So many tablets, so much to consider

Going back over the list of uses for the tablets really just muddied the water for me. I tried to make a couple broad sweeping comments on the uses, but, I think, perhaps, that there is too much to cover that way. When it comes to Apps, the clear winner is the iPad. There is an app for everything and, in many cases, multiple apps for many things. After further reading and understanding, the Google apps list is still not close. In books, it's difficult and the reading for this class period only made it worse. There seem to be strong advantages with the Nook and higher end Kindle models, but the iPad still has ibooks and the ability to run the kindle app. There wasn't a huge discrepancy (except price) when it comes to internet among all models of tablet. Most come wifi enabled and many have cellular capability if purchased that way. Newspapers, TV, video, and movies didn't provide too much difference either. Lastly comes software. I consider it a bonus that many tablets have software designed for their medium and as I said in my last post, if you want the Microsoft OS, buy a real laptop.

With tablets in education, there seems to be A LOT to go through. The first link that was more general makes me hope the burden of decision about tablets for my school is not put squarely on my shoulders any time soon. In the first blog containing 4 parts, the evolution of the author's opinion was interesting. Even the titles show that transition. First it was the "e-reader adventure" followed by two posts entitled "nook adventure" as the author seemed more excited about the possibilities Nook brought, and finally the title went back to ereader as the decision was made to move on from the Nook. Even in that decision, the Nook still came out favorable as the library was to keep the Nooks while the new purchase was a different tablet. Following that was a blog discussing why kindle's shouldn't be purchased. It's not that the Kindle is a bad tablet, but Amazon's requirements, in the opinion of that author, make it impossible for the schools to utilize them. The Nook looked pretty good after these.
In the next section however, a high school decided to give out Kindles and the students were ecstatic. They were excited so it seems only natural to hope that the excitement could transition into excitement over what they are learning and/or reading. In the video listed under "comments" on the iPad page, the Kindle Fire (in my opinion) seemed to come out looking pretty good.
Lastly, the section on the iPad from page 1 and the entire second page discussion uses gave great weight to the plusses in the iPad. From the list of articles, I was fascinated in reading about the speech impediment help offered on iPad. In addition, it appears Apple has worked the most with the teachers and as mentioned before, there's an app for EVERYTHING. I think the common knowledge of and exposure to the iPad gives it a boost here. It has had the most opportunity for use (some even claiming higher scores after a short time) and that means the most chance for comment, improvement, and evaluation.
The article I want to mention from page 2 is the "55 ways to use...". I really enjoyed many of them and had a hard time narrowing the 5. The three most interesting to me were the Connect to a live tutor, the globe, and writer's hat. I like tutor possibility because a live person (in my opinion) is always better than a book or a tutorial. Asking questions and receiving feedback is second to nothing (hopefully teachers won't be replaced by robots any time soon) especially with the digital age and the lack of other human interaction. The globe is a wonderful way to learn about our world, the countries in it, and interact with all of it. To be able to move a globe (like the ones we have always had in classrooms) is enhanced by the ability to focus on specific areas. The writer's hat is especially good for someone like me because I have never been really creative but I was required to write stories. An app to help get the juices flowing would be great. The last two I chose to highlight are for little kids. The money counter is great because it helps in multiples ways. Simple arithmetic opens the door for so much in the world of math, science, and computers. Counting and adding money is a fun way to learn it. Who doesn't love money? It also gives real world application to learning a tool. So many times, kids as "why do I need this for life?" Again, who doesn't love having and counting money? Lastly is alphabetizing. I think it is a small thing that can help immensely. Even though we are moving to a more digital world, alphabetizing is an effective way to organize things and help us all find what we need to find. In my house, I use alphabetizing to organize my movie collection, video games, and books. This app is a fun way to learn the skill. And the most simple thing you learn with the alphabetizing is...wait for it...the alphabet. I tutored a 3rd grade student last year and he could not write out the entire english alphabet without peeking. This game could have been a fun way to help him.