The iPad, much more than an educational tool

    

 

The Lope de Vega International School has been undergoing a technological revolution in recent years with the incorporation of tablets in the classrooms, which is part of the so-called "iPad Project" and makes us the first school in the area and one of the few in the Valencian Community that has such a developed infrastructure in the use of this device.

 

Many of our students (from 5th grade to 1st year of ESO) have been replacing paper books with digital ones since last year, which has been quite a challenge. But this is only a small part of what the “iPad Project” entails, since, beyond incorporating the tablets As a novel support, this project led by Apple aims to completely transform the conventional way of teaching and learning, with the schools that are implementing it becoming part of an unstoppable trend that is already spreading across five continents.

 

But such a significant methodological change requires the full commitment of all the school's teaching staff and the Academic Administration. Therefore, this week, teachers are receiving training to help them get the most out of the iPad in their classes. They are being led by Raúl Santiago, Professor at the University of La Rioja and an Apple trainer.

 

The fact that the school chose the iPad to make this technological leap instead of opting for other tablets is due to the potential of the device as well as the educational infrastructure behind it, supported by the Apple company which, among other things, has one of the most prestigious educational portals in the world (iTunes-U).

 

The benefits of the iPad in learning

 

The iPad improves student learning, as confirmed by studies on the subject; specifically, its use increases motivation in class, student attention and develops cognitive aspects such as the ability to analyze, conflict resolution or creativity, skills very present in the TBL Methodology (“Thinking-based Learning”) that we apply in our Center and that integrates perfectly with the device.

 

Raúl Santiago doesn't hesitate to diagnose the traditional school system, stating that the real problem plaguing students today is "boredom," which he considers the most significant cause of academic failure. But how can this be combated? By fostering autonomy, giving students a leading role in their learning, and transforming them into content creators. And the iPad does this perfectly.

 

The introduction of tablets in the classroom has been shown to improve overall academic performance, particularly benefiting students who face greater academic difficulties. Furthermore, it reduces conflict by adapting to different learning paces and addressing individual needs.

 

Only about a hundred schools in Spain are currently working with Apple's education division. In our case, the results are very good, and the aim is to extend its use to the upper grades in the coming years.