficial for all age groups.
Pre-school age students would most likely not bring an iPad to their classroom, but at home,
there are multitudes of ways for this age to use this device. Pre-school age students (and even
younger) are working on learning the alphabet, counting, writing, naming objects, and so many
other things. There are applications (apps) on the iPad that are of great use for those ages and
lessons. If the iPad is connected to Wi-Fi, YouTube can be accessed for educational videos.
Students in elementary school can use the iPad in the same way, but instead, the teacher or parent
can adjust those learning opportunities to be a bit more age appropriate. There are an array of
apps on the iPad that can be downloaded from the app store for every classroom subject from
reading, to writing, math, science, history, and English. Books can be purchased (some are even
free) and read as a class if there is a class set of iPads for use. Students in middle school and high
school have all of those same options for iPad use, but can go even further into what it has to
offer! For a research project, students could use the iPad to research information on the Internet.
If the iPads are school issued and are connected to the school Wi-Fi network, the students will be
or should be blocked from inappropriate websites or websites that are not necessary to be
accessed during school hours. This typically helps keep students on the assignment at hand. With
that researched information, students can then take it to the next level and create projects directly
on the iPad. The Apple version of Microsoft PowerPoint is Keynote. Keynote presentations can
be created directly on the iPad app and once finished, the iPad can be connected to a SmartBoard
and presented to the class. Besides this, there are countless ways to use the iPad for any age

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group. Mobile devices and tablets are fundamentally changing the way students of all ages
collaborate, communicate, participate, and ultimately learn (Lacey, 2014, p. 1).
Digital Textbooks
Portability of any educational tool is always an advantage to the student. In addition to
the iPad being portable and reducing the weight of having a laptop, it also poses the potential to
reduce the weight of having to carry textbooks to and from school and home. Students have
always been carrying backpacks and bags that are too heavy and can be a cause of back or
shoulder pain. The iPad has the potential to replace the need for physical textbooks in the
classroom. If a classroom (or an entire school) has school issued iPads for each student, the
school has the option to purchase textbooks (for one subject or all!) and have them downloaded
onto the iPads if the textbook publisher has made that an available option. This not only creates
space in the classroom and in the students lockers, but it alleviates all of the weight that would
be in a students backpack from textbooks. In an article written by Weisberg (2011) he states that
in a research study, the researcher also demonstrated that there is no impact on the students
learning through the use of digital textbooks versus traditional textbooks; there is neither
increased nor decreased learning of the course content (p. 196). Parents, teachers, and
administrators can find comfort in the fact that using a digital textbook instead of a physical
textbook will not negatively impact students. Students still have the option to digitally underline,
highlight, and bookmark necessary pages as needed. Although students may use slightly different
strategies than with the traditional hardback textbook, a digital textbook on an iPad still serves
the same purpose with all the same results. The best convenience of digital textbooks, would be
to compare the thought of five or six textbooks stacked on a desk, in a locker, or stuffed in a

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backpack, to the idea of the iPad being less than one pound and just barely a quarter of an inch
thick while still holding all of that same information.
Collaboration
The portability of the iPad, yet again, produces another benefit and convenience. An
example of a college class using laptops during a lesson brings forth some cases of frustration.
In his article, Fisher shares that
Students that were working with laptops had trouble collaborating because they were
isolated from each other by their screens. In contrast, we observed that the size and
portability of the iPad allowed students to share their screens as part of their dialogue
(2013, p. 166).
The portability of the iPad allows collaboration in several ways. Three different types of
collaboration that may take place within the school would be student to student, student to
teacher, and teacher to teacher. If students wish to collaborate with each other, a laptop or
desktop may confine them to their seats because of lack of mobility of the device. The ease of a
lightweight iPad fitting in ones hand allows students to move around the room if necessary and
deemed appropriate by the facilitating teacher. When students are engaged in the lesson, activity,
or project, they are more likely to not get off task, and actually share ideas with each other and
discuss the assignment at hand. Students and teachers, as well, collaborate more often than not.
Students may possibly be more likely to ask for help more often if they had an iPad to easily
carry over to the teachers desk, rather than having a laptop that stays at their desk. Students also
have the option to e-mail their teachers whenever they have a question after class hours or office
hours (if in college). This can also be in place of any extra help or questions on an assignment.
The iPad is a huge benefit for teacher-to-teacher collaboration as well. Teachers are usually given

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a work laptop for convenience, but if replaced with an iPad, they have all of those same features
plus greater portability.
Study Applications
Students can also benefit their education from having a personal iPad in the sense that it
can support study habits. IPads come with an application store built into the device that can be
accessed to purchase all different types of apps. There is an array of apps that are created for
educational purposes for all age levels. Any age, for example, instead of the traditional paper
flash cards, could use interactive apps that test students with digital flash cards. This can be more
engaging for some students who may have trouble normally focusing and staying dedicated to
study time. To help increase student engagement, many study apps have games that award the
student with points or other rewards. This excites the student and motivates them to earn more
points, and during the process, they are having fun studying. Some students in older grades
(especially in college) may even prefer to video record a lecture or lab demonstration with their
iPads. This allows them to return to the material at a later point.
The interest and the participation of students in lectures using such an approach are
manifestly higher, and the students feel 'safer' in that they know they will be able to
access the details later. Not surprisingly, when students have been offered a return to the
traditional lecture approach, their answer has always been unanimously and universally
negative (Manuguerra, 2011, p 62).
Having the ability to return to a certain point of a lecture, or a lecture in full is very comforting
for a student. In a traditional classroom, it can sometimes be difficult to stay completely focused
the entire length of the lecture. If a students mind wanders for just a minute or two, information
is lost forever. If a professor speaks too quickly for a student to get all of the necessary notes

