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Some Pros and Cons of iPads for ELT

Monday 31 January 2011

Well the iPad has really hit the news in education circles since its release last year. I’m sure lots of teachers are wondering whether it’s hype and what the true potential of these devices are as tools for learners. I’ve had my iPad for about 8 months now, so I’ve decided to share my reflections so far on what I like about the iPad, what potential I feel it offers for developing course books and course materials and some of the problems.

DELTA on iPad

Here’s what I like.

I really like the high quality screen and the touch sensitivity of the interface. Simply being able to touch things to find out how they work and to operate them without having any other external device like a mouse or keyboard is great.
This extends to the actual built in keyboard that appears on the screen. I actually bought an external keyboard because I thought I would need it, but never use it as I find tapping away silently on the screen much more comfortable and the sensitivity of the screen seems to suit my typing style.
The main way to extend and enhance the functionality of the iPad is to download ‘apps’ from the iTunes store. ‘Apps’ are small software programmes designed to work on the iPad and many of them are either free or very cheap (around 10% of the price or less) compared to traditional software. This is a bit of a reversal of the trends of recent years during which software has almost become a thing of the past with most software applications being delivered within the web browser as web based ‘apps’.
These ‘apps’ are then capable of interacting with services on the internet so that users can create things like video, audio, text or graphics on the iPad and post it directly to the web without actually having to go to a website. A nice example of this is AudioBoo, a podcasting service which allows you to record audio on your iPad and publish it to a web based blog in a single click direct from your classroom(Yes the iPad has a built in microphone for recording).
This kind of interaction between the iPad and web based services makes it a much safer tool to use with students and also greatly reduces the possibility of them straying onto distracting websites.
Most iPad ‘apps’ are also designed for a single purpose and when you change to another app the previous one is closed down. This makes managing classes / students using iPads much easier as it is harder for students to open multiple windows and click away from Facebook or their email whenever they see you approaching.
Unlike the average laptop which can take a few minutes to get out and get booted up, virus checked and ready to work, an iPad can be switched on and an ‘app’ can be opened in seconds. This means that valuable classroom time isn’t wasted and consulting something like Wikipedia or Google can be done almost instantly, so very short bursts of computer use can easily be used to enhance and inform classroom interaction without lots of wasted time.
Lastly, IPads tend to lend themselves more easily to more sociable interaction within the classroom. They are easier to hand from person to person, so students aren’t bound to the location of the computer, they can amble about the classroom with them and pass them round from person to person just as they could a book.

So what does this mean in terms of developing materials or course books for the iPad?

The iPad would be a great platform for publishing an ELT course book. In theory it would be possible to have video and audio material built right into the pages of the book so that students could work independently at their own pace or a teacher could use a single device with a data projector to show activities on the board.
It is possible to build interactivity into the exercises in the pages of the book so that the materials could be marked and scored by the software and the results sent back to the teachers’ copy.
Students could also use it to record their own speaking to send to the teacher for evaluation or actually connect up live to chat with other students, work collaboratively on texts or exercises or do speaking or pairwork activities from home.
Students could interact with graphs and live data which could become personalised for the particular class.
Visuals could be 3 dimensional and tactile and able to respond to user input from students. Students could even navigate round small scale virtual worlds from within the course book.
The iPad is a great tool for creating text and can enable students to publish directly to a blog or learning journal without leaving the iPad app and of course the high quality screen makes it ideal for reading from.
The cost of developing an ‘app’ based ibook for an iPad is likely to be as great as that of developing a paper based book, but the costs of distribution are likely to be much much cheaper, which could result in a cheaper products for students.

So what about the problems?

The first has to be price. With a single device costing £400 + you either need to be working in a very well resourced school, or have very wealthy students. Though if the cost of the device can be offset against the cost of books, stationary, photocopying, other devices etc, then that might not seem so expensive, but still out of reach of many students and schools.
Connectivity can also be a problem. If you have lots of students in your classroom working on rich media content you could very easily crash or drastically slow down your network connection. There are however a good number of apps that will work without connectivity too.
iPads certainly aren’t indestructible. If you drop them onto a hard surface they break. You can get protective cases for them, but this adds to the expense and still wont make them indestructible.
As with every new technological innovation that is introduced into education, this will need to be backed up with training, so that the iPads actually get used. It’s not a difficult tool to learn to use, compared to an IWB, but it may prove difficult to use it well, so teachers will need support.

