Apple released the first iPad in April, 2010. It didn’t take long for the device to be adopted as the “technology of choice” by thousands of educational institutions across the USA and internationally. Seven years later, the purchase of iPads has slowed a little but their use is continuing to shape attributes that are becoming core components of modern learning environments. The immediate and personal nature of mobile devices is empowering students and enabling educators to move past traditional, top-down models of learning.

1. Mobility and Transparency
A popular catch-phrase about educational technology is that it should be like oxygen - “invisible and omnipresent”. Technology shouldn’t be an add-on activity that requires moving to a lab or wheeling in a cart of computers. How easy would schooling have been in the twentieth century if we had to move students to a “writing room” every time they needed to take notes? Technology has become an essential aid to learning and mobile devices such as iPads and smartphones can be accessed and used at any moment.

The instant availability of technology empowers students and changes the dynamics of education. Device use is a natural, transparent part of the flow of learning as students use devices to search for information, connect and collaborate with other learners, or snap a photo.

2. Content Creation
Ironically, iPads were initially criticized for being devices that were designed for consumption but with limited capacity for content creation. As the app ecosystem matured, users were given a rich and expanding range of options for content creation. With constant access to a camera, microphone and a host of content editing apps, students use mobile devices to become prolific producers of a wide variety of content. Learning processes now encompass tasks such as taking photos, making movies, creating stop motion animations (Animate It), producing green screen videos (Green Screen), recording screencasts (Explain Everything), designing eBooks (Book Creator)… even producing interactive, augmented reality exhibits (Aurasma).

3. Communication of Knowledge
All these content creation options gives users a wide range of alternatives for communicating knowledge. There’s a lot of (justified) talk these days about personalizing learning. However, we still ask students to express themselves using the same uniform text formats - despite the fact that we know that many students struggle with verbal expression and written composition. We also know that communication standards are changing rapidly and personal media production is rising astronomically. Visual and media literacy is becoming a vitally important skill. Mobile devices gives educators and learners simple tools to create, edit and mix different media formats to craft their messages.


4. Accessibility
One area where the use of iPads has excelled is within special education. Traditional education is designed to be a “one size fits all” solution. Technology brings the ability to customize students’ experiences and accommodate their specific needs. The accessibility features of iPads can personalize the way information is transmitted and received. Visually impaired students can change text sizes, color schemes and magnification. VoiceOver features can help students navigate screens and process information. Hearing impaired can adjust the audio output or use subtitles and captioning. Guided Access helps students focus on an individual task.

5. Connectivity
Education has always required “connecting” - connecting to sources of knowledge and to other learners. Technology has simply torn down the walls of our physical classrooms. The information and people we connect with today can be anywhere in the world. With a mobile device in hand, communicating with people online can be as simple as turning and speaking to the person sitting behind you. Collaborate on content. Publish blogs, images, and video. Create and share portfolios of your work. Offer feedback and have discussions about other people’s work. You’re always just a tap away from a world of knowledge.

Sure, it hasn’t always been rosy. Device management continues to be problematic. The lack of a keyboard can be difficult when long form typing is necessary. Overall however, the use of mobile devices in education is helping frame a vision for technology use that brings us closer to our “invisible and omnipresent” target where - whether you use an iPad, Chromebook, laptop or any other device - technology is an indispensable learning tool that empowers every student to take greater control of their own education.


Sam Gliksman is an educational technology author, speaker and consultant. Sam is the author of several highly acclaimed books including “iPad in Education for Dummies”, “Creating Media for Learning” and “40 Simple Ways to Inspire Learning”.  Contact Sam at samgliksman@gmail.com or via Twitter @SamGliksman

Some of the content in this article was drawn from Sam Gliksman’s most recent eBook, 40 Simple Ways to Inspire Learning With Mobile Devices. Find out more at www.40SimpleWays.com ​

The following blog post is excerpted from Sam Gliksman's eBook, "40 Simple Ways to Inspire Learning with Mobile Devices".

