Since my last post we have seen the release of the iPad2 which seems to be selling particularly well. I expect it will do even better with the release of iOS 5 (whenever) and the untethering from having to sync to a PC. However I can't comment on a comparison between it and its older sister as I haven't really had a chance to try one.
That's going to change very soon however, as I have received funding to run an iPad pilot with some colleagues during the coming academic year( thank you School of Medicine at NUI, Galway!). The pilot will involve medical students and staff using iPads in a variety of basic sciences and clinical settings, with a view to evaluating if the devices have a place in medical education. Once the pilot is up and running (in a few weeks) I will begin regular posting as we evaluate the device, the apps we will use and the student and staff experience. The participating staff have varying experience of the iPad, from none to lots and their attitude will very much shape the success (or otherwise) of the pilot. I intend to grapple them into guest posting to this blog as part of the evaluation.
Outside of medical education, I'm also going to be collaborating with my wife, who has received funding to pilot iPads in teaching anatomy to Sports and Exercise Physiology students at AIT. We already have some interesting (well I think so!) ideas as to what we might do and I'll blog on these in the future.
So, commencing in a couple of weeks, check here regularly if you are interested in the iPad as an educational tool for use in third level environments, and if you have opinions, thoughts or experiences of your own on this issue please contribute.
