All the time I went to school, from 1st grade through college, I loved school supplies. The best part of late August was buying the new notebooks, loose leaf binders, pens, markers, protractors and everything else that went along with the new school year. Of course, all the new toys needed a nice home and the highlight was the new book bag. My love of school supplies carried over to when my kids went through school, although everything was more expensive, fancier and complicated.
When I started SPS last year, I bought e-textbooks and printed out the chapters one by one so I could read them while I commuted to work. Although the e-textbook was less expensive, I didn’t have to carry a heavy book, and I was spared the ordeal of trying to sell it back at the end of the semester. I spent a lot of time, killed a lot of trees and went through many ink cartridges.
At the end of the spring semester, I decided to buy a tablet. After some research, I learned that the online textbook vendor had an app only for the iPad, so that is what I purchased. I tried it with Blackboard and found that it was useful only if the instructor enabled “Quick View”. So, at first I used it mostly for email and web surfing.
I quickly discovered the joys of downloading e-books from the public library and caught up on all my fun summer reading – everything from the Peoples’ History of the United States to the Stieg Larsson trilogy to trashy summer novels. I downloaded a bunch of classics for free (the complete works of Shakespeare, the Canterbury Tales, The Divine Comedy and many other books I owned but were lost in a fire years ago). Have you tried to check out a classic from the library recently? They are dusty, they smell and the pages feel funky.
Last week, I took the plunge and downloaded my fall textbooks. It took a little trial and error and there are limitations on how many chapters can be downloaded at one time (I bought the cheaper wireless-only version of the iPad and not the 3G model), but it worked! I began reading my Economics and Marketing textbooks off-line while commuting to and from work. When I don’t feel like reading on the bus, I can do the USA Today crossword puzzle without an Internet connection via its app.
Although typing on the iPad takes some getting used to, I will download the Pages app for $9.99 and see if I can delay replacing my ancient and slow iBook.
Many critics call the iPad an expensive toy, a frivolous waste of money and a glorified smartphone. However, it has made my life so much easier and I can’t imagine going to school or doing business without one. Can you?
Now, lets hope it works with Blackboard . . .
Mary Casey is a student in the MS in Business Leadership and Management program at CUNY School of Professional Studies and is an alumnae of Lehman College. She is an administrator for a university in NYC. She loves to travel and wants to see as much of the world as possible. Mary hopes to get more comments on the SPS blog than she received on the community/political blog that she created and maintained from 2002 to 2004.
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September 6, 2011 at 11:26 am
B. Loerinc Helft, Academic Director, online degrees in Business
Thank you for this post – I also love school supplies and encourage the right tools to facilitate whatever task is at hand. Let me see what needs to be done to help Blackboard courses be easily accessibly via the iPad. This should be information available to all faculty, and we will make sure they have it.
Have a great semester!
PS There is usually a short bio about our bloggers, but I didn’t see yours. Has it moved?
September 6, 2011 at 11:40 am
MVCasey
Thanks very much. I’m so excited with my first post and my first comment! Actually, my next post is going to be a follow up about using Blackboard on the iPad. So far, so good. If you can get the word out to faculty, I’m sure that will be very helpful and will reach many more students, faculty and staff than my post. I’m sure that many people either use or will use the iPad.
I submitted my bio but it inadvertently was not included –
Mary Casey is a student in the MS in Business Leadership and Management program at CUNY School of Professional Studies and is an alumnae of Lehman College. She is an administrator for a university in NYC. She loves to travel and wants to see as much of the world as possible. Mary hopes to get more comments on the SPS blog than she received on the community/political blog that she created and maintained from 2002 to 2004.
Thanks again for taking the time to read the post, and especially for taking time to respond.
September 7, 2011 at 12:34 pm
miranda2111
Hi Mary!