One of the most imaginative class projects I’ve consulted on was a 4th grade project about California Missions. Each year, students were required to submit written reports about the history and significance of the religious outposts. From all reports, it wasn’t exactly the most electrifying week of the year. After much discussion, we decided to throw tradition out the window and take a very different approach. This time, we asked students to demonstrate their understanding by creating video guides to the mission with the aid of some magical green screen technology. 

The first step was to research and plan the video, then capture the relevant images at the mission. Easy enough. Students used mobile devices on their field trip and took photos at specific locations around the mission. Step number two was to script their video guides. It’s ironic that most people consider video to be an alternative to writing, yet successful video projects hinge on this very important written component. Once the video was planned and scripted, they moved into the production phase and shot the video. We hung a green curtain in the classroom and students recorded video of themselves reciting the script in front of it. The final step required some simple video editing. Using an inexpensive app, students edited the green screen video and replaced the green background with the images taken at the mission. The end result was a wonderfully realistic video tour of the mission – and quite possibly, this time it was the most exciting week of the school year! 

STEPS
(using the Green Screen app)

• Take photos of a location (or find and use appropriate images online). 
• Set up a green screen curtain or any other flat green background (see Equipment section below for more information). 
• Make sure to set up in a spot with even lighting that isn’t causing any shadows. 
• Take video of students in front of the green screen. 
• Edit the video in an app such as Green Screen by DoInk. 
• Place the green screen video on the uppermost layer. You’ll probably notice that the app immediately recognizes the green and strips it out. The green has actually become transparent and anything on the lower layers will show through it.
• If the background color isn’t removed, then you’ll need to adjust the selected color in the chroma key. Tap the color wheel and select the color that matches the background.
• Place an image on the lower layer. It will replace the green background in your video. If you want to use a series of images, slide the video along in the timeline and insert additional images at the appropriate spots in the lower layer. By the way, you can also insert a video on the lower layer.
• If you’re using a laptop or Chromebook, you can use the online video editor at www.wevideo.com. Refer to this article and video for instructions on editing green screen videos with their editor. 

TIPS 

• Leave your green shirt at home! Remember, anything green will become invisible. Here’s an example of the rather macabre consequences of wearing the wrong clothing in front of a green screen. 
• Alternatively, you can create some pretty awesome special effects by wearing something green. I made a green screen video with my young nephews and they draped a green tablecloth around their bodies. We called it, “Floating Heads in Outer Space”.
• Place the device as close as possible to the person speaking so that you capture sound clearly. If possible, use an external microphone for better audio quality. Some models attach directly to your device and others work wirelessly. 

​APPS 

• Green Screen app by DoInk (iOS)
• www.WeVideo.com (laptops and chromebooks) 

EQUIPMENT 
Amazon has a range of options that range from inexpensive green screen curtains to an entire green screen kit including curtains and lighting. You can take an even less expensive route by simply attaching a large sheet of green paper to a wall or whiteboard. 

NOTES
You’re wondering why the color has to be green? The technique is known as color or chroma keying. It separates one color and makes it transparent. The colors are normally green or blue but you can actually single out any color. Most green screen editing apps will default to green but allow you to change the chroma key. 

Contact Sam for workshops about mobile devices and media.

I recently watched a wonderful short video about how the Marines have started encouraging new recruits to develop self-motivation by breaking rules. It seems completely counter-intuitive doesn't it? After all, discipline and following orders have always been regarded as the trademarks of military life. However, what they discovered was that self-motivation was vital to individual success and well being in the Marines. Research revealed that most successful Marines are self-motivated and have an "internal locus of control". People with an external locus of control believe that their lives are shaped primarily by events in the world around them whereas self-motivated individuals believe their decisions and actions will control their own destiny.  The Marines felt that too many recruits hadn't ever practiced self-motivation. As a result, they're changing boot camp programs in an effort to teach recruits to develop an internal locus of control. Rather than blindly following orders, recruits are now required to constantly make decisions and take positive actions.

