Toshiba Thrive: A New Educational Technology Competitor for iPad 2

In the previous posting, Marissa addressed the growing trend of iPad integration in elementary classrooms, even at the Kindergarten level, but soon, iPads will likely not be the number-one, go-to tablet computer for education. Toshiba, among other companies, is producing competitive learning software and devices that may be more attractive to educators and students, with technology that surpasses that of an iPad. The article, “New Instructional Technology for the 2011-2012 School Year,” reports that over 400 school systems have purchased iPads for classrooms and will be initiating iPad integrated curriculums this Fall, 2011. This article can be found at: http://www.eschoolnews.com/2011/09/12/new-instructional-technology-for-the-2011-12-school-year/

The Toshiba “Thrive” is an Android-based tablet released in July 2011 that, like the recently released iPad 2, features a dual camera setup, enabling teachers to video-conference with a student or group of students. If a teacher, for example, wants her third grade class to practice using a ruler to measure tiles in a hallway or items throughout the school building, she could send them on their mission in groups, with a Thrive. Then, at a specified time, the groups could all video-conference using their tablets to share their measurement findings. Unlike the iPad 2, the Thrive offers built-in mini and full SD card slots, as well as a USB port, enabling students and teachers to quickly and easily transfer files across platforms. A simple feature that just might make the Thrive more attractive to educators than the iPad 2 is the battery that can be replaced by teachers themselves, rather than having to send the battery off to the manufacturer to be replaced and specially installed. Tablets that are required to be shipped for battery replacement create lag time in the classroom during which the educator and students are unable to use tablet technology.

Toshiba and Apple aren’t the only technology companies targeting educators, as many others, like Fujitsu and Brainchild are also. For the past few years though, it seems like iPads and iPods were the overriding vessels for educational technology. This will quickly change, as tech companies are advertising more competitive pricing, more advanced features, more portable products, and more capable, interactive, and user-friendly software than ever before. Tech companies are finding ways to make their products more cutting-edge than others already on the market, and then convincing educators that they have the hardware and software that are essential to student success and AYP. Teachers across America are already extremely stressed due to pressure at the national, state, and regional level to produce higher, and sometimes very unrealistic, academic scores among students to meet AYP and other demands. Now, teachers are also being highly pressured to use technology in the classroom. School systems are creating new job positions for technology specialists that are meant to help teachers successfully integrate technology in their lessons to enhance learning. Will this added pressure to integrate technology be positive for teachers and increase learning in the classroom, or will it perhaps make teachers even more stressed than they already are, therefore hindering student learning? Is today’s increasing competition in the instructional technology realm driven by the technology companies or school systems, or both? Do you know of any other technology that is fighting for a spot in classrooms?

iPads for Learning

Can the iPad be used for applications more instructional than Angry Birds or Words with Friends? Many say yes. Schools, universities, and workforces are using iPads to deliver learning content.

A school district in Maine has recently spent $200,000 to provide an iPad for every kindergartener. Many of the school’s third graders are not reading at their grade level, so the school is hoping the iPads will boost the reading skills of the upcoming classes. One teacher explained that the iPads give instant feedback and attention to her students, something that is more difficult for a teacher to do with dozens of students. The school plans to test the reading and math skills of the kindergarteners in November and the scores should show whether the iPads have had a positive or negative impact (Cohen, 2011). To read more of the news story, click here: http://www.necn.com/09/12/11/Kindergarteners-get-iPads-for-school/landing_scitech.html?blockID=563064&feedID=4213. Here is another interesting article about the effectiveness of toddlers using smartphones and iPads for elearning: http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/parent-debate-ipads-smartphones-teach-toddlers-read/story?id=13626381.

Universities are also turning to iPads in class. Rutgers University has teamed up with Apple to create an MBA program in Digital Marketing that uses the iPad. Students still attend normal lecture classes, but all the course content is put on the iPads provided to the students. A student can view the syllabus, notes, and videos used in class directly from the iPad. The program hopes to successfully blend instructor-led learning with e-learning. The director of the program, Eric Greenburg, says, “Our hope is that the iPad can extend the classroom learning beyond the walls of the classroom and even the hours of the class…We see the future of education as a network of peers and individuals all communicating and sharing information with one another” (“First iPad University Course,” 2010). To read more of Eric Greenburg’s interview, click here: http://theelearningcoach.com/elearning2-0/first-ipad-university-course/.

