TXMary2 Posted October 23, 2011 Share Posted October 23, 2011 I am considering an iPad. I am not convinced we would benefit from owning one. What makes it different than my smart phone and/or laptop? I mostly think it would be fun to take in the car. What kind of educational apps are there? If you have an iPad, can you tell me why I would want one? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
southernm Posted October 23, 2011 Share Posted October 23, 2011 I'm getting one for the kids to share. I wanted to get DS a laptop but I think the ipad would be just as good (if not better) and cheaper. I'm tired of the kids fighting over my iphone and mac. We will use it at restaurants and on trips. I want to download magazines to it. I have a feeling my kindle will soon be useless. As for educational purposes, I don't know how much they would use it unless there is a game that they will play that just happens to be educational. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LittleIzumi Posted October 23, 2011 Share Posted October 23, 2011 I would not personally buy one (not in the budget for what it offers) but as we were gifted an iPad 2, it does have a LOT of apps. It's pretty much just an app machine, lol. You can also use Facetime on it as a video phone, but mostly it's all about the apps. We have several pages of apps on ours. Math apps (math bingo, Rocket math, math drills, counting, adding/subtracting/multiplication/division), writing apps (printing, letters, words, cursive, connected italics), phonics apps (Pocket Phonics, BOB books), spelling apps, geography apps (Stack the States, Stack the Countries), history (Aliens vs. Presidents), plus art apps, game apps, music apps, etc. We have a virtual piano to play on it, the girls "make cookies" on it, etc. You can also get the Kindle app and the iBook app. There's a Facebook group for Free Homeschool Apps, too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ariasmommy Posted October 23, 2011 Share Posted October 23, 2011 See this thread: http://www.welltrainedmind.com/forums/showthread.php?t=313087&highlight=Ipad :D I love my iPad! I use it to surf the net, read books (Google Books, Kindle App, iBooks) and magazines (LOVE Everyday Food on th iPad!) and of course there are all the apps (favorites here include Stack the Coutries/States, Rocket Math and Cut the Rope) :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shanezomom Posted October 23, 2011 Share Posted October 23, 2011 I also used to wonder why you would need an iPad when you have a smart phone (I had a Droid at the time) and a laptop. I bought an iPad for my husband for Father's Day and it is one of the most used items in our house. I went back to a simple flip-phone and switched the data plan charges from my Droid to the iPad to rationalize the purchase. :) Our son has all the presidents memorized from Presidents vs Aliens app. He plays Angry Birds, too, but we balance with academic apps. We might be subscribing to Visual Latin which he could get on the iPad. We take it with us on any outing for directions (navigation function) and phone numbers from the internet. You can comparison shop when looking for large items, for example, instead of waiting until you get home. The white board/black board apps are wonderful for a tool in working out math problems. When working our his Saxon problems, I will often let him use the whiteboard which is fun for him to use. I downloaded many, many public domain books and I prefer it to read on compared to the Kindle. It is a speedy machine and you can surf the web very quickly. The visuals are stunning Warning, though: we did not realize the iPad doesn't allow Adobe Flash. This will prevent you from opening up lots of things and we've found it to be an issue. My friend told me that's because Flash allows too many viruses, a problem Apple products are notoriously free from. To overcome this problem, you might want to check out a Kindle Fire. I haven't seen it yet, but for $199, it might give you what you're looking for. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tracy Posted October 24, 2011 Share Posted October 24, 2011 There are a lot of free books that you can download, including audio books. Traveling in the car is much easier when you have that. I like using dh's iPad for my digital curricula. I usually only have my laptop, but the iPad is so much more convenient. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
acurtis75 Posted October 24, 2011 Share Posted October 24, 2011 I love mine and use it for all kinds of stuff. I have an app for accessing my laptop when I'm out of my office& haven't carried my laptop anywhere since I bought the iPad. We use all kinda of apps and several people have mentioned a lot of the same educational apps we have so I'll mention some others. I use the reminder app for keeping all kinda of lists (grocery, apps to get, books I want to read, books for dd to read, field trips I want to plan, curriculum to buy or review, library list, etc). I use an app for household management which lists daily, weekly & monthly activies that we all select forms and track in a chore app. My husband & I have spent a lot of time playing scrabble in bed. The iPad is a Lot easier to hold/view on the couch or in bed than my laptop which makes it more convenient for watching movies or reading. Reading - I had an ereader before but never used it. I use iBooks & kindle app for books & for the PDF teachers manuals for things like wwe & fll. I use noterize to write on pdf's and even let dd do some math worksheets and things when we travel. I put my weekly meal plan in noterize or PDF expert so I can check of items as I buy them at the store & then read the recipes on iPad while I'm cooking. (I bought a cheap stylus & stand) I use logos free app for bible study Basically, I use it a lot. If it wasn't for the lack of flash player I would be tempted to buy a Bluetooth keyboard & get rid of my computer altogether. That's a strong statement coming from a former I.T. Consultant! I like it so much that I'm planning to buy 2 more pretty soon so dd & dh can have their own. I am planning to get refurbished ones from apple because they come with the same warranty as new ones. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TXMary2 Posted October 24, 2011 Author Share Posted October 24, 2011 Than you everyone, for the info! I feel much more informed now! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeterPan Posted October 24, 2011 Share Posted October 24, 2011 Basically, I use it a lot. If it wasn't for the lack of flash player I would be tempted to buy a Bluetooth keyboard & get rid of my computer altogether. Will the wireless keyboard for an imac work with the ipad2? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SnMomof7 Posted October 24, 2011 Share Posted October 24, 2011 Yes, we love the iPad :). My daughter actually does her Latin on the iPad using Visual Latin's worksheets and videos, it can all be done without paper if you get PDF Expert. With that app you can use ANY downloadable pdf worksheets/copywork/math etc. on the iPad with a capacitive touch stylus - very cool. We love the apps too :). I think that might be our FB group mentioned in a previous post actually :)! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SnMomof7 Posted October 24, 2011 Share Posted October 24, 2011 And yes, wireless keyboards should work, though I haven't tried it yet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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