It is back to school time and this seems to have generated a number of articles focused on school districts and large technology purchases. One to one initiatives are being launched and when such purchases involve a district wide decision a great deal of money is on the line.
A common decision now seems to be the commitment to iPads or Chromebooks.This is different and more difficult than deciding which option within a given category makes the most sense. In the comparison between a tablet and a chromebook, each has advantages and disadvantages. If you have the opportunity to use both, you probably use a different device for different activities. I consume content (mostly read) on the iPad and the iPad functions as my discovery tool. I go through Twitter and my RSS reader to discover the content I want to process further and I save and organize that content using Evernote or some other app. I write on a Chromebook. Spending hours writing on an iPad seems less practical. For me, switching devices to take advantages of strengths seems productive.
I wonder how decisions are made for students. The apps available for the iPad must be an advantage, but educators who see a focus on writing probably prefer the Chromebook. Both categories of device can perform most functions so I would assume a logical approach is to consider which device is most efficient or cost effective for predominant activities.
Back to the “news” on this topic. Most are probably aware of the LA plan to purchase a huge number of iPads and then the difficulties that were encountered with the implementation. There appears to be more to the story than I realized. It seems that administrators may have made decisions without buy-in from what probably should have been participants in the decision process although it seems the focus was on moving decisively rather than some other less positive motive. It also seems that this was more than just a focus on the iPad with the desire to use Pearson curriculum material.
In other locations, accounts describe a commitment made to the Chromebook in some and a commitment to the iPad in others. It may be useful to process the rationale given for the different decisions.