First Seven iPad-Only 'Steve Jobs Schools' Open in the Netherlands

[ThunderSkunk]

The economics of education make all the pie-in-the-sky idealism about education moot. Now that we're getting useful data on the effectiveness of both new & traditional education systems long-term, we're finally seeing just how prohibitive the total costs of traditional education are to its continuation.

Like it or not, change is coming.

 

[lolkthxbai]

I like the idea of preparing the kids for 2030 and not yesterday's world.

 

[SpectatorHere]

The economics of education make all the pie-in-the-sky idealism about education moot. Now that we're getting useful data on the effectiveness of both new & traditional education systems long-term, we're finally seeing just how prohibitive the total costs of traditional education are to its continuation.

Like it or not, change is coming.

Looking at data is only a small piece of the picture. Most of education is social and can't be taught on an iPad.

You have to learn that you need to wait your turn, not everyone can talk at once, that you will be judged by third parties, how to put up with bullies and ignorant people, how to avoid getting in trouble, how to deal with dating, differences in background, diversity, varying talents, handicapped people, sports, music, etc.

This data obsession is beyond stupid..it's one of the biggest problems. Schools exist for far more than any test score and I deeply question outlays of valuable--very limited--resources on new technology.

I'm not a luddite either....I like tech or I wouldn't be here. But, I also don't doubt that a kid would see far more benefits from having 10-1 student teacher ratios rather than 35-1 and iPads.

 

[GQB]

The value of a book cannot be replaced with an iPad full stop.

Not sure what your point is.
Text is text, pictures are pictures. What other magical qualities does a traditional book have?
On the other hand, knowing how to use an eBook allows you to get in-line definitions, footnotes, non-destructive highlighting, search, real-time research, etc.
No battery failure is a plus in books' side, but then you need external light, don't you?
I like both, but 'replacing books' is a weak argument.
As an aside, I just read Dan Brown's 'Inferno' in iBooks, and the ability to have all of the works of art and architecture immediately available made it a much more enjoyable experience.

 

[Mad Mac Maniac]

Not sure about the "learning curve". This new generation of kids using electronic devices are smart in figuring things out. And what do you mean by utilizing a book to it's full potential?
I would say this is much easier overall. When I was in school the worse part about doing research was thumbing page after page. With text books on iPad the students can simply do a word search and quickly find the information they need. There are so many plusses to having electronic text books over paper ones. No heavy books to carry, no pages to rip or get greasy fingers on. I only wish this was available for me and I went to school for electronics, go figure.

Well allow me to expound on what I mean. First of all, remember I'm describing MY personal experience and why textbooks left something lacking for ME (I wasn't talking about potential problems with e-textbooks in the future).

By the learning curve I'm talking about all the little things like bookmarking, highlighting, adding comments, searching, going "back" to the past page viewed, etc. I am aware of these features, but often I'll find myself not using them, because it's not instictive to do so and I haven't developed the best workflow of how to use them.

By utilizing a book to it's full potential I mean a few things. I had to use a 3rd party app for a couple books, and it was complete crap. The pages didn't even fill the entire screen with lines down the sides, the text was incredibly small, it was laggy, and overall a poor experience. I've also had books that didn't even have a table of contents to easily move to chapters. Also every single textbook I used was basically just that, a textbook that was PDF'd into an ebook. No dynamic text, no dynamic images, no embedded video, basically not digital native. Can you imagine reading a newspaper pdf'd onto an iPad? It doesn't work. Apps like Zite, Flipboard, pulse, etc are the way news is intended to be read on an iPad.

Trust me I was pretty pumped to start grad school last year to try to start using ebooks on my iPad (my school even started giving out iPads to MBA students). I had just graduated my undergrad right before the iPad came out. However, after trying it out I'm back to physical books. I just found it much better in theory than in practice. For now.

 

[charlituna]

But no real stylus suport in iPad makes it quite limited for education.

Yeah cause students are really going to need 1024 levels of pressure support etc.

New age is upon us and frankly handwriting is dying out. Soon it will be merely an art form, voluntarily undertaken like many others. Get used to the idea

 

[HenryDJP]

Looking at data is only a small piece of the picture. Most of education is social and can't be taught on an iPad.

You have to learn that you need to wait your turn, not everyone can talk at once, that you will be judged by third parties, how to put up with bullies and ignorant people, how to avoid getting in trouble, how to deal with dating, differences in background, diversity, varying talents, handicapped people, sports, music, etc.