If there's one parallel between military and educational institutions it's that they both have top-down organizational architectures that have traditionally required following directions and staying in between the lines. However, self-motivation is a critically important skill in our modern era of change and we should be re-assessing the nature of our own K-12 "boot camps". Self-motivation isn't an innate quality that you're either born with or not. It's learned through constant practice and reinforcement. It requires a belief that we should embolden students to develop their own internal locus of control instead of constantly drumming into them that their lives are subject to external circumstances that are shaped by school administrators and teachers. Yes, it's still important for students to listen to the teacher but encouraging them to step outside the lines, make decisions, follow their passions and take control of their lives is something we can and should build into educational programs from an early age. ​

​Sam Gliksman is the author of Creating Media for Learning, one of the first “augmented print” books. Refer to www.CreatingMedia.org for more information. 


​​Sam Gliksman is the author of Creating Media for Learning, one of the first “augmented print” books. Refer to www.CreatingMedia.org for more information. 

1. "Slightly fewer Americans are reading print books, new ..." 2015. 25 Feb. 2016 <http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2015/10/19/slightly-fewer-americans-are-reading-print-books-new-survey-finds/>
2. "Why digital natives prefer reading in print. Yes, you read that ..." 2015. 25 Feb. 2016 <https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/why-digital-natives-prefer-reading-in-print-yes-you-read-that-right/2015/02/22/8596ca86-b871-11e4-9423-f3d0a1ec335c_story.html>

The ultimate goal of technology deployment is for device use to become “invisible,” where students create and communicate with their devices as easily as they might pick up a pen.

That goal unfortunately remains a distant vision for most schools regardless of the technology students are using. Device deployment has been a particular challenge for schools with iPads. In fact it’s been such a headache that iPad sales into schools have started to lose momentum over the last year. Apple has taken steps recently to make device management somewhat simpler and rumors are circulating that significant changes might be on the way in the next year.

The iPad is built upon the same building blocks that made the iPhone so successful. It’s a personal device that requires an Apple ID for access to iTunes, apps, and eBooks. I’m not sure that anyone anticipated the enormous success iPads would have in schools. Educators viewed them as devices that were mobile, could deliver eBooks, manage online course content, and had powerful built-in media tools for creative inspiration. However, from a management perspective, they were designed for individual use and didn’t come with a simple, effective strategy for institutional deployment.

Apple has been slow to react to the management needs of schools. The recommended model for iPad use in schools is what Apple calls the “institution owned one-to-one” deployment. Each student and staff member is assigned a device that’s purchased, configured, and managed by their institution. A mobile device management (MDM) solution simplifies the setup and management of devices. Apple’s Device Enrollment Program registers devices with the institution’s MDM so that devices can then be configured and rolled out efficiently. In our ideal scenario, each student has an Apple ID. Each iPad is handed to a student or staff member and the MDM configures the iPad wirelessly with accounts, settings, restrictions, and content. Content is backed up to a personal iCloud account where it can be accessed offsite at any time. It’s a lengthy process but manageable when everything goes smoothly… except for the fact that “ideal scenarios” are very rarely ideal.

Here’s a rundown of four areas where many deployments fall short and where policies need to change.

1.   Consolidate 
Solutions across Deployment Models Apple recommends one-to-one deployment as the model most likely to yield maximum learning benefits. It’s no surprise to hear that schools have limited budgets and many can’t afford an iPad for every student. As a result, most schools either share iPads or a use a hybrid model where some grades have one-to-one while others share devices. In contrast to iPads, other devices such as laptops and Chromebooks are designed to accommodate multiple users. Once a user is logged in, the device is personalized with their preferences and content. However, when I pick up an iPad there’s an expectation that I’m the same person that last used it—which is clearly not always the case when devices are shared. Personalization, access to private content, and data backup all become major headaches. Apple’s management policies need to accommodate the vast number of schools that share iPads between students.

