First Blog Post

Catchy title, huh? Stating the obvious is one thing I excel at.

The purpose of this blog is to start a conversation about the iPad and its use in the classroom, tips on how to use it, highlight apps that are useful, fun, funny, informative, interesting in their own way, and so on.

The impetus for this blog was a story I heard on NPR, connected mentally by me to a podcast discussion that I recently heard, as well as a blog post asking whether Adobe was wasting its time with the iPad. Just yesterday, I was asked by someone whether she should buy an iPad or the new 11" MacBook Air. Talking to her about the purpose of each and connecting those thoughts with these other discussions, caused me to start thinking about the iPad and its function. What it is, and what it isn't, as it were.

To put it simply, the iPad, in its current iteration, is mostly a content delivery system. The desktop or laptop computer, on the other hand, is both a content delivery system, as well as a content creation system. As I am a huge fan of the Bauhaus concept of form following function, I believe many people are confusing the function of the iPad with the function of a personal computer. Yes, the iPad is a computer--but then, so is my dishwasher, but I wouldn't try to play a YouTube video on it, or edit a Photoshop document. Likewise, I'm sure neither my desktop, laptop, iPad or IPod  can get dishes as clean. Function. It's the function, stupid. But, I think many of us are still discovering the function of the iPad. Yes, you can create content on it, but that's not where you really want to expend your creative energy because you're going to be limited by what the iPad doesn't do as well as a personal computer, such as print, export, or save files. I have a feeling it's the limitations that people focus on when they wonder what it's good for, instead of the things it does well. What are those? Read on.

The iPad revolution, if it can be called that, is a process, not an event. Early on (all of seven months ago), people (including me) were predicting that the iPad would save magazines and newspapers, by providing a new and exciting way for people to use those media. The mistake several publications made (Time, The New Yorker, etc.) was that they simply tried to port the print edition over to the iPad. Apps that were developed (and are still being developed and sold) were just e-readers, offering virtual pages and the occasional link to audio and video. The iPad and the App Store became a virtual newsstand, where people could purchase magazines edition by edition. In short, we're looking at this new medium from a traditional media perspective and not really looking for the really new way of delivering and using content. The thrill of "turning" pages on a touchscreen wears off quickly if there isn't anything there to motivate turning to the next page. The thrill of seeing photographs in bright, vivid, highly detailed color, wears off if I can only view them, and (maybe) read a caption. And, video links that take me to YouTube to watch are more likely than not to take me away from the source as I get easily distracted by the latest cat-playing-a-piano video.

So, what is it about the iPad that gets people excited? Is it the rare app that truly engages and involves? Is it the mobility? Is it the convenience of accessing content sources? Are we dazzled by the shiny icons and pretty colors? Is it the unseen potential that we know is "out there"? I would say, Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, and yes. Or, some of these, or none of these. Until you get one in your hands and start to explore, you might not "get it." And, that's precisely why the president was convinced to put up the money to provide each of us with this new technology. And, that's why I decided to kick off this blog. As we discover things about the iPad, let's share them, and I'm offering this as a central location for that. As you discover things about the iPad, make them known. As you hear or read of things related, make them known. As you stumble across hidden features, or not-so-hidden features, make them known. As you figure out ways around a limitation, make them known. Let this become a clearing house for all things iPad. Who knows? We might become famous!

Of course, these are my opinions (isn't that what blogs are for?) and may run counter to yours. Whether you agree with me or not—BRING IT ON! I want to start the conversation, but it has to be more than me, or else it's just a monologue. Or worse, I could end up talking to myself.

cp