The Introduction of iPads

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Ginger Dunbar's article is an overview about how the city of Downingtown, Pennsylvania, is considering purchasing iPads for its school's sixth graders. This article has a fairly neutral tone and is not overly complex. It simply gives details behind the process of giving iPads to students but doesn't state an obvious opinion. If there is an opinion at all, it may be that Dunbar is vaguely hinting that this practice could be more widely accepted further down the road. Dunbar is a writer for the Daily Local News, so she is credible.
Dunbar begins with a brief statement about how school officials are thinking of “providing iPads for the incoming sixth grade students at the Marsh Creek Sixth Grade Center” (1). That is all it is: a brief sentence about what the school is thinking of doing, with no bias, one way or the other. She then goes into further discussion of the details behind this plan by explaining that at a meeting, members of the school board had talked over how iPads had already been delivered to the teachers, and that now they should purchase iPads for the students. According to the school board, the iPads could be provided “as a one-on-one initiative for teachers to use in the classroom,” meaning that the teachers are encouraged to take advantage of having iPads in the classroom (1). The whole idea of giving iPads to the students seems to be an ongoing effort to go digital for the entire school. In fact, the superintendent, Lawrence Mussoline, seemed to confirm this with his statement, “The vision is that sixth, seventh and eighth [grade students] are given digital devices” (1).
Dunbar then gives some details about how students will use the iPads. Instead of confining iPad use to the classroom, students will be allowed ...

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...nts. The unique thing about it though is that it has to do with junior high kids. Most of the cases where schools use iPads for learning are usually in high schools, and not in elementary school or junior high. It could lead to more elementary schools doing the same thing by giving iPads to students in younger grades. I could search for articles that have more examples of schools considering iPads for kids in younger grades. I have a few more options besides this. I could research some articles that have a clear opinion on whether iPads should be used in the classroom or not. I could also look into the effect iPads have on education, if there are any. All this could help me learn what the article did not tell me.

Works Cited

Dunbar, Ginger. “Downingtown considers iPads for 6th grade students.” Dailylocal.com. Daily Local

News, 30 Jan. 2014. Print. 12 Feb. 2014.

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