iPad: Road Test

Road Test is an article written by Pam Derringer to inform educators of new strategies for K-12 leaders. The article focuses on the Apple iPad becoming the most efficient tool of the time to use in schools. Lighter than a laptop, but with a bigger screen than a BlackBerry, the iPad is an ideal technological advancement.

According to the article, "The iPad opens the door for two things: collecting classroom observations and checking off teacher behavior". Miguel Guhlin, a technology director in the San Antonio region, is an advocate for the use of this new technology. He believes that using the iPad is an efficient way to gather information on individual students by combining many sources into a single source. The iPad allows this to happen.

The future of education is believed to incorporate the use of technology into everyday learning. Guhlin anticipates that, further down the road, "Simple, affordable videoconferencing equipment will enable administrators to converse with one another and/or broadcast on the fly". He also notes that smaller districts are often more open to innovating technology than larger districts, where "deployments cost more and more stakeholders weigh in on the proposals". Lastly, Guhlin states: " We want to support teachers but hold them accountable". This infers that schools will give their teachers more and more tools to educate their students, with the idea that the success of these students is dependent on the teachers' use of these tools. Technology is the future of education.