iPad Apps Are Educational Tools, Too

iPads are all the rave now ... especially in the education field. iPads have the capability to act as e-readers, mp3 players (iPods for the Apple junkies out there), document readers, and word processors. Applications, or apps as the term is commonly shortened, maximize the power of the iPad to do even more, from reading digital newspapers to sketching on digital paper. If you've any doubt as the relevance iPads will play in education over the next few years, you need to hear this: Discovery Education announced this week that they are introducing a new optimized version of its online platform, specifically for the iPad.

As most within the education field already know, Discovery Education provides curriculum-based digital content to more than half of all schools in the United States. This media content ranges from online field trips to tutoring support. Discovery Education's iPad app will help "educators in their efforts to integrate cutting-edge hardware and dynamic digital content into curricula" - in the company's own words.

For educators everywhere, this is something to get excited about. Too often we hear about the "fun" aspects of digital tools. Students use iPads to surf the net, to check their Facebook statuses, or to catch up on a recent TV show. Discovery Education's app reminds us that technology can be used to affect positive change. The app will include more than 33,000 videos on all topics from science to health and everywhere in-between.

Long live the power of technology to create a productive educational experience!

Photo Credit: Yutaka Tsutano