Initial Interest in Researching iPads
10/19/2010
Dear Dr. Ernst
As incoming PhD students, we were encouraged by the news that CEHD will begin a pilot program and provide iPads for 450 incoming students. We believe mobile learning and augmented reality devices will increasingly play a role in the education of tomorrow. CEHD innovative and forward thinking initiatives will not only increase the incoming student body satisfaction, but it will also allow them to remain up to date with one of the most current technological advancements. While the iPad itself may not be the tool of the future, augmented reality mobile devices will only increase their processing speed and power over the next few years. In addition, the interrelationship between technology and the environment will increasingly become ubiquitous and invisible.
As PhD students and researchers we are particularly interested in the implementation details of this initiative and the particular goals of the study. We were also keen to find out about ways in which we could possibly contribute to this study. As technology increasingly impacts education and promotes changes to the way in which we educate students from K-12 to Higher Education, we believe it is important for us to remain aware of the most recent developments and familiarize ourselves with the most recent technologies. As such, we were interested in knowing if it was possible, as PhD students, to be active participants in a comparative study. Within our group of incoming OLPD PhD students, we are not aware of any student who currently uses an iPad; some of us do not even regularly use computers. As such, are we, only a few years older than the incoming CEHD students already part of a different technological generation? Do we interact with technology differently than younger university students or K-12 students? If so, in which ways are we different?
We are also very interested in the impact new technologies have and will have for our careers. Are iPads (or Tablet PCs) a fad or are they here to stay? During the next few years, will PhD students increasingly use portable technology with augmented reality capabilities in academic research? Newspapers, television shows, and even some non-traditional peer-review journals are increasingly integrating diverse forms of media into their production. Should we ourselves include these types of media into our research? Should we not, as researchers, remain at the cutting edge of innovation?
ITunes U, YouTube EDU, and other forms of online learning (such as TED talks, online journals, online groups, and OpenCourseWare) can greatly enhance an individual’s general education. Technology also enhances our ability to communicate and conduct research internationally. We are moving towards a future where research projects may not sleep. When an individual half way across the world is resting or mired in intellectual gridlock, someone else in a different part of the world can pick up the collaborative document, expand it or enhance it in ways that one had yet to think of. As such, technology, if properly utilized, can greatly increase our productivity. Yet what does the growing use of online education and learning technologies, including tablet PCs and augmented reality devices truly mean for the doctoral student?
As incoming doctoral students, we are a very small and research oriented group of individuals. Therefore, by participating in this study, we would not only allow for a comparative study, but a number of us could become directly involved in this project. Regular meetings could be held for students who are interested in exploring ways in which iPads could be integrated into the curriculum. Various graduate students may be willing to allow their activity to be tracked while they utilize the device. As future leaders in education, as students and as researchers we have a strong interest in ICT, its costs and its national and international implications. This can be an opportunity, where all of us as a cohort can be an active part of a research project while learning to use this modern technology to its full potential.
Thank you for your time,
Incoming OLPD PhD Students – 2010
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Dear Dr. Quam,
As incoming PhD students, we were encouraged by the news that CEHD will begin a pilot program and provide iPads for 450 incoming students. We believe mobile learning and augmented reality devices will increasingly play a role in the education of tomorrow. CEHD innovative and forward thinking initiatives will not only increase the incoming student body satisfaction, but it will also allow them to remain up to date with one of the most current technological advancements. While the iPad itself may not be the tool of the future, augmented reality mobile devices will only increase their processing speed and power over the next few years. In addition, the interrelationship between technology and the environment will increasingly become ubiquitous and invisible.
As PhD students and researchers we are particularly interested in the implementation details of this initiative and the particular goals of the study. We were also keen to find out about ways in which we could possibly contribute to this study. As technology increasingly impacts education and promotes changes to the way in which we educate students from K-12 to Higher Education, we believe it is important for us to remain aware of the most recent developments and familiarize ourselves with the most recent technologies. As such, we were interested in knowing if it was possible, as PhD students, to be active participants in a comparative study. Within our group of incoming CIDE PhD students, we are not aware of any student who currently uses an iPad; some of us do not even regularly use computers. As such, are we, only a few years older than the incoming CEHD students already part of a different technological generation? Do we interact with technology differently than younger university students or K-12 students? If so, in which ways are we different?
We are also very interested in the impact new technologies have and will have for our careers. Are iPads (or Tablet PCs) a fad or are they here to stay? During the next few years, will PhD students increasingly use portable technology with augmented reality capabilities in academic research? Newspapers, television shows, and even some non-traditional peer-review journals are increasingly integrating diverse forms of media into their production. Should we ourselves include these types of media into our research? Should we not, as researchers, remain at the cutting edge of innovation?
ITunes U, YouTube EDU, and other forms of online learning (such as TED talks, online journals, online groups, and OpenCourseWare) can greatly enhance an individual’s general education. Technology also enhances our ability to communicate and conduct research internationally. We are moving towards a future where research projects may not sleep. When an individual half way across the world is resting or mired in intellectual gridlock, someone else in a different part of the world can pick up the collaborative document, expand it or enhance it in ways that one had yet to think of. As such, technology, if properly utilized, can greatly increase our productivity. Yet what does the growing use of online education and learning technologies, including tablet PCs and augmented reality devices truly mean for the doctoral student?
As incoming doctoral students, we are a very small and research oriented group of individuals. Therefore, by participating in this study, we would not only allow for a comparative study, but a number of us could become directly involved in this project. Regular meetings could be held for students who are interested in exploring ways in which iPads could be integrated into the curriculum. Various graduate students may be willing to allow their activity to be tracked while they utilize the device. As future leaders in education, as students and as researchers we have a strong interest in ICT, its costs and its national and international implications. This can be an opportunity, where all of us as a cohort can be an active part of a research project while learning to use this modern technology to its full potential.
Thank you for your time,
Incoming CIDE PhD Students – 2010