2.   Simplify Apple ID Requirements 
 Users need to have an Apple ID in order to gain access to the App Store, iTunes, the iBooks Store, and iCloud. If devices are being shared, they are usually assigned multiple school-owned Apple ID accounts, making setup a very long and labor intensive process. In one-to-one environments each student needs an Apple ID. It’s a problematic situation in elementary schools given that Apple’s interpretation of the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) requires parental consent for any accounts that belong to students under the age of 13. Apple responded with the Apple ID for Students program. In short, schools upload a list of students and parent contact email addresses. Apple then automatically sends out an email request to each parent and issues the Apple ID when approval is received. However, what many schools have discovered is that email isn’t as ubiquitous and reliable as we may have thought. Many parents don’t have access to computers, don’t check email, or speak a different language.

The Apple ID requirement derives from the design of iOS devices for personal use. Given school realities of shared iPads and students under age 13, the need for an Apple ID becomes a significant obstacle. Instead of applying patches, Apple could allow administrators the option of distributing content directly to devices without an Apple ID. This would not only would it make it easier to distribute apps and eBooks, but it would also simplify the entire setup process. Stay tuned…

3.   Provide Enterprise Storage and Sharing 
Apple’s iCloud service is the recommended storage solution for users of iOS devices. It backs up and synchronizes designated content automatically from Apple devices. iCloud works very effectively as a personal backup solution but it wasn’t designed to meet the needs of enterprises. Accounts are linked to personal Apple IDs. There isn’t any enterprise administrative control over individual iCloud accounts. Apple needs to draw a lesson from the success of Google Apps for Education and provide schools with an enterprise-wide version of iCloud with centralized administration and simple backup, transfer and sharing of content within domain accounts.

4.   KISS
 Yes, that clichéd acronym (“keep it simple, stupid”) definitely applies to technology deployment. There are too many layers and too many alternative approaches to iPad deployment at the moment. There’s one policy if you have a one-to-one program and a different deployment method if you share iPads. There are different policies for configuration profiles, device enrollment, creation of Apple IDs, volume app purchasing, app distribution, applying updates, and more. It’s terrific job security for IT managers that have conquered that mountain but a long climb for others that are desperately trying to learn the steps. Schools will embrace iPads more enthusiastically once the deployment process becomes shorter and simpler.

iPads have tremendous educational potential. If you believe the rumors that are circulating, Apple will be addressing some of the deployment problems in the coming year. Once device management becomes easier, schools can focus their efforts on realizing the promise of mobile devices for learning.

I was recently giving a workshop at a local elementary school. While walking around and speaking to teachers and children, it suddenly dawned on me that several of the “revolutionary” educational changes we’ve been calling for have actually been around for quite a while—just talk a stroll down to the kindergarten classes.

If only the rest of school looked a little more like those classrooms. In fact, eight important pillars of a 21st-century education can be found in most kindergarten classrooms every day of the week:

1. Play

The first rule of kindergarten is to have fun. Our youngest students love coming to school, and if any child doesn’t seem happy, then we make it a high priority to find and remedy the problem. Play is a highly effective method of informal learning that requires imagination and creativity. Happy, playful children are not daydreaming and clock watching—they are engaged and absorbed in their activities.

As children get older, however, play starts taking a back seat to “academics” … which are usually priorities determined by people in offices far away from the students’ actual classroom environment.

2. Create

Creativity is becoming lost in the shuffle of the current “back to basics” school movement. While certainly required in any artistic endeavor, creativity is also a highly essential coping skill for our rapidly changing lives in the 21st century—not to mention a highly coveted skill among 21st-century employers.Our toddlers are constantly being encouraged to think and play creatively. We even structure the classroom physically in an attempt to stimulate creativity—using bright colors, informal seating, and allowing children ample room to move. Contrast that to the staid colors and fixed rows of desks found in most upper school classes, where “follow the norm” has replaced “think outside the box.”

A couple of years ago, I attended a lecture by American artist Erik Wahl. As part of his presentation, he splashed paint around a canvas while creating a portrait on stage. Afterwards he turned to the audience and asked, “How many of you consider yourselves artists?” Out of an audience of several hundred people, only a few hands were raised. He then related how he often goes into preschool classes and asks the very same question. The difference is that almost every hand in the room immediately shoots up.

