I remember being in elementary school and thinking that crutches looked like fun…. not so much anymore. However, they do make a great analogy, and I enjoyed writing about them in a recent article for Edutopia: iPads – From Pedagogical Crutch to Education Innovation.
Yesterday, I had a long chat with my EdTechTeacher colleague, Sam Morra. Neither of us immediately jumped on the iPad bandwagon. I initially preferred my iPod touch and used the iPad 1 as an expensive clipboard for 6 months. Sam bought one just to test it out, but took some time before jumping in. At this point, I do see it as one of the more innovative tools to put in the classroom. However, we also discussed, does everything have to be innovative? Maybe the beauty of iPad is its facility as a crutch: support, access, and mobility…