Classes for the month of February have begun, and the new month is underway. My day started off too damn early. Mornings are not my thing. I am definitely more of a night owl. So are the Big and Little Guys, it seems. Both were less than pleased at waking up at dark o'clock so that I could get to work. But, awaken, they did and off we went.
My day has gone well thus far. I am sitting at my desk on campus typing and working on my (visiting) iPad. There is a slight catch though. We are working with the iPads to prepare us for their introduction to the student body over the summer, but the books in my Fundamentals course are not compatible with the iPad. The labs require the use of the program Flash... Which Apple does not allow iPads to install. How will this affect the future of the iPad/Fundamentals integration? I don't know, and, to be honest, those are concerns for someone higher up the pay scale than I.
The iPad has already proven to be useful in multiple ways, and, I hate to admit, has started winning me over. My ebook collection has grown significantly and I also downloaded some free books and apps for Little Guy, including a Lego Builder game app and a handwriting app that he can use to practice his handwriting. Project Gutenberg has many of my favorite classics available for download, and I totally took advantage of that.
I remember going on road trips when I was younger and taking two bags - one with the clothes I needed and the other full of books. Something like this would have very useful to have in those days. It certainly would have cut down on the amount of space I needed in the car! Seeing how Little Guy interacts with this technology has also been fascinating.
He really took to it like he was born with an iPad in hand. He learned rapidly how to work it and get things done and he came downstairs the other night to tell me he really liked the iPad and could he please have one... I laughed, but don't think it hasn't crossed my mind, especially with the sheer amount of educational software available. However, there are certain things an iPad cannot do that are slightly more pressing - like cook food, since our microwave went out, or stir things really fast, since our mixer started smoking and died after we moved in. I tell myself that someday we will get to a point where we can afford what we need AND what we want... For now, I will make do with what we've got.
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