The sad fact is that school squashes our inner sense of creativity as we get older. Instead of inspiring our students to be imaginative and create, we tell them to follow the rules: “Do what I tell you to do … and make sure do it exactly the way I asked you to do it.”

3. Socialize

We understand that young children are social by nature and encourage them to mingle. We don’t seat them alone in fixed desks facing the front of the room. Instead, we allow them appropriate time to roam and socialize. Importantly, we recognize the value of getting them to work together in small groups.

When students get older and try to work together, we often label the activity “cheating.” They’re usually told to sit alone, face the front, and work quietly on their own. Socializing is considered an extra-curricular activity that has no place in serious academics … well, not until you get out into the workplace!

4. Discover

Children are curious and love to explore the world around them. They naturally observe, ask questions, and demand answers. Kindergarten class might be spent exploring a bug brought in from the playground or listening to a story from a parent with an interesting profession. Their world is a playground that they constantly explore.

As they get older, we tell them that their world is divided into nicely delineated courses with predetermined content. Important questions and issues that would normally require discussion and explanation are shelved, because they don’t fit into some arbitrary course curriculum. How many times do you hear “we don’t have time for that today”? If coursework is completed, then there might possibly be some time left to explore a topic of interest. In the meantime, exploration is put on hold.

5. Experience

Effective learning occurs when children build new understandings based on experiences that help them construct new knowledge. Kindergarten teachers help provide a myriad of experiences for their students. We don’t read about hamsters—we keep a pet in class and observe how it eats. We might even allow each child to take the pet home for an evening. We encourage children to bring things into class so that others can feel, taste, experience, and learn from them. These experiences provide a scaffolding for the children to build upon and extend what they already know. We understand that children learn most deeply and effectively through experience.

However, content is king when they get to the older grades. It seems that the only valid experience for learning is reading from a textbook or listening to a teacher.

6. Express

Mixing different forms of media and communication is an essential component of kindergarten class. Children look at photos, listen to music, watch video, tell stories, and of course, read books. We understand that people communicate in a variety of manners, and we bring them into play in our classrooms.

In upper grades, our entire world is expressed through text. For whatever reason, it seems that the only valid form of expressing knowledge is through text. Outside of class, students constantly interact and create video, music, and more. In class, we have students read from textbooks and almost exclusively require them to respond in writing.

7. Move

Children need to move. We all need to move. It’s healthy for both body and mind. We understand that in kindergarten. The furniture is arranged to facilitate movement, and we often have children move around to different parts of the room depending on the activity. Outdoors, it’s essential to provide time and equipment for play.

The mantra of upper school is to sit still and face the front. Classes are designed for quiet, motionless, obedient activities. That can be excruciatingly difficult for many students.

8. Relate

Finally, in kindergarten we strive to make learning as meaningful as possible. Learning has meaning as defined by its relevance to the lives of students. If children can’t relate to it, then it won’t hold their interest.

On the other hand, the number of bleary-eyed, daydreaming students in upper grades is testament to the fact that they don’t relate to much of what passes for learning in class. It’s usually a predefined package of content defined by an “authority” sitting far from the lives of our students—physically and emotionally. Just as importantly, this predefined content package is becoming increasingly inadequate in preparing our students for their lives after school.

If you have a few moments, I’d strongly encourage you to take a stroll down to the lower grades in your school. In fact, the lower the better. Spend a few minutes observing the dynamics in class. Note the energy, laughter, and enthusiasm … the genuine thirst for learning. Then ask yourself: Why can’t it be that way throughout school?

 You’ve heard “collaboration” repeatedly referenced as an important 21st century skill. With built-in interfaces for connectivity, mobile devices such as iPads offer a wide variety of alternatives for people wanting to connect and work together. Collaboration can take many forms in an educational context and you may want to consider different tools depending on your specific objectives. Here’s a list of some common collaborative activities and the tools and apps you might want to consider for each one.

1. Learning by Sharing
     Learning starts when you process new information. Often, the best source for that information comes from others that are learning together with you.