From a quick comparison of these two lists it may well look like the benefits far outweigh the disadvantages, but those disadvantages are BIG, especially the cost. If you are thinking of introducing iPads in your school, then I think by far the best way to start is just by having a few in the teachers’ staff room and letting the teachers explore them and see what they can do with them. If this can generate some enthusiasm then you could be on your way to having a 21st century language school.

What do you think?

Have you tried an iPad?
What apps have you found useful?
Have you used one with students?
Can you add to any of the lists of pros and cons above?
Would you prefer a course book delivered on a mobile device rather than paper?

41 responses to Some Pros and Cons of iPads for ELT

Karenne Sylvester says:

January 31, 2011 at 7:49 pm

Hi Nik,

I have two students at a software company who are developing magazines for the IPad so we use them quite regularly in our classes. As you mentioned above, all the fine points, above…yes.

However, until more tablets come out and the prices lower significantly then we won’t see a shift over to these devices on any sort of grand scale.

Also, and most importantly, while this is the latest bandwagon to jump on… it is essential to rethink about how material is presented. It simply isn’t a case of turn coursebook material into PDFs and ta-da, there we go, this is now mobile material.

Like my students have shown me (without breaking confidentiality) it’s another medium of delivery, it requires new content.

Karenne

Reply
- Nik Peachey says:
  
  January 31, 2011 at 8:36 pm
  
  Yes Karenne
  
  I agree it is another medium and one that can open up so many more ways of interacting with materials and facilitating interaction between students based around those materials. So not just new materials, but also a new approach to how we exploit and create interaction with and around the content.
  
  I think the prices will start to come down soon. Perhaps Apple will be making so much money from app sales they’ll be able to give the iPads away for free (we can dream) .At the moment what seems to surprise me is how many of the new iPad competitors have entered the market at a higher price than the iPad! That doesn’t seem to make much sense.
  
  Would love to hear about how you are using the iPads in your class.
  
  Thanks for the comments.
  
  Best
  
  Nik
  
  Reply
Samuel says:

February 1, 2011 at 5:55 pm

Wonderful information! I have been previously trying to find something like this for a long time now. Thx!

Reply
Gordon lewis says:

February 1, 2011 at 10:49 pm

Free and apple? Dont think we will see that anytime soon, but the prices for tablets will drop drmatically in the next one to two years…you can see it coming here in the us already.

I love the pad as a platform for courseware

Reply
- Nik Peachey says:
  
  February 2, 2011 at 1:25 pm
  
  Hi Gordon
  
  Geat to hear that US prices are coming down. I’m sure they will here too and of course the devices being desgned will continue to be more powerful and feature rich.
  
  Sadly I agree about free iPads. Probably a long long long way off.
  
  I think we also have yet to see designers of courseware that really take full advantage of the capabilities of the these devices to create interaction. So lots to look forward to.
  
  Best
  
  Nik
  
  Reply
Beverly says:

February 2, 2011 at 2:22 pm

Yes, I also agree with needing a new mode of content, not just pre-existing text in online forum.

Newly styled picture books are starting to come on the market. For example ‘The Heart in the Bottle’ by Oliver Jeffers. This book is an app on itunes and provides an interactive experience with the reader. The reader can make items move to uncover/discover context. The reader is involved in the experience and they control the pace (lingering and forging ahead when desired).

I look forward to the up and coming potential in this area.
Beverly

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- Nik Peachey says:
  
  February 2, 2011 at 7:14 pm
  
  Thanks for the comment Beverly. Yes I think the ‘reading’ experience could be transformed by these kinds of devices.
  
  Exciting stuff.
  
  Best
  
  Nik
  
  Reply
Chiew says:

February 3, 2011 at 11:03 am

How can I get one? He he.
Perhaps when Apple becomes Coconut, we’ll all be able to get them for free!

Reply
- Nik Peachey says:
  
  February 9, 2011 at 2:21 pm
  
  Or they may grow on trees! ; )
  
  Reply
Phil says:

February 4, 2011 at 9:27 pm

Free ipads?

