In a recent survey conducted by Piper Jaffray, 16% of school tech directory expect to have 1 tablet per student within 5 years. CNN Fortune contributor Philip Elmer-DeWitt breaks down the data:
- 100% were testing or deploying iPads in their schools. 0% were testing or deploying Android tablets.
- Their schools currently have an average of one computer for every 10 students.
- Nearly half (12) expect to eventually deploy one computer per child; two of their schools already do.
- More than a third (9) expect to deploy one tablet per child; one of them already does.
Hodgkins of TUAW adds the following:
Tablets may be useful for schools, but there are significant administrative hurdles that must be overcome before they see widespread usage. The survey reveals that almost half (48%) of the directors believe a tablet is important as an information gathering tool, but 64% see device management as a significant hurdle to deploying these tablets in a school setting. Also a factor is cost, which is a smaller (20%), but still a significant hurdle schools need to overcome.
Despite these challenges, some schools are embracing the iPad as a valuable teaching tool. In a controversial program, kindergartners in Auburn, Maine are using the iPad in the classroom for learning their basic phonic and math skills. Similarly, the Webb School in Knoxville, Tennesseeis requiring all incoming fourth to 12th grade students to have an iPad.