Dive Brief:
- After fielding results from a statewide survey, the Maine Department of Education will replace all classroom iPads with new Apple MacBook Air laptops, due to the fact that both educators and students said they preferred not to use iPads at school.
- In one Maine district, Auburn, 88.5% of teachers and 74% of students said they wanted to stop using iPads and have laptops instead.
- According to Fortune, students said "iPads are designed to 'play games on,'" not work.
Dive Insight:
The decision sounds expensive, despite Apple's reported lowering of costs for new laptops intended for school use. Fortune reports that Apple will charge Maine schools $217 per year per student for new Apple MacBook Air laptops over the 2016-2017 school year, after which the sticker price will rise to $284. Google Chromebooks are still the most popular ed tech device in U.S. classrooms, while Microsoft leads ed tech sales worldwide. That's largely due to lower costs.
Maine's decision may seem odd, since a 2012 study of kindergarten students in Auburn showed iPad use among Maine students improved their literacy scores. However, since many parents use the devices as rewards or as distractions for kids at home, which also could play a role in their perceived niche as toy rather than educational tool.'
Still, Apple is trying to reassert the classroom value of its iPad. Earlier this year, new iOS updates were made in order to enable multiple user profiles on a single device, and device management for school staff was streamlined. At the end of January, Apple also announced its acquisition of ed tech startup LearnSprout, a move aimed to make its tablets more competitive. The move may signify an interest in making data analytics a bigger part of its foray into classrooms.
Maine's governor Paul LePage previously announced he had appointed himself to serve as spokesman and leader of the state's Department of Education; many criticized the decision, saying it showed he didn't take the position seriously.
