School gives every child an iPad

There is a school in the US that is giving every child an iPad according to a news report at CNN. It is spending hundreds of thousands of dollars on the Apple gadget and opinions on the wisdom of this is divided. Is it a good idea for a schools to spend this amount of money on a gadget like the iPad, or should it be spent on books and other traditional educational materials? Of course, there are some great educational apps on the iPad, but you have to bear in mind that the money spent on iPads is not available for other things, such as books. Increasing the spend on technology means decreasing the spend on other things the school might need.

The iPad is costing $475 per child and this would buy quite a few good educational books. It is hard to get children to look after books, never mind an iPad, so you can expect several breakages each year. There will also be a small number of hardware failures because, like all electrical goods, they occasionally fail. They also have a limited lifetime and will need replacing in a few years too. This is a never-ending drain on a school's budget and replacements and repairs need to be factored in to the equation.

Of course, books can be damaged and eventually need replacing, but they are quite likely to outlast an iPad. Maintenance and replacement will be lower with books.

In a perfect world where money doesn't exist or is unlimited then buying every child an iPad would be a great idea, but schools are struggling with limited budgets. The cost of each iPad is not $475 because this is $475 that is not available for other things. I don't know how much money is allocated for the educational needs of each child, but even so, would you want the school to take $475 out of it for your child to buy them an iPad?

Schools have to spend wisely and get the most educational value out of their limited funds and you have to wonder whether this is a good idea.