These seem to be a few Unis embracing the idea and financially they may be actually saving money. No more paper books to buy and store, computer labs, huge handouts and maybe even hard copies of tests. As for teachers, we can take all our materials, attendance sheets, plans and multimedia in one little bag. If they can make an iteacher app then I’m sold.

http://www.thevarguy.com/2010/08/06/major-university-gives-free-ipads-to-freshman/

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- Nik Peachey says:
  
  February 5, 2011 at 8:16 am
  
  Yes, I think where money isn’t such a problem in the first place, these can be money saving devices, especially as you say in universities where students have to buy lots of expensive books. Although, in many cases the cost f digital books and even novels isn’t less for the digital copy than it is for the paper copy. This is something that will have to change.
  
  Best
  
  Nik
  
  Reply
Rachael says:

February 7, 2011 at 6:42 am

Thanks for your reflections. I agree about affordability and equity, teacher training and the development of more apps. But some of the concerns I had you have dispelled, so thanks!

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- Sandra C. Dueñes says:
  
  April 13, 2012 at 6:00 am
  
  Rachael,
  
  I agree with the fact that teacher training and the development of more apps for eduacational purposes are necessary. If these issues aren’t considered an institution investing risks throwing their money away.
  
  Sandra C. Dueñes
  ADELT students, Ags., Mex.
  
  Reply
SM Thompson says:

February 7, 2011 at 8:08 pm

I enter competitions in the belief that one day I will win iPads for ELT!

Reply
- Nik Peachey says:
  
  February 8, 2011 at 9:45 pm
  
  Good luck. I hope you win one soon.
  
  Best
  
  Nik
  
  Reply
Caroline Moore says:

February 8, 2011 at 11:35 am

This is a nice piece Nik and I like the way you capture the potential as well as the pros and cons of the devices, particularly the issue of cost.

I looked at this issue last year when I felt that there would soon be cheaper iPad-like devices, including new generation version of the One Laptop Per Child computer and the Intel Classmate. The Indian Minister of Education announced last summer that they were commissioning a very cheap device, but we haven’t heard anything since. I think Apple’s competitors are finding it harder than they and commentators expected to match the iPad on cost, never mind quality.

For Universities and affluent schools, it may make financial sense even now to use £400 tablets because of the potential savings on traditional IT infrastructure, the space you need for computer labs etc, combined with the cost of textbooks.

But for that they need content, and so far good quality content for most subjects, especially language learning, is rather lacking as Paul Sweeney and I found in our recent review of language learning Apps. It’s going to be really interesting to see what happens, particularly on the pricing of digital content which isn’t right yet as you suggest in your follow up post.
Caroline

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- Nik Peachey says:
  
  February 8, 2011 at 9:43 pm
  
  Hi Caroline
  
  Yes, There’s a vide article here about a $30 version of an iPad like device to be produced for India “India’s $30 iPad rival” http://theweek.com/article/index/206114/indias-30-ipad-rival
  
  I think prices will come down and soon and quality and power will go up. This has been a constant trend with technology over the last two decades and I don’t see why it won’t apply to the iPad / tablets too.
  
  Also, for the better funded organisations iPads ARE potential money savers. When I look round at some of the grossly over complex, heavy weight and ridiculously expensive tech that has been sold into the education sector, much of which remains unused or not maintained, I often think, If only they had just bought a data projector for each room and then bought each teacher an iPad or a laptop and just spent the rest of the money on really effective wireless connectivity, so much more could have been achieved.
  
  Unfortunately though a lot of the heavy tech investment has been directed at supporting a very traditional style of (PowerPoint driven) instructional model and one that largely doesn’t really need or even use the technology once it has been provided.
  
  As for the quality of language learning apps, there are some good ones out there (though many are not), but none of these represent yet something that could constitute a complete course of instruction. Most ELT publishers that are getting involved in apps seem to be focusing more on developing small add-on type apps that are more geared towards being viral marketing gimmicks than serious attempts at instructional tools.
  
  Some of the best apps I have seen, just like some of the most useful websites, tend to be ones that weren’t actually designed for educational purposes, but which instead deliver a useful function. As such these tend to be much more motivating and useful for students.
  
  As for course books for delivery on IPad I guess it will come, I just hope it is delivered with some real insight into the potential of the platform. It would be sad to see a scanned PDF version of the paper book passed off as a digital course book.
  