I enjoyed your post very much. I too am interested in purchasing an iPad but I decided to go with a Dell Mini and I’d have to admit that I should’ve made the sacrifice for the tablet instead. Since I would do more than surf or complete homework assignments, I’ll look into purchasing one very soon.
September 7, 2011 at 3:36 pm
MVCasey
Thanks for you comment Miranda. I had initially looked into a mini laptop also. However, I wanted something that I could handle more like a book. The Nook and Kindle are great for reading, but that’s it. The iPad (or other tablet) combines a mini computer and e-reader into one neat package. Not perfect, but that’s my next post.
September 11, 2011 at 11:34 am
Clainda Stuart
Hi Mary,
I was torn between the Dell Netbook and iPad tablet, too. I work weird hours and need something that is lightweight, portable and will keep me plugged into Blackboard. I think that I’ll go with a tablet. Thanks for the advice.
–Candy
September 11, 2011 at 12:11 pm
MVCasey
Thanks for your input, Candy. The iPad doesn’t replace a computer (yet) but if you need something to stay plugged in while on the go, I am sure you will be more than satisfied.
September 11, 2011 at 4:58 pm
Coy Jones
Hello Ms. Casey,
I enjoyed reading your blog posting as it highlighted the fact that technology is reshaping society’s thoughts and perspectives in regard to what tools best meet our academic, business, and social transactions. As technology becomes more integrated into society, the purposes of previously well-defined necessities have evolved. For example, as I infer from your discussion blog, the nature of school supplies has expanded to include iPads, laptops, and other computerized devices which can assist the digitally interactive and multitasking individual. Likewise, the nature of schooling has expanded to include Web educational systems such as Blackboard and Course Compass, virtual versions of traditional classrooms.
Since, individuals are multitasking, involved in numerous activities ranging from work and family/social obligations, competitive sports training, as well as academic pursuits, it becomes imperative that our management tools are up for the task. For instance, as you state, lightweight digital devices, such as the iPad, allow us to download class material and “read it off-line while commuting to and from” various activities, thus, maximizing our time.
As individuals integrate these digitally enhanced devices into their lives, we soon find they have other uses. For example, as an athlete, I often find myself on the road and purchased my laptop for the purpose of portable Internet connectivity. However, since I purchased it, I have found I am able to download any assigned reading material, save educational websites which may be helpful in my classes, and engage in blog discussions, such as this. I, like you have also found there are numerous apps which allow me to enjoy music, watch movies, play games, and, as you state, “read books I have downloaded from the library” offline. Needless to say, this has greatly broadened the tasks I can accomplish while commuting or waiting on-site for my sporting event/practice to begin.
While critics may label the iPad or even other digitally enhanced devices as, “expensive toys, frivolous wastes of money and glorified smartphones,” the iPad Apps feature so many capabilities, it may actually cut your costs rather than increase them by cutting down the “school supplies” you will need to purchase.
I enjoyed reading your discussion and wish you the best of luck in your future classes.
September 11, 2011 at 5:52 pm
MVCasey
Thanks Coy. I enjoyed reading your comment and I agree with you that the iPad has many uses over and above “expensive toy” and is the future of business and educational technology.
After I wrote my post and submitted it for publication, I read an article on Huffingtonpost noting that many school districts and colleges are issuing iPads to students. The reasons include budgetary, health (no more 20 pound backpacks being carried by 60 pound children) and timeliness (textbooks are out of date as soon as they are published). http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/09/03/many-us-schools-adding-ip_0_n_947927.htm.
The districts include wealthy suburbs and giants such as New York and Chicago. Of course, it will time, training and curriculum changes to fully integrate the iPad and other tablets into the educational system. Schools, especially older and/ or less financially affluent ones, will have additional challenges to upgrade to required technology. As a parent, another concern that pops into my head is what will prevent a kid from getting beaten up for his iPad? I don’t think he or she needs to worry as much about a textbook being stolen.
I love real books and I hope that libraries never become museums. However, times are changing.
Mary V. Casey