Tablet Wars - What's Your Tablet of Choice?

Amelia Bush, one of my readers, just sent me a cool infographic about tablets.  Amelia is associated with the website, Best Choice Reviews.  The graphic presents data that shows the iPad's dominance is slipping.  Is this a trend that will continue as more and more sub-100 dollar tablets flood the market.  Let's face it, as much as we have fallen in love with Apple, their products are expensive.  So, is iOS and the App Store worth the extra money?  Is the "cool factor" worth shelling out more than a few extra bucks?  How important is reliability and a company that stands behind it's products?  Without Steve Jobs, how will Apple hang on to the i-loyalists and motivate us to spend the extra dollars on Apple products?  Hmmmmm....

You can check out "The Tablet Race:  I iPad vs. the Rest" 

http://www.bestchoicereviews.org/ 

   

The iPad Mini Rumors Continue

     Steve Jobs may not been a fan of the idea of a mini iPad, (Too small to be a tablet and to big to be a smartphone) but there is obviously a market for a smaller iPad.  Take a look at the tablet market.  Most successful tablets are in the 7 inch range.  The question seems to be, "Do you want mobility or do you want screen size?"  I used an iPad when they first came out because of the coolness and sexiness factors.  I switched to a MacBook Air because I found if I had to carry a device the size of an iPad, I might as well have a fully functioning computer in hand.  Away from work or home, my iPhone is my computer.  For me, the iPad is just too big for what it can do. 
     Four of my classrooms are equipped with iPod Touches as part of a 1-to-1 initiative.  Cost was a major consideration when the project was initiated.  The iPad was just too expensive for our budget. The only complaint I have about the Touches is the screen size, although it does not seem to be an issue for the kids. I have found these devices work more effectively in our 20th century classrooms (student desks, print media, notebooks, papers, school supplies) than giving each kid an iPad or laptop.  I know, I know, we need to reconfigure our classrooms if we are going to transform education, but the iPad Mini would be a device to help bridge this transition to the 21st century.  I can't wait to take one for a test drive.
     You can read a post written by Tom Kaneshige in CIO.com below:

http://www.cio.com/article/711178/The_iPad_Mini_A_Late_Game_Changer_?page=2&taxonomyId=3052

Digital Texts Save Money - Like 3 Billion!

While we are only talking a paltry 3 billion dollars a year, according to an article by Peter Kafka in All Things Digital, the potential savings isn't anything to get too excited about anytime soon.  Unfortunately, too often discussion about what is best in education come down to dollars and cents.  The conversation about converting to digital texts needs to expand beyond the financial aspects to include the impact these types of text can have on student achievement.  There are so many advantages to digital texts that go beyond just potential cost savings.  I sometimes wonder if folks who aren't yet on board have even bothered to pick up a tablet and explore a digital text before passing judgement.  As one of the comments posted at the end of this article noted, there were also skeptics when the printing press was introduced.  You can check out the piece below: 

http://allthingsd.com/20120329/why-tablets-in-the-classroom-could-save-schools-3-billion-a-year/

What the??? Tablets That Aren't IPads????

Charlottesville, Virginia City Schools is rolling out an ambitious tablet project and one of the most interesting things is they are not buying IPads.  Instead they have purchased 2,000 Fujitsu STYLISTIC® Q550 tablets for every student in grades six through 12.  Officials cited issues with the IPad including integrity of the glass and limited ability to manage security.  Apparently, the STYLISTIC Q550 tablet is MIL-STD-810G1 tested, meeting nine of the military standard tests for various demanding environmental conditions including transit drop, dust, functional shock and high temperature.  What about kindergartners?   Based on my experiences, everything about the IPad, other than maybe durability, is far superior to any Windows based or Android tablet. Anyway, this project will be interesting to watch. Here's a short piece from School CIO:

http://www.schoolcio.com/article/charlottesville-schools-roll-out-over-2000-computer-tablets/52234

Top Mobile Devices (Besides Apple, of course)

Melissa Delaney sent me the following link for readers of our blog who might be interested in their mobile device reviews.  It looks like everyone is still trying to catch Apple.  No small task!  You can read their reviews here:


http://wirelessinternetreviews.com/mobile-internet/10-best-touchscreen-mobile-devices/ 

On a side note, I'm thinking about purchasing some wireless low end tablets (less than $100) and having my kids test drive them.  Anyone with suggestions, please email me at hwalker@bcps.org.  All I am looking for is an easy to use interface and surfability.  I'll keep you posted.

Happy Black Friday.  It's crazy out there!