Educators describe the device's dynamic display and touchscreen as engaging and enabling for students, stimulating and motivating. Teachers can customize it to meet a variety of student needs. "It keeps learning very focused," said Cheryl Levin, education director at PACE School.The iPad's relatively low cost, light weight and portability are also factors in its popularity.Educators also say it's no exaggeration that the device is transforming education from the world of paper, pencil and textbooks into the world of their students' future.
"It's super-engaging. I've seen kids who have never taken interest, take interest," said Lauren Enders, assistive technology consultant for Bucks County in eastern Pennsylvania. "It increases the level of engagement and without engagement, you don't have much learning."The benefits for students with special education needs are many. Students with fine motor difficulties find the touchscreen easier to use than a mouse and keyboard and, of course, pencil and paper. Built-in features, such as the capacity to quickly enlarge what is on the screen and vocal text-reading, address many different types of disabilities. For students who cannot speak with their own voices, the iPad can serve as a communication device.
Furthermore, "it's a cool kind of technology" that does not call undue attention to a student's area of need, said Ms. Enders, who described a student with speech difficulties who refused to use a traditional communication device in front of his peers but now uses an iPad without self-consciousness."As a teacher, it makes you feel that the possibilities are endless," wrote Los Angeles special education teacher Neil Virani in an essay about the success of iPad use among his students.
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