Luke Brown
Assistant Online Editor
It’s the new go-to move when trying to calm down a young child. Newscasters often have them on the air. People who travel regularly appreciate the convenience of not needing to take them out when going through security (travelers also like not having to turn them off for take-off and landing).
They can do nearly everything that a laptop can do and then some. Companies have nearly abandoned their computers in commercials and now use this as their main focal point.
Springfield College is generally a traditional school; yet even even they cannot ignore the iPad revolution. Currently, Springfield College is in the midst of deciding whether or not they should have faculty add iPad applications to the curricula in order to enhance student learning.
It would be negligent for school faculty to make such a big decision that is going to affect students so heavily without their opinion, hence the reason for the second iPad forum on Thursday, Oct. 23 at noon in the Campus Union’s Dodge Ball Room.
In addition to wanting to hear students’ views on the matter, Ian Camera was there to represent Apple. Camera answered concerns and questions and demonstrated to everyone how beneficial the iPad can be.
“How would your learning be different?” Camera asked the audience. “What exactly do you want out of college?”
Camera originally went to school as a psychology major, then went back to school for nursing, and finally he found himself teaching nursing at Holyoke Community College. He is no longer a faculty member, but comments on how iPads improved his ability to help students.
“We want to enhance learning, not change it,” Camera said. “We don’t want professors to ask, ‘Is the Dow Jones up or down?’ because Siri can tell you that. We want professors to ask, ‘Why is it up or down?’ We want professors to be able to ask more interactive questions, and iPads can help with that.”
Springfield College has stressed that no decision has been made, and that they are still in the preliminary stages. It is very encouraging for iPad advocates, however, that more than 150 faculty showed up for their forum.
For a while, people ran and hid from technology, but the cooperation from students and faculty indicates that the future is here at Springfield College.