     Synchronous sharing: The ideal classroom environment is one that fosters collaborative learning. When someone writes something insightful, finds a unique solution to a problem or comes across an interesting reference on the web, you’ll want to allow them to easily share that information with other students in the room. If students are using an iDevice then the best solution for real-time digital sharing is an Apple TV. Connect it to your projector or TV and any device on the same wi-fi network can be mirrored wirelessly on to the big screen. Photos, web pages, class work and more can be projected and shared with a couple of simple taps. Note that if you don't have an Apple TV but you have a desktop or laptop in your room, you can purchase Airplay receiving software such as AirServer or Reflector that can be downloaded on your computer to provide similar functionality.

     Asynchronous sharing: If you want students to share and access content outside class then consider setting up a cloud service such as Google Drive or Evernote where they can upload and share content.

     Social networking: Another approach might be to create a digital class magazine based upon content shared by students. The Flipboard app provides a sleek magazine interface and allows users to create custom magazines based upon content they share.

2. Group Content Editing
     Content can be created collaboratively when groups of students can access and edit the same digital file. The clear leader for collaborative document editing is Google Docs. Whether multiple students edit a document at the same time or at different times, Google Docs will identify the changes made by each user and keep a revision history if you ever need to roll the document back to a prior iteration. The only pre-requisite is that all users have Google accounts.

     If you don’t have the luxury of Google Apps for your students then another option to consider is Quip. Download the Quip app, start a new document and share it with others. Invite anyone in your address book directly or create a private link to the document that you can email to grant anyone access. Quip also includes a chat panel so that you can communicate with other editors.

3. Brainstorming
     Two heads are better than one, right? Why not try even three or four heads? Ideas can be developed communally as students contribute their thoughts in a shared digital space. One simple and very effective option is Padlet. Think of it as a digital corkboard that anyone can access. Go to www.padlet.com on any computer or device and start a new Padlet wall. Add text, images or video anywhere on the wall and it’s immediately visible to other users. Tap the Share option and you can give the wall’s link to others so they can add content and edit it.

     If you require a more organized system then sign up for the Trello service and app. At its essence, Trello is a system for keeping lists and it’s often used for task management. Create a “Board” in Trello. Each board is comprised of a series of vertical lists. Lists are built by adding “Cards” to them. Cards have options to add text, attach files, add checklists, due dates, labels and more. Anyone with a Trello account can be invited to view and edit the Board. Divide students into groups and create group lists they can edit. Alternatively, divide any topic into themes and invite students to post notes and thoughts on any theme. Once Cards are added, you can drag and drop them between lists as needed.

4. Work Compilations
     Collaborative work can be created when students create different content parts that are combined together to form a single work. This can be used effectively when students offer their own reflections on a common subject or when a theme is divided up into different topics and each student or group of students creates the content for individual topics.

     Using the Book Creator app students can create their own eBooks and export them to a folder in a class cloud account. Once uploaded, all the files can be opened in Book Creator on one iPad and merged into a single eBook. Using a similar process you could create a class screencast movie using Explain Everything. Divide a theme into individual topics and have students create different screencasts in Explain Everything and export their final .xpl project file to a shared folder in a class cloud account. The files can all be opened on one iPad and merged into a single Explain Everything project. Once that’s done you can export the project as a movie and share it.

5. Research and Curation
     Class reference libraries can be created by giving groups of students access and contribution rights to a communal pool of resources. An excellent tool for creating shared reference libraries is the Diigo web service. Diigo is a “social bookmarking” tool. Click the Diigo icon on your browser toolbar whenever you find content on the web that you want to save or share. Highlight text, add notes and tag it for easy retrieval. Diigo allows any member to create a group and invite others to join it. When you save content, Diigo gives you the option to share the content with any of your groups.

     Open an educator account at www.diigo.com and you can create accounts for your students. Students are automatically added to your class group. Now as students add, highlight and annotate web content, it’s shared to the class library so that everyone will have access to it. Diigo works across all devices but if you’re on an iPad, download and use the special Diigo Browser app. All the Diigo tools for saving and sharing content are built directly into the browser.

