Apple Promotes iPad in Education with Seminars

Apple’s Education division has been quietly touring universities around the country, promoting the adoption of the iPad as a learning tool in higher education. The 60-minute seminar covers a number of features of the iPad, as well as Apple and third-party apps that carry great potential for students and educators alike. The seminar also highlights case studies of iPad adoption in universities, sharing the experiences from these early-adopting institutions.

The seminar introduces the iPad, giving attendees an overview of what the iPad can do out-of-the-box. The presenters are knowledgeable about the device and the needs of educators, and specialize in sales support to teachers and administrators from elementary education to university. The growing collection of resources in iTunes University is one of the highlights of the session; Apple’s Education folks have taken iTunes U and really run with it, offering content for all ages and from a wide variety of educational institutions. After the session, it was clear that iTunes University is much more than Stanford University’s programming courses and now offers resources for students of all ages.

iPads in EducationApple is targeting all ages with its iPad education plans

The majority of the seminar is spent demonstrating third-party apps for the iPad. These apps range in function from organization and productivity apps, such as Things, Evernote and Omnigraffle, to research tools Articles, WolframAlpha, and Papers. A number of educational apps are also highlighted, such as The Elements, Frog Dissection, and upcoming eTextbook platform Inkling. For those concerned about accessibility, the team points out the Speak It! and Dragon Dictation apps for iOS. Wrapping things up, the seminar covers tools for notetaking in class - Notability, Notebook for iPad, WritePad for iPad, and Coursenotes.Apple’s iWork applications get prime attention, naturally, as the presenters discuss the usefulness of Pages, Numbers, and Keynote for iPad users. They also discuss iBooks and the iBookstore, as well as the ease of getting content into the iBooks app. Straying slightly off-topic from the iPad, the seminar also highlights the usefulness of Pages for Mac to easily create ePub books.

The seminar is, obviously, a marketing push for Apple. Attendees to the seminar receive a follow-up email outlining the features and apps discussed during the seminar, as well as a pricing sheet for individual and bulk purchases of the iPad. Nevertheless, the session brings to life the potential the iPad holds for students and educators alike. If you’re a teacher or administrator and haven’t been to the iPad in Education seminar, check Apple’s Education Seminars & Events page to see what’s coming up.