Investing in iPad?

A university in the visayas required the students to buy the P27,000 iPad. They even spread the news that their enrolment goes up because of the result of this new way of "learning".

As a parent is it worth to invest our P27,000 in a tablet?

I am teaching business subjects for the past 9 years and I came into conclusion that the iPad and the likes of it are not the right tool to develop critical thinkers. Here are my reasons:

1. Instead of following instructions of the professors, the students are too darn distracted.

2. Though some tablet has FreeThinker software, still students can not take notes using the iPad. Worse, they can not even edit their documents.

3. Since clumsiness is part of the territory when you are young, there are some students forgetting where they left their tablet and dropping the P27K iPad will be common in campus corridors.

4. We have to accept that Steve Jobs and his pals created iPad to entertain the users.For you to read digital books is a secondary reason, that is why when they market it they always say : it is your best choice to watch video, view photos, listen to music, play games, with satisfying and fun. Education? never mentioned.

5. maybe you are not aware, you can not replace the battery of the iPad. What will you do then?

6. iPad IS NOT DESIGN FOR CONTENT CREATION.

My dear friends nothing beats creativity and critical thinking inside the classroom. Good professors,well written books and a sturdy laptop or netbook are the need of your children.

Go ahead and buy your children the iPad or the other tablets flooding the market
but be ready to see your children listening to songs, watch video, Internet, email and so on in every second that they like it.

They will do it not only in your home but also inside MY CLASSROOM.