6. Reading
     OK, so I cheated a little on this one. The act of reading is really a solitary activity. You can however build your understanding of a book by connecting and collaborating with other readers. Book clubs have been around for ages. That’s where people gather to discuss a book they all read. Shift that concept into the digital realm and imagine having those discussions while you’re actually reading the book. That’s the objective of the Subtext app.

     Subtext is known as a “social reading” app. Create a Subtext class group with your students as members. Add reading material for the class – ePub books, web articles, open source books or PDF files. Interact with other group members as you all read the book. Teachers can leave prompts and discussion points in the text and students can add their own questions, comments and opinions. Importantly, they can also respond to questions and comments left by others.

     Finally, remember also that collaboration doesn’t need to be restricted to students sitting in a physical classroom. Digital devices are designed to link and exchange information. Using any combination of Bluetooth, wi-fi and web services, collaborators can connect at the same time, the same place or at completely different times and locations. The notion of “classes” and “class times” take on entirely new meanings as we exploit the potential of connecting and collaborating.

It’s becoming difficult to read the news in Los Angeles these days without running across yet another article about the problems faced by the sputtering LAUSD iPad initiative. Finally, LAUSD Superintendent John Deasy announced this week that they were suspending the contracts with Apple and Pearson amid increasing scrutiny and investigation of the bidding process. According to Deasy, “it will also give us time to take into account concerns raised surrounding the project”.

There were always valid questions surrounding a bidding process that granted enormous contracts for digital courses that had not yet been developed. It’s unfortunate however that an investigation into the bidding process became the catalyst for the project’s suspension when it was the planning and implementation that fell woefully short in so many areas. Hindsight may be 20-20 but many were already pointing out substantial flaws in the plan at its initial announcement.

As educators we know that failure is the breeding ground for learning and adapting. With that in mind, here are 5 lessons that can be drawn from the LAUSD iPad experience.

Lesson 1:  Change starts with a vision.
Recognizing the need for change and crafting a vision that defines desirable outcomes are vastly different missions. Most of us see an aging school system that’s desperately in need of an overhaul but our actions often address the symptoms without digging down to the root cause of the crisis. Contrary to popular belief, the US spends more per student than any other country. That spending isn't always reflected in results that show US students continuing to drop in performance rankings. Technology is widely viewed as a panacea so it's not surprising that many districts and schools are investing heavily in educational technology systems and devices. However, the dominant trendmaintains the status quo and patches technology use on existing pedagogical models. When we turn a blind eye to the massive disruption occurring in the world around us we fail to build new educational visions that harness the enormous potential of technology to reform learning. 

The cost of the LAUSD iPad initiative was initially estimated at $500 million but was quickly revised to one billion dollars within the first few months. If for no other reason, financial accountability would demand a well thought out and designed vision for technology use - a vision that addresses the evolving needs of modern learners and changes the rigid, curriculum driven instruction that has characterized institutionalized education for decades. Instead, whatever plan there may have been was sketchy, poorly communicated and certainly didn’t stem from any attempt at educational renaissance. Rather than aspiring to renewal and reform, from the beginning LAUSD was mired in delays and technical fixes that were reflex reactions to unanticipated events. The classic example occurred when iPads were recalled within days of their initial rollout as students quickly found a simple way to bypass the web filters and r... that had been imposed on them. 

As I wrote a year ago;

     “Technology can be used to empower students to research, discover, create and connect within more student-centered, experiential learning processes ... In contrast, LAUSD’s iPad initiative is still entrenched within an age-old educational paradigm that stresses course delivery and administrative control. The iPad becomes a glorified digital textbook that contains extensive Common Core courses by Pearson for pre-K to 12th grade, designed to prepare students for standardized tests.”

The plan seemed questionable from the start when Superintendent John Deasy tweeted, “We are transforming education!” alongside a photo of an African-American student holding an iPad. Equality of access is a laudable first step - but then what? Poor infrastructure, over-zealous filtering, incomplete apps, inadequate training … these are not the ingredients of an educational revolution. Transformation requires deep rooted re-evaluations of objectives, processes and expectations. Has anything of substance changed when the objective is to deliver Pearson course materials on iPads? Digital content delivery is still content delivery.