  Best
  
  Nik
  
  Reply
phil says:

February 9, 2011 at 9:35 pm

Well Nik, trees are now growing iphones so ipads should be pretty soon.

http://www.slipperybrick.com/2009/12/the-iphone-christmas-tree/

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John Williams says:

February 16, 2011 at 12:23 pm

I’m not averse to using new technology in ELT, but I really think we ought to stand back for a moment and get a little perspective before we throw ourselves wholeheartedly into the hands of Apple.*

Despite its cool image, Apple is a ruthless commercial operator quite the equal of Microsoft. The latter has managed to push the Windows operating system (Vista anyone?) into practically every educational institution in the country and more or less forced generations of students to purchase the overpriced MS Office software. I wouldn’t want to go down a similar route again.

At least Microsoft allows anyone to develop, sell or give away software for Windows, whereas Apple keeps a tight control over the availabilty of apps, which I believe can only be obtained from the Apple store. (Please tell me if I’m wrong.)

Nik says:
I think the prices will start to come down soon. Perhaps Apple will be making so much money from app sales they’ll be able to give the iPads away for free (we can dream).

From the ecological point of view, this is exactly the opposite model of the one we should be trying to encourage. Hardware uses up precious physical resources whereas software is intangible and easily reproducible so ought to be relatively cheap or free. If hardware is expensive, people hold onto their machines for longer, more robust design is encouraged, and software developers can invest more tiime in creating useful and resource-efficient software without worrying whether it will become obsolete.

Sorry to pour cold water, and I haven’t really discussed ELT, but I thought it needed to be said.

John Williams
University of Portsmouth (in a personal capacity)

* Other tablets are available, including ones that use Open Source software. For the record, on my personal laptop all my software (including the OS) is free and legally obtained, and I can do pretty well anything I want.

Reply
- Nik Peachey says:
  
  February 19, 2011 at 11:55 am
  
  Hi John
  
  You’re right in many ways about Apple. They are a big company, they are competitive and they are about making money. But, although they control the sale of all apps developed for iPad, they do allow anyone to develop them and access that market and the result has been MUCH cheaper software and the development of small scale commercial apps that would have been impossible otherwise.
  
  I hear what you’re saying about the constant upgrading to new models that seems almost virulent among mobile phone users, but I don’t think this is something that will change. In a way that does seem to be the basis for capitalist economies. What we can do is try to make sure disused technology gets handed down and / or recycled effectively.
  
  As for free software, that’s great. Just like free publishing, also great, but it isn’t a sustainable model on its own. Most free software development, like free publishing (much of which I do myself) is funded by something else. Basically at some point all of us, even people working in education, need to make some money in order to pay rent and eat, so I don’t think we can expect to get everything for free. It’s true, we have been through a kind of ‘golden age’ of Web 2.0 apps and websites that have been free, but increasingly these are either starting to charge or they are disappearing, so at some point I think we will all be faced with the reality of either paying a little bit for some of these services or risk loosing them.
  
  Thanks for you comment.
  
  Best
  
  Nik Peachey
  
  Reply
Nicky Hockly says:

February 22, 2011 at 11:16 am

Thanks for a really interesting and clear piece about the iPad and teaching, Nik. I particularly like the way you consider classroom management issues with mobile devices, not just content. I was especially struck by this comment of yours:

“Most iPad ‘apps’ are also designed for a single purpose and when you change to another app the previous one is closed down. This makes managing classes / students using iPads much easier as it is harder for students to open multiple windows and click away from Facebook or their email whenever they see you approaching.”

I think this is a crucial point that gets very little air time. Indeed, the consensus seems to be the more tasks you can do simultaneously on a device, and the more windows you can have open, the better. Clearly this adds to distraction and time off task – and that goes not just for work inside the classroom, but for the rest of us in our general professional lives! So, just wanted to say that this really struck a chord – thanks

Nicky

Reply
- Nik Peachey says:
  
  February 23, 2011 at 12:02 pm
  
  Thanks Nicky
  
  Yes. It is an important point. Lots of people ask if iPads can really do anything that a laptop can’t and in truth they don’t, but their big advantage is that they do things in a way that is much quicker and more easily manageable for a classroom setting, and this can have a really big impact on their useability within a the classroom setting.
  
  Best
  
  Nik
  
  Reply
The 22nd ESL / EFL / ELL Blog Carnival | EFL Classroom 2.0 - Teacher Talk says:

April 3, 2011 at 5:35 pm

[...] Peachey Nik discusses in two blog posts: 1. Using the ipad in our teaching 2. Screencast tutorials for learning about tech [...]

