Harry Walker's Rubric for Educational Apps

While many people embrace change and technology, many other people are big opponents of having such technology brought into our classrooms. Those who oppose education entering into a technological world with the iPad believe there could be damage to the students’ health, such as internet addiction, depression, or vision problems. Those opponents also believe that such a device is too pervasive and this younger generation is simply a tablet-carrying, smart-phone obsessed, technologically dependent world. They believe that our students would receive much benefit from less exposure to devices, not more (Harlan, 2012).

Some of these same opponents make us aware that there are other limitations to having devices such as the iPad in the classroom. One limitation is the cost. Those who argue about the cost make a reasonable argument. A device alone could be anywhere from 200-500 dollars. This cost is before even considering the cost of apps or accessories that are needed to get the best use in the classroom. Some may argue that children can not learn information like they do from a textbook. There is also the issue that some people may believe that reading ability may decrease because student wouldn’t be reading to learn any longer. In a study done by the Department of Education, it was found that if we incorporate such technology in the classroom, it does not influence the amount of learning that takes place in the classroom, but it did increase the level of engagement of the students (Means, Toyama, Murphy, Bakia & Jones, 2010). With attributing student engagement to the use of apps and technology in the classroom, others argue that although students are engaged, the novelty effect must come into play at some point. It is argued tha...

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...11, January 4). Math That Moves: Schools Embrace the iPad. The New York Times. Retrieved April 20, 2014, from http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/05/education/05tablets.html?_r=0&pagewanted=print

Means, B., Toyama, Y., Murphy, R., Bakai, M., & Jones, K. (n.d.). Evaluation of Evidence-Based Practices in Online Learning: A Meta-Analysis and Review of Online Learning Studies. U.S. Department of Education. Retrieved February 5, 2014, from http://www2.ed.gov/rschstat/eval/tech/evidence-based-practices/finalreport.pdf.

Henderson, S., Yeow, J. (Director) (2012, January 4). iPad in Education: A case study of iPad adoption and use in a primary school. Hawaii International Conference on System Science. Lecture conducted from IEEE Computer Society, Maui.

Airasian, P. W., & Russell, M. K. (2008). Classroom assessment: Concepts and applications (6th ed.). New York: McGraw-Hill.