This data obsession is beyond stupid..it's one of the biggest problems. Schools exist for far more than any test score and I deeply question outlays of valuable--very limited--resources on new technology.

I'm not a luddite either....I like tech or I wouldn't be here. But, I also don't doubt that a kid would see far more benefits from having 10-1 student teacher ratios rather than 35-1 and iPads.

I agree with you for the most part but the parents should be taking on those responsibilities, particularly dating a few other of those things you mentioned. Schools should not be given the responsibility to raise people's kids.

 

[gnasher729]

I think there is no scientific reason why there should be any difference between paper and iPad books for eyes.

But no real stylus suport in iPad makes it quite limited for education.

You know, I get emails all the time trying to sell me iPad keyboards for about £20. Keyboard is much better for typing. And I'm really curious what makes the iPad "quite limited for education" without a stylus, when 99.9% of all customers don't use one.

 

[charlituna]

I think it is important to be in a school setting. I think children learn great social skills in school and if you stick them in a room with an iPad all day, how can they relate to the outside world?

Thats not what what iPad based learning is. Perhaps you should do a bit more background reading on the notion.

Oh and in many paper based classrooms the kids aren't social either. They are sitting their desks listening to a teacher or reading from their paper based books. So don't paint this as a unique issue for using iPads etc

 

[roasted]

Is this the future in education ?

As somebody who works in the IT field of a large school district, dear God I hope not.

 

[charlituna]

iPads can work well for textbooks and interactive programs, but should never take the job of the teachers.

No one said it is. There are teachers, they just aren't standing up at the front of the room droning on and on while kids are passing notes etc

 

[Abazigal]

I am definitely going to monitor this school's progress.

My school is also thinking of implementing ipads in the classroom (I myself use an ipad in my classroom teaching as well). Will be interesting to see how lessons are conducted, the outcome, any pitfalls, areas for improvement etc.

 

[gnasher729]

That being said... I've tried using a couple textbooks on my iPad and it certainly left something to be desired. Part of it is a learning curve, part of it is the book not being utilized to its full potential, but there is definitely a part where a physical book simply is easier to navigate/highlight providing a more natural feeling experience.

I've seen a 4 year old girl using an iPad without any problems.

 

[NightFox]

Well look at it this way, the Norwegian school system is one of the finest in the world. Many times better than ours.

Maybe, but this is in the Netherlands.

 

[JGRE]

I think there is no scientific reason why there should be any difference between paper and iPad books for eyes.

But no real stylus suport in iPad makes it quite limited for education.

You probably don't use books a lot. Not only is it not good for your eyes, but online reading makes it very hard to go forward and backwards over a large number of pages. it might work reading a novell, but for eductional books in which childeren are intended to find their information during studying instantly, it will suck. Especially if you have more than one book to look into.

Just try to scroll from page 1 to 56 on an iPad.......RSI within a month

 

[Soccer5se]

Does anyone know which iPad case the kids are using in the videos?

 

[charlituna]

Computers didn't save education in the 80's, the Internet didn't save it when put in every school by 2000,

A lot of that was because they were just put in. No training for the teachers, no attempts to try to meld them into the classrooms efficiently . Just install and walk away.

That's not the world of the iPad. Thus the results could be very very different

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This is so sad and pathetic. The value of a book cannot be replaced with an iPad full stop. And by the way, to me it seems that they re trying to make money from Job's brand name.

What is the real value of a book? Especially a textbook?

Last I checked it was the information inside of it. Not the paper and ink that information is on. In some cases that information might be better served in a digital form

 

[JGRE]

No one said it is. There are teachers, they just aren't standing up at the front of the room droning on and on while kids are passing notes etc

yeah, right, can you imaging the mess in the class room? Remebering my days, back then the classroom would be converted into in instant mess as soon as the teacher left the classroom.....

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I do not underestand why they are making the reference to Steve Job, just because they use an iPad? Was this kind of teaching ever envisioned by Steve Jobs? Or are they just missusing his name just because it sounds good.

 

[charlituna]

You have to learn that you need to wait your turn, not everyone can talk at once, that you will be judged by third parties, how to put up with bullies and ignorant people, how to avoid getting in trouble, how to deal with dating, differences in background, diversity, varying talents, handicapped people, sports, music, etc.

And the majority of that is taught in hallways, lunchrooms and playgrounds. Not in the classroom.

 

[jdoll021]

Looking at data is only a small piece of the picture. Most of education is social and can't be taught on an iPad.