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Vicki says:

April 6, 2011 at 5:48 am

Oh terrific post, Nik, Thank you! And very interesting comments too. Who knows what will happen here, but I’d lay bets that Apple vs Android will probably turn out to be a non issue. Publishers can deliver content in epub and flash for both. (Actually, Amazon looks like more of a headache to me – no epub or video on the kindle)

Reply
Best-of-ELT-Blog-Posts (Karenne’s picks) January 2011 - English Teaching Daily says:

September 19, 2011 at 11:30 am

[...] lesson plan comparing literature texts. ELT EdTech On the DELTA blog, Nik Peachey lays out the advantages and disadvantages of iPads in the classroom; Angela Maiers shares a very interesting infographic on cell phone usage – worth [...]

Reply
Patricia Bueno Avechuco says:

April 2, 2012 at 3:04 am

I am totally agree with the author, this is a great new tool and we have to take advantage of all technology, remember: Tradition versus Innovation; that’s what it is.
Best
Patty

Reply
Monica Delgadillo says:

April 6, 2012 at 3:48 am

Great article! I personally dont own an iPad, but a friend of mine does, so that´s how I have been able to try it. I love it. If I don´t have one, it´s because I dont have the money ( I agree with the fact of being expensive). Some of the apps I have been able to use are mostly games ( very addictive by the way) and our teacher has shown us some cool apps.. including a game for cats! (unbelivable!). I think it´s a great technology to add to an ESL class, either with just the teacher guiding the class with it, or having all students use one at the same time ( if possible). Having book courses in the Ipads would be just great, no need to be carrying around a bunch of papers that I end up losing…
Hopefully in a few years this technology will become more affordable so all students can enjoy using this technology in their classrooms.
thank you.

Reply
- Diana Laura Rivera says:
  
  April 9, 2012 at 1:54 pm
  
  I agree with you, Moni!! Book courses on iPad is a great idea, it is different to what we are used to. Of course! I really hope in a few years students and teachers have the opportunity to use this technology and improve the quality in teaching languages.
  
  Reply
- Yanina says:
  
  April 9, 2012 at 4:53 pm
  
  I agree with you Mony, I wish it wasn’t so expensive so everyone in class could have one.
  
  Reply
- lupicer says:
  
  April 11, 2012 at 1:03 am
  
  I agree about that iPad
  It´s a great article; because you can download many apps that can be useful on whatever you like or need. In the case of students; it helps them to improve their abilities on the topic and what they are learning; as for teachers, it help them to provide material to their students. The Use of iPad reduces the amount of papers; if facilitates the organization of the subjects and also people can add apps with extra information for better and clear information.
  
  Reply
- raquel moran says:
  
  April 11, 2012 at 3:17 am
  
  I’m agree with you, and also I think they are becoming more popular specially for kids because as you say iPads have many games to play and joined with the fact that are easy to use them that is attractive for kds
  
  Reply
- Tamieka de Jong says:
  
  April 12, 2012 at 4:00 am
  
  I totally agree with you about the games being addictive…it can be hard to stop playing!!
  I also agree about the iPad being great for course books. Being able to download them to the iPad will certainly help with carrying books around, students these days have so many books that they carry and it is not good for their health.
  
  Reply
- Mónica Palomar says:
  
  April 12, 2012 at 4:39 am
  
  Hi Monica Delgadillo. I guess I agree with you on the will to have one of these for me and plenty of them for my students!
  Let’s keep our fingers crossed and start saving some money!
  Bye bye.
  
  Reply
- Alejandra Milonas says:
  
  April 12, 2012 at 1:16 pm
  
  Moni, I agree with you. Ipads are expensive and unfortunatly in the place we live we still are having trouble with electricity and connectivity, so the use of ipads it is only for very wealthy schools; it would be great to have the chance to have them at the classroom not like the main tool, but to use it sometimes.
  
  Reply
Diana Laura Rivera says:

April 9, 2012 at 1:46 pm

I have tried an iPad but I don’t own one. When I’ve used it I’ve realized it is a great tool in which you can download very useful and interesting apps. iPad offers teachers an innovative alternative for teaching and in this way it is possible to involve students more when learning a new language because they like to use technology and of course, an iPad!
I haven’t tried many apps but the ones I have had the opportunity to use are apps of flashcards, exercises, quizzes, video, pronunciation, and even games of spelling that are very fun and students can learn many new words.
Developing materials or course books for the iPad is great. This use of the technology gives a plus to the teaching in ESL classes. There are many advantages, all the tools that can be included in a book, the attractiveness of the material and the interactivity. It is definitely an innovative way to use the technology in benefit of teaching. (:
Of course, there are some disadvantages, one of them, and I think, the most common, is the price but at the end it’s worth.

