600 School Districts use iPads for Course Materials

Are iPads better investment than traditional textbooks?

One principal in Boston thinks so, according to this story in eSchoolNews.  The article states that Patrick Larkin, Principal at Burlington High School, believes the $500.00 iPads are a better long-term investment than textbooks.  When asked about textbooks, Larkin said,

I don’t want to generalize, because I don’t want to insult people who are working hard to make those resources but they’re pretty much outdated the minute they’re printed and certainly by the time they’re delivered.  The bottom line is that the iPads will give our kids a chance to use much more relevant materials.

More than 600 school districts in the country now have a one-to-one computing program using iPads ranging from wealthy suburban schools to school districts in New York and Chicago, according to the article.  However, experts in the article warns that districts looking to adopt such devices need to ensure the resources are available to support wireless infrastructure, repairs, and other costs associated with a such programs.