But where do we draw the line? Do you think kindergarteners can responsibly use iPads to improve their reading and math skills in the classroom? I can understand how iPads can be effective tools to address individual needs and supply instant feedback, but I think there need to be definite rules and guidelines about the type of use and amount of time allotted for the children to use the iPads. At times I feel as if I am too connected and dependent on technology, so I wonder how healthy it is for young children to be tied to their iPad already. The article also failed to mention whether the iPads will stay in the classroom or if the students can take them home after school. I think using the iPad in kindergarten classes will only work if the iPad is used solely as a supplemental tool. Kindergarteners need to learn the basics of reading, writing, and math first without the iPad. I support Rutgers University’s use of iPads for their Digital Marketing program and can’t find any flaws with the blended format. I think iPads can be great learning tools with older students in high school and college, but I'm not convinced yet with young children. I am eager to see whether research will show that iPads in elementary classes actually boost test scores. What do you think?

Also, could the use of iPads in schools and universities be a sign of the times? Do you think giving iPads to school-aged children demonstrates that learning in our society will soon be dominated by e-learning? Have you ever used an iPad for e-learning whether in a classroom or for work training; was it effective?

References

Cohen, E. (2011, September 12). Kindergarteners get iPads for school. NECN. Retrieved from http://www.necn.com/09/12/11/Kindergarteners-get-iPads-for-school/landing_scitech.html?blockID=563064&feedID=4213

The eLearning Coach. (2010). First iPad university course. Retrieved from http://theelearningcoach.com/elearning2-0/first-ipad-university-course/

Learning Academies / Universities

Historically, during times of economic pressure, I have seen our company make sweeping cuts to the training and development of our people. Compliance training such as safety and compliance always continues, but leadership and other soft skill training would be practically wiped out. I have noticed that the pendulum tends to swing in industry; we’re up one year and down the next and the training budget follows the same swing. Recently, however, I have noticed a different and surprising trend at our company. Despite the fact that we are going through a very stressful business environment that includes headcount reductions, there is a new and strong emphasis on the need to develop the skills of our employees. Growing and retaining top talent is the new mantra and I see a fierce commitment to people development as I have not experienced before. One of the outcomes of this is the development of training academies. Until recently, I had never heard this term in our industry. Several “academies” are now being developed in various divisions of the company. Training academies or universities seem to be a fairly new trend in industry. So, what is a training academy and what does it mean for us as AHRD students? I am still trying to figure that out myself. You might want to check out this blog. http://learning-development.hr.toolbox.com/groups/strategy-administration/learning-leadership/setting-up-corporate-university-3289914

In another blog, I found on the ASTD site, one blogger writes “. . . the corporate university MUST be clearly articulated and the stakeholders (not more than one) must be outside of HR. The best corporate universities are owned by the operations side of the house—not the learning side . . . Too many consultants want to jump right into the content and skip the governance structure. This is a fatal mistake, but reflects the tendency of learning organizations to believe they know more about the front-line business than they do.” http://community.astd.org/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/4401041/m/352107811/p/1

One point I also want to stress – practically every single day, I hear in HR the importance of knowing the business. If you don’t understand the business of your company, you will not be an effective HR professional. Things to think about!

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After you finish your Instructional Handout, you will be working on the creation of an interactive learning object. This project will be created using advanced features of PowerPoint. While many people regularly use PowerPoint to create standard linear presentations, few are aware of the robust features that available for interactive content creation. These features enable you to build instructional animations, insert videos, branch to a slide depending on user response, test learner knowledge and provide feedback. 


A good place to get some assistance with projects of this type is The Rapid E-Learning Blog.  This blog, which is provided by Articulate (the maker of  e-learning software), provides tips and tricks for creating e-learning programs. Some of the blog posts address how to use different elements like text and images in e-learning, while others focus on how to use specific applications - like PowerPoint - to create e-learning programs. This particular post provides more than 30 PowerPoint tips from PowerPoint pros! Also, on Articulate's website, you will find the E-Learning Heroes blog. Here, you can see examples of e-learning projects, and step-by-step tutorials on how to create projects (mostly in Articulate).