Lesson 2:  Top-down strategies rarely work without communication and consensus.
The project's vision and objectives need to be communicated and discussed openly with the primary stakeholders. A significant reason for the hasty implementation was the need to prepare students for Common Core testing that had to be conducted on digital devices. While some individual teachers saw an opportunity for innovation, as a group they didn't understand or buy into the concept of a 1:1 iPad program. A December 2013 survey revealed that a large majority of teachers would have voted to discontinue the iPad rollout.  Most teachers viewed it as an additional burden. They weren’t given a voice in the formation of the plan and lacked the necessary clarity with respect to the project goals. The general school community still remains puzzled by the concept of Common Core standards, the perceived rush to purchase several hundred thousand devices and the continual stream of negative press after the initial rollout. LAUSD leadership was dictating terms of a very expensive and hastily conceived plan. They failed to communicate a clear understanding of the urgent need for reform in an education system that's becoming more rapidly outdated with every passing day. As a result, they didn't get the support of teachers and the community at large.

Lesson 3:  Training requires more than an introductory “how-to” workshop.
If your dentist tells you he’s about to remove your wisdom teeth you’d hope he has more experience than an afternoon workshop in tooth extraction. When it comes to using technology however, many administrators imagine that teachers simply need a few hours in a crowded room with a technology instructor and they’re good to go. 

Effective technology use requires a change in school culture. Firstly, training has to extend far beyond simple “how-to” sessions. Teachers need to feel comfortable with technology in their classroom. Don't mistake that to mean that they need to be skilled in technology applications. Knowing how to use an iPad or a specific curriculum app doesn't translate into an understanding of how to utilize iPads as effective educational tools. Training should reflect the educational goals and stimulate discussion about new horizons and pedagogical practices.  

Secondly, educational technology training is not an “event”. It’s an ongoing process that's busy with ongoing discussion, experimentation and evaluation. Technology use can stimulate cultural change when it's energized by sharing and collaboration and encouraged to swell from the bottom up.

LAUSD pilot teachers were given an initial 3 day workshop - one day by Apple and two additional days by Pearson to provide instruction on their Common Core curriculum app. The result? When surveyed in December, a majority of the teachers reported they were using iPads in their classes less than 3 hours a week.

Lesson 4:  Technology should empower students.
Technology has the capacity to empower students to research, create, connect and collaborate. Close the spigot on a tap however and you can't get water out of it. When technology use is heavily restricted and locked down it loses the power to innovate. You can’t plan a successful technology implementation that’s based upon fear of what students might do if they aren’t strictly controlled. Yet that’s exactly what many schools continue to do.

Outside of school students are programming, creating and editing video, sharing, collaborating and more. They get to school and we block and monitor their every digital step. One LAUSD student put it simply when asked why students hacked into the iPads after the initial rollout. He said, “we couldn’t do anything with it”. If technology is to become a vehicle for empowerment then we have to loosen the reins and give students the flexibility and opportunity to create, communicate and innovate.

Lesson 5:  It's not about the device.
The LAUSD initiative was officially known as the “Common Core Technology Project” however most people referred to it as the “LAUSD iPad Project”. The device became synonymous with the project – a project that's now developed into a discussion about which device would best enhance education. Rarely does this important debate touch upon the potential of the device - any device - to truly empower students and reform education. Technology is a tool. We can call for new proposals and change the tools but no device, iPad or otherwise, has the capacity to revolutionize learning if it’s confined within the framework of traditional goals and processes.

Sadly, just as many thought the LAUSD initiative was all about iPads, many will now view the fiasco as a reflection on the overall merits of technology use in education. The calls for a “back to basics” movement have been loud and may now become amplified. Ironically however, the LAUSD iPad project has always been handicapped by that very “basics” mentality that frames its approach to technology use. The shortcomings of the LAUSD initiative only highlight an ever more pressing need for serious educational reform.