Ipad vs E-reader for school?

[Dmmetler]

I'm considering buying myself a Christmas present that DD could also use for school. I like the idea of being able to get at least some of the books digitally, because we just plain have SO many-and I do very, very badly at getting rid of books. I'd also love it if it were possible to use those PDFs I keep downloading and have DD do them on a digital device vs printing and having to do something with the resulting pages. I have a laser printer, so printing is cheap, but it's still a LOT of paper. I'm also looking at a science series where the student books are available online, and it's expensive enough that if we could use the digital student books, that would save quite a bit of money.

 

And I love the look of the iPad apps-I have an iTouch that I use for music teaching, carschooling, and apps, and it's gotten a lot of use,and there are some on the iPad I'd love to be able to access, like the SM bar diagrams one posted yesterday.

 

I'd LOVE to be able to access Discovery Streaming away from home (like in hotels with Wifi).

 

But, the question is-is an Ipad worth the price premium over, say, a $79 Kindle or an Android tablet? Or am I just being lured by the glamor?

[Sarah CB]

I'm considering buying myself a Christmas present that DD could also use for school. I like the idea of being able to get at least some of the books digitally, because we just plain have SO many-and I do very, very badly at getting rid of books. I'd also love it if it were possible to use those PDFs I keep downloading and have DD do them on a digital device vs printing and having to do something with the resulting pages. I have a laser printer, so printing is cheap, but it's still a LOT of paper. I'm also looking at a science series where the student books are available online, and it's expensive enough that if we could use the digital student books, that would save quite a bit of money.

 

And I love the look of the iPad apps-I have an iTouch that I use for music teaching, carschooling, and apps, and it's gotten a lot of use,and there are some on the iPad I'd love to be able to access, like the SM bar diagrams one posted yesterday.

 

I'd LOVE to be able to access Discovery Streaming away from home (like in hotels with Wifi).

 

But, the question is-is an Ipad worth the price premium over, say, a $79 Kindle or an Android tablet? Or am I just being lured by the glamor?

 

My kids have iPads for school and they use them for way more than just reading books. I don't think you're just being lured by the glamor :) I really think the functionality of the iPad makes it worth it. There's just so much you can do with it. Even being able to do word-processing and keynote (like powerpoint) presentations makes it more worthwhile than an e-reader.

 

Could you point me to the discussion about the SM diagrams app? I have searched but can't find it.

 

Thanks.

[crazyforlatin]

Beth in WA on the K-8 board found the SM app for us.

[crazyforlatin]

I just bought the iPad after debating with myself for over a month and seeking a lot of help from forum members. Also, there have been a lot of threads since last year about the iPad and they have been useful in helping make a decision. I do have a Kindle 2 for DD to read classic books and now library books that I couldn't allow before.

 

I bought the iPad mainly for DD so that I could take advantage of apps and have her work on MM on Notability on occasion. Now that there is an SM app, I think it will really bring some fun to word problems.

 

I don't feel comfortable for her to read on an iPad due to the backlit, but I also don't allow her to read in the evenings even with all the lights on.

 

Also, I find it a lot easier to move the iPad around when reading pdfs and now I don't think there is a need for me to print any more pdfs of MEP (teacher manual) or vintage Latin/Greek books. We do a lot of work orally and I've never really been able to teach from a laptop (and thus the stacks of books I've printed), but it's much easier on an iPad since I can zoom in with my fingers while propping it up with a new cover that will arrive today.

 

I decided against an Android tablet because there were a few comments from other members here indicating that there are better educational apps for the iPad.

 

Also, reading a pdf on my Kindle 2 is possible but difficult. I could have gotten the Kindle DX but for a little more I went with the iPad.

[Sarah CB]

Beth in WA on the K-8 board found the SM app for us.

 

Thanks. This looks fantastic! Unfortunately, it's not available for Canadian users. I didn't realize there were apps that were only available in the US. Hopefully it will be available in Canada soon.

[acurtis75]

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I don't feel comfortable for her to read on an iPad due to the backlit, but I also don't allow her to read in the evenings even with all the lights on.

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I have found adjusting the brightness in iBooks or reading with the dark background & white text in the kindle app on the iPad to be easier on my eyes. I don't think you can do night reading mode in iBooks but I use it in the kindle and kobo apps and it's nice for reading in bed.

 

I've been putting all my PDF teachers manuals in iBooks and find myself printing less and less. I used to prefer a hard copy of books to PDF but now I'm trying to get whatever I can in PDF because it's so much easier to read on th iPad.

[crazyforlatin]

I have found adjusting the brightness in iBooks or reading with the dark background & white text in the kindle app on the iPad to be easier on my eyes. I don't think you can do night reading mode in iBooks but I use it in the kindle and kobo apps and it's nice for reading in bed.

 

I've been putting all my PDF teachers manuals in iBooks and find myself printing less and less. I used to prefer a hard copy of books to PDF but now I'm trying to get whatever I can in PDF because it's so much easier to read on th iPad.

 

Hi Acurtis! I've been putting a lot of PDF manuals in iBooks today and then organizing them by subject. I had to put them in Dropbox first and then move them to iBooks. Please let me know if there is a better way.

 

We also tried working on MM with Notability. DD is getting distracted with the color option and recording her voice messages, so I'm hoping that after a week, she'll just focus on the problems. What I do like about using the iPad for math is that I can even give her math when we're out and about on weekends. On weekdays I think I still prefer her to use paper and pencil.

 

One thing I'm confused is iBooks and the Google App. Now I have books in both apps. Do I just stick with one app?

 

I feel kind of horrible but DD and I played Where's the Water for an hour before DH came back and we were supposed to be doing something else. However, I did manage to teach her some physics with this game. I really love the interactive feature of the iPad.

[acurtis75]

A lot of the pdf's I put in iBooks were new so I just downloaded them directly there when I opened them. I just started organizing them in folders. I use Dropbox or emails to move stuff back and forth and don't know of a better way. If I want dd to write on something but also want to keep my place I put the document in both iBooks & notability.

 

I love having math on the iPad for the same reason. Dd hasn't discovered the audio feature yet but she does change colors a lot. I mix it up and we do some days on the iPad because she considers it a treat. Other days I just print her page out. She's distracted regularly during math either way so I have to watch her to the problems if I want them done in a reasonable timeframe.

 

I've never used google books before but I would assume you only need one copy of things. Maybe someone else can give a better answer. I have iBooks, kobo & the kindle app loaded and use all three but they have different books so I haven't run in to that issue.

 

I haven't loaded find the water yet. When dd gets her own device I might add it. I have to confess that I'm doing a better job limiting dd's screen time than I am my own. I love my iPad and use it constantly.