You have to learn that you need to wait your turn, not everyone can talk at once, that you will be judged by third parties, how to put up with bullies and ignorant people, how to avoid getting in trouble, how to deal with dating, differences in background, diversity, varying talents, handicapped people, sports, music, etc.

This data obsession is beyond stupid..it's one of the biggest problems. Schools exist for far more than any test score and I deeply question outlays of valuable--very limited--resources on new technology.

I'm not a luddite either....I like tech or I wouldn't be here. But, I also don't doubt that a kid would see far more benefits from having 10-1 student teacher ratios rather than 35-1 and iPads.

You're absolutely right. And I logged in just so I could vote you up!

 

[jeremy h]

teachers will no longer simply convey knowledge to a group of children

The guy who's organising this has been into a classroom since, um, 1950 I guess?

Most education issues (particularly at primary level) are not about children's access to technology.

The teachers I know are always fuming about the ooodles of cash available for shiny new technology in schools (it looks great in the prospectus and gives the governors something to get excited about) compared to the paltry amounts allocated to special needs support, teaching assistants, school meals, foreign language support etc etc etc etc etc (The areas that make a real difference.)

 

[charlituna]

yeah, right, can you imaging the mess in the class room? Remebering my days, back then the classroom would be converted into in instant mess as soon as the teacher left the classroom

That has nothing to do with books v iPads, but the amount of untamed brats in the class. And why is the teacher leaving the room. Can't imagine a job task that would be served by walking out.

 

[Solomani]

This could be really good or really bad. I want to see how this plays out after a year.

Yes, it is interesting to see the results.

You have to hand it to the Dutch.... they are often the first to embrace new cultural trends and experiment with them nation-wide. Legalized drugs, prostitution, and now paperless education, etc.

We'll see what happens with this experiment. It would be unfair to dismiss it right away before letting the experiment run its course.

 

[JarJarThomas]

I really like the idea as a father, IF done right.
I don't know the details here but at least i can think about many pros with an ipad.

The obvious
-> no textbooks = less weight
-> digital textbooks can be much more informative than paperbooks
(starting from animations, going to referencing, to interactive tests)

The not so obvious
-> It is cool ... cool means you have more fun learning ... means you learn easier and better
-> using an ipad as central element in the education leads to a whole bunch of possibilites.

Have a basic level of informations for all students. If student is interested give him more data at a fingertip. That encourages students to learn, it makes more fun to learn and live their curiosity and it makes them better students because the do not only learn by remembering word by word ... but by understanding the material.

You can also do stuff like additional interactive tests.
Give eg. a math reference application and tell the students
"ok ... we want to come to this, can you try to find a way to come to the solution"
instead -> "Well look at page 72, use this formula for that"

It is not necessary to learn slavishly formulas ... it is necessary to understand the math behind formulas. Interactively try eg. graphs with different values, get a feeling for curves, for linears ... see directly what happens if you change parameters.
And this is only for math

For chemistry look at the molecules in 3d, work together with other students at assembling a molecule with specific characteristics

For language not only read books, see annotations by the other students, share them, link them.

for history, have an animated map showing when what happened. See videoclips or hear real audio

and much much more.


and the really interesting stuff will be gamification of learning.
Give the students not simple notes, give them highscore lists, give them achievements if they realised something was really good or if they find some informations on their own.

And for the parents it is much better, have tests at home, you can work with them easier through them. Have a "parent" mode where you can see on your own whats correct, and more.


If done right ... elearning is way better than current mechanics.

PS : Regarding backlit to epaper
backlit means the lcd emits light.
epaper reflects light.
Why is epaper better ? it reflects the amount of light existing in the environment
LCD could emit more ... if configured incorrectly.
Adjust lighting, use autoadjust ... it has same eyestrain than epaper. Already scientifically proved.

 

[phandam]

Son is accepted here

I posted on here the last time this topic came up, but my son is accepted to one of the Steve Jobs schools. While I hate the name and thought it was only a nickname, this is a very interesting concept.

First of all there are teachers, and there are classrooms with other students. There are also many opportunities for the kids to experiment with art, sports, science, math, etc. without an iPad. The iPads are one of the main tools used at the schools, however they are not the only tool.

The ability to keep a very close eye on students progress (parents and teachers) is a huge benefit in my opinion.

This is not a home school program, kids go to school regularly but with more flexibility which as a parent is a very nice option.

I do not understand why you need to hold a physical book to get a true learning experience, that just does not make any sense to me and sounds a bit old fashion.

We have not make our final decision if my son will go here, however it is very interesting and I think it could be great for him.