GCSU invests in new iPads

Apple’s latest device, the iPad, has recently been ordered by various departments at GCSU to incorporate into their curriculum. Thirty to 50 iPads have been ordered and are expected to arrive in time for the fall semester. Ed Boyd, interim chief information officer, has played a significant part in overseeing the preparations for this incoming technology.

“The faculty is going to use them to enhance teaching in the classroom. It’s an intermediate level device, so it runs the same as an OS (operating system). The students and teachers will be able to surf the Internet and have access to reader books and it has word processor stuff that you might use for presentations,” Boyd said. “The iPad is new on the market, so until people get them in their hands, they won’t know their true capabilities.”

Instructors will be able to prepare lesson plans and find other creative ways to use the technology. Although around 40 devices have been ordered, some professors are still holding back on getting the iPad until its technology advances further.

“A lot of people are waiting to order the 3G model since all models are currently dependent on WiFi,” Boyd said.

GCSU is still planning on training professors over the summer in order to inform them about how the iPads can be used. Special Assistant to the Provost Deborah Vess is preparing for the coming technological changes, as well as the GCSU staff.

“We are going to do faculty department workshops,” Vess said. “We will model a lot of different options. I think we’re really excited about them and the excitement is definitely there on the campus.”

Some teachers are already on board with the idea of having a classroom with iPads and are beginning to convert traditional textbooks into versions available on the computer and iPad. Lee Gillis, chair of the psychology department, is in the process of converting his classroom to a more technologically based one.

“The book I wrote for my classes already has a lot of references to YouTube, so it would look like a traditional textbook but we could integrate things with the iPad down the line,” Gillis said. “This will provide for an interactive way of learning. No one could have predicted all that the iPhone was capable of. Now there are all of these applications. So we asked ourselves, ‘how can we use this to increase the learning environment?’ We are trying to get on the bleeding edge of technology.”

This way of forward thinking may be great for progress and advancement, but some students are not very keen on the use of school money for what could be deemed unnecessary. Taylor Howard, a sophomore education major, thinks the money used to purchase the iPads could go to better use.

“Why should the school be spending money on extra stuff when teachers are losing jobs and classes are getting larger? Money is not something to just throw around,” Howard said.

Although some are skeptical of these new innovations, Gillis ensures that this money is being used in the very best way possible.

“We are given faculty development money from summer school the year before. The faculty will use the money for school-related travel expenses and also towards materials meant to enhance teaching and learning,” Gillis said. “Faculty development money is like a bonus, although it does not go in your paycheck, the money goes to good use that will benefit the teacher and the student.”

Posted by Joanna Sullivan on Apr 30 2010. Filed under News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry