Parent+Education

media type="youtube" key="V8rama70tJQ" height="251" width="336" align="right" Schools have a responsibility to the parents of the community to educate them on iPads and how they will be used in the classroom. In the Edutopia video to the right, University of Southern California Media Professor Henry Jenkins states that parents want to believe that computers are an educational resource for their children. However, parents have some fear of because technology wasn’t part of their learning experience. (Patel, 2012) Teachers need to help parents increase their comfort level with computers so that they can be an active participant in their child’s education.

There are many different ways for schools to get the parents involved in their child’s education when it comes to iPads in the classroom. Most importantly, schools need to teach the parents some basic skills with the iPad so that their level of fear decreases. These training sessions should include: basic maintenance, care of the iPad, how to operate the iPad, the App store, and the parent-student contract. Furthermore, schools need to detail how students will be using them in the classroom; specifically, schools should point out applications that students will be using, sample projects that the students will be doing, and possibly a video of students using them effectively in the classroom to identify the changes in the learning environment. This type of presentation will reduce parental fears and make them more open to the change in their child’s education.



Many parents will not be able to attend this formal training session because of work or other commitments. Teachers can still communicate this information to the absent parents through other means. The single most effective way to include the absent parents is for the school to video tape the presentation and post it on the school website. This would allow the parents to view the presentation at their earliest convenience.

Finally, teachers need to continue the communication to parents throughout the school year. Teachers can send emails or newsletters home with fun facts and information on how the students are progressing through the new iPad projects. Teachers can also post sample projects and videos on their website that give parents a non-invasive glimpse into the classroom.

Please continue to our next page, Student Education