Two Seton Hall senior education majors examined the use of the iPad 2 in the classroom during their internship as student teachers in November 2011.
Kerri Rogers and Kelly Joao said they used the tablet devices for innovative learning. Using an online blog, they documented the process.
Rogers and Joao said they were using iPads to enhance the learning experience. Both students were placed in a regular classroom with special needs children.
The program was overseen by Dr. Lauren McFadden of Educational Studies.
McFadden said she was a recipient of a Faculty Innovation Grant awarded by the Teaching, Learning and Technology Center in 2011.
The main goal of this assignment was to integrate technology into the classroom and for students to develop new skills, according to McFadden.
McFadden added that the iPad presents different applications such as eBooks and "live" interactive stories, thus becoming easy for the teacher.
McFadden said she was amazed to say that students are now "finding a love for learning" and explained how it only takes one iPad to have the whole class exploring new ideas.
According to Rogers, the iPad would give students a one-on-one learning foundation.
"The iPad acted as another teacher, giving feedback immediately," Rogers said.
While student teaching, Rogers said she noticed a demand for more iPads.
"One successful iPad made my school buy more," Rogers said.
Applications on it merged learning with a reward, giving the students ample motivation to complete their work quickly and effectively, according to Rogers.
Rogers explained that the tablets chart progress and alert teachers about student's grades, notifying instructors about both excellent and less than perfect marks.
Rogers said she aims to "bring the device into a speech setting." "The iPad 2 does not have trouble giving the motivation that students need to succeed," Rogers said.
McFadden and both seniors presented their experiences to the Kappa Delta Pi International Honor Society in Education in Indiana.
According to the two students, the committee and audience were composed of professors, students in the field of education and professors with doctoral degrees.
Tyler Manzi can be reached at tyler.manzi@student.shu.edu.