Thank you

Reply
lupicer says:

April 9, 2012 at 11:43 pm

iPad is a great article but, I don´t have an iPad, but my nephew has one, and I had observed that he can use it for many things. He downloaded many apps that help him in his job; also he can send any information to his boss when he is far away from his office, and the information is required in that moment.
Some apps that I found useful are the services of the internet where the user can create things like video, audio, text or graphics on the iPad and post it directly to the web like AudioBoo, that allows the user to record audio on his/her iPad and publish it to a web based blog with a single click
I have never used an iPad with my students; but I know that students can interact with exercises in mathematics, ordering words, find the missing word; and each time the activities and exercises are more complicated; it depends of the age and the knowledge’s of the person. IPad is a tool for students in high school and university because they can find and download books in an easy and economical way than the traditional one.
Some pros on the use of the iPad, is that high quality in the screen and with only touching the screen you can operate it without having any other external device like a mouse, it is possible to build interactive exercises in the pages to make the activities more attractive for the students. Students can read books on line; and so students can save a lot of money on books or any other material that they are required to accomplished their activities at school. Students can work collaboratively on texts or exercises; or do speaking activities to practice.
And some cons on the use of the iPad: It´s expensive, and people have to pay to get some apps, some of them are cheap but others are expensive.
People have to be careful on the use of iPad because if it fall down it will damage .
I would like a course delivered on a mobile device, because it’s a way more interesting to read books, or find whatever information in this resource.

Reply
Tamieka de Jong says:

April 12, 2012 at 3:55 am

Thanks for the article, it has some excellent comments, especially the part where students can be controlled with what they are doing on the iPad, they are unable to check social network sites without the teaching knowing.
I have used my sisters iPad and love using it. It is so easy and simple to use…and all with the touch of a finger, no need for mouses or keyboards. That is what really appeals to me.
The apps that I have used have mainly been games but I have also tried some English learning apps that are great. There is a huge variety of English learning apps out there for all different levels and ages. For this reason, there are many apps that could be used in an ESL classroom, either as a group, in pair work or individually. I have used my computer in my ESL classroom and there is always a period of time for it to start up and connecting, which takes time out of the lesson. With the iPad it would be so much easier and faster to show presentations.
The main problem with the iPad is the cost, they are very expensive and a lot of schools cannot afford to buy them. But, hopefully in a few years this will become possible for the schools and will be able to enhance ESL classrooms more.

Reply
Mónica Palomar says:

April 12, 2012 at 4:36 am

Wow!!! iPad, the latest thing! Thanks for the information, this article gave me a clearer idea of what an iPad is and the comments did as well.
Lately, I’ve been learning a lot about technology in the classroom and my thoughts that the world is out there and not in here have changed. Now I see that the world is out there and a lot of it is IN HERE as well.
I teach at a public school in Mexico and this information has made me remember a phrase I read somewhere: “The only limits are, as always, those of vision”.
I hope one day all teachers in public schools will be able to work with them but more that the disadvantages of the costs is the disadvantage of vision. We need training, most of all, and a flexible mind. Sometimes this is harder to get than the money!
THANKS AGAIN!

Reply
Alejandra Milonas says:

April 12, 2012 at 12:59 pm

Very interesting!
My sister owns an Ipad and we don´t know how to use it, She was saying, she was a litlte bit dissapointed because she couldn´t do many things, we use it basically to play and to listen to music, and yes to get into the social networks. As a teacher and trying to take advantage of this amazing tool, I try to find useful applications to use them at least in my lesson planning. I work with very young children and I have found they find it very very easy to use it, it seems they have been in touch with ipads since they were born, in some way this is true. Ipads are very attractive, much more than a boring book, but we have to learn how to use them at classroom, to have a real purpose.

Reply
Sandra C. Dueñes says:

April 13, 2012 at 5:46 am

Nik,

Thank you for letting us see some light on technology in the classroom but I think we still have a long way before we go high tech in the ELT classroom.

