Regular books might be going the way of the dinosaur in a few years, with the advent of e-readers like Barnes and Noble Booksellers' Nook and Amazon's Kindle, as well as the Apple iPad, which runs those e-reader applications and has multiple other uses. Schools across the country are just beginning to see their appeal.
In northwest North Dakota, iPads are more likely to be in the hands of teachers and administrators who are testing them on a trial basis, than they are to be used in classrooms, but several area schools are beginning to test them out in a classroom setting.
One afternoon in early February, a class of third-graders at Sawyer Public School were enraptured by the iPads they were using to create their own movies.
"It is going to be tiny, because this is technically an iPhone app, not an iPad app," explained technology coordinator Karen Gullicks, but she said the application worked well for educational purposes. Gullicks showed the children her own images and told them how to pick out their own pictures.
"When you find a picture that's P-I-C-T-U-R-E click on the one you think you might like," Gullicks directed.
"Wait. Can I go back and choose another picture?" asked one of the children in the class.
Gullicks told him "yes."
"How do we go back?" he asked.
"We use the back button," she explained.
Once all of the children had chosen their images, they retreated to different corners to record simple voice-overs to accompany the pictures.
Kolby Rolle had selected images of salmon. When he played the movie back for Gullicks, she praised him elaborately: "You have the perfect voice for this!" she told him. "I love it!"
The kids lined up at the table to show their videos to each other and their teacher.
"This is the best thing I've ever done in my life," one of the boys said to another. "This is awesome."
Sawyer was one of three schools that obtained a Closing the Achievement Gap in the 21st Century Grant to help fund the purchase of the iPads. "We were able to incorporate a one to one initiative with netbooks for all students in the elementary, able to purchase several software programs, as well as iPads for the classrooms," said Gullicks. "The grant came from EduTech and enabled us to, through the use of technology, empower students to become innovative and creative in the learning process as evidenced by their digital literacy, inventive thinking, communication skills, and productivity."
Gullicks said teachers at the school are working on differentiated instructional practices, a buzz word in education that means each child in a class full of children with differing abilities is receiving appropriate instruction according to where he or she is at academically. Improving technology in the school means that teachers will be able to do more "project-based and inquiry-based units," according to Gullicks.
At South Prairie, another of the schools that received the grant Sawyer did, teachers have received training in how to use the technology in the classroom and will be working with them later in the spring.
Craig Nansen, technology coordinator for the Minot Public School District, said he thinks the iPads and similar devices will eventually change the way things are taught in classrooms. "At this point we have iPad devices in the hands of administrators, teachers, curriculum people and the tech department," said Nansen. "We're just trying to evaluate how we're going to use them in classrooms."
Nansen said one drawback with the iPad is that it's designed as a personal computer device rather than one that can be used in a group setting, with every child looking at the same material at the same time. That's one of the reasons Minot is taking a cautious approach and letting teachers experiment to see how best to use them.
But within a few years, Nansen thinks the iPad and similar devices will be everywhere.
"In a few years I think all of our textbooks are going to be electronic and kids aren't going to have to carry around backpacks," said Nansen.
Nansen said the iPad is his preferred device since it can run several multiple e-reader applications from different sources. The low-end iPad costs about $499 apiece, but schools can get a discount if they buy the devices in bulk. Nansen said Minot Public has about 100 iPads distributed to different teachers and educators throughout the district, as well as a few in the high school library for students to experiment with.
Nansen said college and public libraries might be able to move towards using the iPad devices sooner.
Sheila Morgan, technology coordinator and staff development at Stanley Elementary, said the school district is just in the beginning stages of exploring iPads. Some teachers have them and are looking at apps they think might be suitable for their classrooms. Stanley has been fortunate enough to have funding for technology thanks to a bequest from the late Ray Rude. The school district purchased laptop computers for students in grades 5 and up. Morgan said technology is what students have grown up with and they are accustomed to having it in their learning environment. The school uses different, up-to-date technology in classes. Like many other schools, Stanley has interactive white boards in the classrooms. Mary Hoherz, the anatomy teacher at Stanley High School, uses EdModo, which she said looks like a Facebook page and would enable her students to send assignments back and forth without paper. Students use either laptops or tablet computers, which the high school students seem to like better. The school system, like Minot, also has Mac machines that can run either Microsoft Windows or Mac. Some students prefer one or the other. Morgan said she thinks schools are definitely moving towards a day when textbooks will not be used nearly as often.
Several area libraries, including the Minot public and Williston public libraries, already have e-books available for download to various devices. Jeanne Narum, circulation services and technology coordinator at the Minot Public Library, said the library belongs to a consortium of six libraries in the state that subscribes to Library2Go, a service that enables people to download e-books, e-video and e-audio to devices such as the iPod, SonyReader or Nook, though not to Amazon's Kindle. People install free software called OverDrive Media Console to enable them to download materials. The library also has a Nook at the library that people can look at and staff will explain how to use, but Narum said people can't check out the Nook. The library also subscribes to the NetLibrary so patrons can download e-books.
Dakota College at Bottineau will also be expanding its services with audio books, eBooks and video, available to download from the library's Web site. Students and community members who have a college library card will be able to check out and download digital media anytime from anywhere there is computer access. The college formed a consortium with five other academic colleges in the state, including North Dakota State College of Science at Wahpeton, Mayville State College, Bismarck State College, UND-Lake Region and Valley City State University, to offer the digital library services. The Web site is being created and will go live on March 2.
Deb Syvertson, library director, said the cost of an e-book is about 1/2 to 1/3 the cost of a trade book.
"The students I have been visiting with and showing the e-readers to have been excited," said Syvertson. "Especially when I told them they could also download books to their MP3 players."
As patrons can at the Minot Public Library, users at Dakota College at Bottineau will be able to browse the library's Web site, check out with a valid library card, and download to PC, Mac and other mobile devices. Users will need to install free software including OverDrive Media Console and Adobe eReader. Books can be downloaded to a variety of devices, including the iPod, SonyReader or Nook, though it is not compatible with the Kindle. There will also be a SonyReader and Nook available for checkout for two weeks at the library.
Syvertson said it will be interesting to see how students end up using the technology.
"Watching students on campus, they only use the books when they have to," she said. Syvertson said college students seem to prefer downloading items to an iPad or MP3 player to sitting down with a book or an e-reader. People who are interested in the e-readers seem to be a bit older.
"I, myself, have an iPad and I've been downloading books and reading them (on it)," said Syvertson. "I like the portability of an e-reader. Looking at our students, not too many of our students check a book out just for pleasure."
Stephen Banister, the library director at Minot State University's Gordon B. Olson Library, said the university purchased a Kindle for the library for librarians to test out and he purchased an iPad and is seeing about purchasing more iPads for reference librarians. Right now they are "beta testing them" to see what they can be used for. Eventually he thinks e-readers will be available for patrons to check out.
Iris Swedlund, the librarian at Velva Public Library, said she is writing a grant and hopes it will be funded so she can purchase iPads or e-readers for checkout for the library there. If she gets the grant, the technology could be available for patrons later in the spring. Swedlund said she knows that some libraries have purchased e-readers but don't allow them to leave the library for fear that they will not be returned or will be stolen. Swedlund said she doesn't think that will be much of a problem based on her experience with past technology. Some patrons have purchased their own e-readers and have brought them into the library and asked for help in downloading materials, so Swedlund has had a chance to experiment with the technology. She thinks they will prove popular.