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written down, the student must find a classmate to borrow notes from to copy. With lectures
being audio and/or video recorded, they can be at ease knowing all of the content and
information is just a few clicks away to be re-watched or listened to.
Saves Paper
The use of iPads is also a good choice for the environmental conscious educator and/or
student. Not only are these technological tools convenient, portable, and engaging, but they can
also save thousands of sheets of paper a year per class. The traditional pen and paper classroom
can still exist, but should make way for the iPad to take over certain assignments and tasks. The
notion of writing has changed over the past several decades. It's time to re-define what we mean
by "writing" and the emphasis we place on writing in school. Writing can take many forms
(Lamb, 20012, p. 60). Instead of a paper test, there are many websites and iPad applications that
can be utilized by teachers to administer tests and quizzes. Students may prefer this method of
test taking because feels more interactive, engaging, and it not a run-of-the-mill test. They are
taken and submitted on this technological tool, so the teacher does not have any paper tests
stacked high on a desk waiting to be graded. Homework is just as easy to assign on an iPad.
There are endless varieties of homework that can be assigned with an iPad. Students can be told
to write a journal entry and email it to the teacher by a certain date. A slideshow could be
created, a collage designed, or a number of other possibilities could all be constructed on the
iPad, and submitted electronically. This reduces paper waste, and aids in organization of
classroom papers for students and teachers.
Flexible Learning Styles
Educational technology is extremely versatile in being of interest to several methods of
learning. The benefits of active learning can include increased student enjoyment of the

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classroom experience and the ability to simultaneously appeal to multiple learning styles
(Mayberry, 2012, p. 204). There are endless ways for an iPad to appeal to all learning styles.
Because of the Internet capabilities and applications that are available to be downloaded for free
or a small price all types of learners have equal opportunity for successful learning. For example,
in a Family and Consumer Sciences class, an auditory or a visual learner can search a
demonstration video on how to thread and knot a needle, how to sew a running stitch, or how to
secure a button on a shirt. A kinesthetic learner can watch that video while following along and
doing what is shown in the video. Students using iPad applications can find one that is suitable to
their own personal learning style. During class time when students are given free study time,
students can engage in whatever activity or student method that helps them succeed the most
when the time comes to take an assessment.
The iPad is a one-size-fits-all study tool, and educational instrument. Any age, young or
old, student, teacher, or administrator can utilize the iPad in the classroom, in the office, or at
home in order to increase learning and engagement. Collaboration between students and teachers
increases with ease because it is lightweight and easily portable. Student engagement and focus
on classwork and assignments is outstanding compared to its traditional counterpart of pen and
paper tasks. The iPads abundance of benefits makes it the obvious choice for any educator or
educational institution looking for an educational tool to introduce to students.

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References

Apple Website. (2015) Compare iPad Models. Retrieved from http://www.apple .com/ipad/
compare/#comparison-chart
Conn, C. (2012, June-July). Managing and maximizing a class set of iPads. Learning & Leading
with Technology, 39(8), 32+. Retrieved from http://go.galegroup.com.ezproxy.
liberty.edu:2048/ps/i.do?id=GALE
%7CA293949207&v=2.1&u=vic_liberty&it=r&p=AONE&sw=w&asid=0cf8db1a17a35
a0625a0862dbc54d03e
Fisher, B., Lucas, T., & Galstyan, A. (2013). The role of iPads in constructing collaborative
learning spaces. Technology, Knowledge and Learning, 18(3), 165-178.
doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10758-013-9207-z
Lacey, C. H., Gunter, G. A., & Reeves, J. (2014). Mobile technology integration: Shared
experiences from three initiatives. Distance Learning, 11(1), 1-8. Retrieved from
http://search.proquest.com/ docview/1549546684?accountid=12085
Lamb, A., & Johnson, L. (2012). Beyond words in word: Tablets and the new world of writing.
Teacher Librarian, 39(3), 57-65. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview /
925765011?accountid=12085
Manuguerra, M., & Petocz, P. (2011). Promoting student engagement by integrating new
technology into tertiary education: The role of the iPad. Asian Social Science, 7(11), 6165. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/906290204?accountid=12085
Mayberry, J. (2012). Exploring teaching and learning using an iTouch mobile device. Active
Learning in Higher Education. 13(3), 203-217. SAGE Publications. Retrieved from
http://alh.sagepub.com.ezproxy.liberty.edu:2048/content/13/3/203.full.pdf+html

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Weisberg, M. (2011). Student attitudes and behaviors towards digital textbooks. Publishing
Research Quarterly, 27(2), 188-196. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s12109-011-9217-4

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