The price of an IPad is still pretty high and it seems like every year there is a new version. I agree with Caroline Moore. She said that universities and affluent schools could benefit by saving on infrastructure and books. I currently work in an affluent school and I’ve noticed that about 20% of my students already own iPads. I observe that they usually use it for leisure and not an academic purpose. The problem is how will I get my own. On my salary; I doubt it.

If I had an iPad, I would try to find and app that could help me organize and complete my grade log automatically. This would save me alot of time. But at the same time us teachers need to think of how and what we are teaching. We need to be careful on not making every thing automized. We must include the 4 skills in our lessons. Can an iPad grade writing? Will this narrow the students’ creativity? We have to remember that there is always more than one answer to a single questions.

Sandra C. Dueñes
ADELT Student, Ags, Mex.

Reply
Yanina says:

April 9, 2012 at 4:49 pm

I totally agree with you!. I think that´s a very good tool for ESL teachers, including books, reading material, interacting with internet, downloading interesting apps, or even working on line at the same time with students it’s great!. Students working in class with an iPad hardly ever get distracted on the Facebook or chat rooms, because teachers may include in their classes videos, music, speaking exercises, or even evaluating students at the moment.
I personally don’t own an iPad, but my son has an iPod which is similar, it has lots of games, music and internet. It is also “touch” so the screen is sensible and easy to use.
Unfortunately as you mention in the blog, the cost is too high. Otherwise –however- teachers could ask students to buy one and bring it to class so everyone would be able to enjoy the pleasure of working with and iPad. The risk of “moving it around” is also a difficulty, it could be a good option that schools had it for students to use.

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Meet the Bloggers

Hania Kryszewska & Paul Davis (April to June 2012)
Louis Rogers (January to March 2012)
Ken Paterson (December 2011 to February 2012)
Richard Brown & Lewis Richards (September to November 2011)
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Kyle Mawer & Graham Stanley (April to August 2011)
Nik Peachey (from November 2010)
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Gill Johnson (April 2010)
Chaz Pugliese (March 2010)
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Lindsay Clandfield (July 2009)
Duncan Foord (June 2009)
Scott Thornbury (May 2009)

The Business English Teacher

From the award-winning DELTA TEACHER DEVELOPMENT SERIES. The Business English Teacher is a book not only for teachers who are thinking of making a career move into the field of business English teaching but also for those who would like to increase their skills and develop their potential.

The Developing Teacher

The Developing Teacher has been awarded the 2009 Duke of Edinburgh/ESU Award for Best Entry for Teachers. The Developing Teacher suggests that teachers themselves are the most powerful agents of change and development in their own professional career.

Digital Play

Digital Play has been shortlisted for the 2012 ELTons Innovation in Teacher Resources! Digital Play is a pioneering book on the use of computer games in language teaching. Authors Kyle and Graham are experts in teaching with technology and training teachers in innovative classroom practice.

Being Creative

Part of the Delta Teacher Development Series. Being Creative takes you on a journey that reveals how all teachers have the potential to become creative. Whether you are experienced or new to the classroom, Being Creative allows your teaching to take flight.

Teaching Online

Teaching Online is essential reading for any teacher interested in online teaching and course delivery. It deals comprehensively with both the tools and the techniques necessary for online language instruction.

Culture in our Classrooms

Part of the Delta Teacher Development Series. Culture in our Classrooms acknowledges the role of culture in the English Language Teaching classroom and provides lesson content which is relevant, useful and engaging for students.

The Pronunciation Book

FORTHCOMING SPRING 2012. Part of the Delta Teacher Development Series. The Pronunciation Book considers the significance of pronunciation in teaching and learning, providing a straightforward overview of the elements of English pronunciation. The authors go on to offer a bank of ready-made activities for working on all aspects of pronunciation, followed by both suggestions and activities for practical and professional development in this vital field.

The Company Words Keep

FORTHCOMING SPRING 2012. Part of the Delta Teacher Development Series. The Company Words Keep examines how we store language in ready-made chunks that we retrieve and use, rather than elaborately constructing ‘grammar’ each time we speak. The authors provide a wealth of activities which apply their methodology to both the coursebook and to authentic contexts, taking advantage of corpus linguistics. Teachers are also offered suggestions and activities for further development in this exciting field.

Teaching Unplugged

Teaching Unplugged has just been awarded the British Council 2010 ELTons UK Award for Innovation. Teaching Unplugged is the first book to deal comprehensively with the approach in English Language Teaching known as Dogme ELT.