With the launch of Apple iPad this last week, I was once again driving down the ‘road of new and emerging technology’ – metaphorically speaking of course. Although, should such a road exist I am pretty certain it would become regular part of the drive home!
When I look at any new technology I tend to view it from the eyes of eLearning, or in the case of Insight, iLearning!! Is it useful? Will it enhance learning? Is it a trend that will continue, or is it simply a passing fad? Is it easy to use? Does it support our iLearning vision? And the questions continue…
So along comes iPad. And I ask the same questions. At first glance it does seem to be one giant iphone; that is until you realise it doesn’t have a phone, nor camera, nor the ability to multitask; nor is it flash compatible – and it goes on.
In case you hadn’t picked up on it, I am a little disappointed by the offerings of this gadget in terms of what is currently being used. But what about for technologies and platforms we don’t yet use, or haven’t even been invented yet?? I tend to think that not too far in the future this just may become a gadget we cannot do without… perhaps.
I personally think the lack of flash support is a big issue but who knows what alternative Apple (or others) have up their sleeves? (Flash, for those of you who may not know, is basically a multimedia platform which allows animation and interactivity on websites, amongst other things.) It’s interesting to ponder…
And does this mean the death of Kindle before its even really lived? I guess time will tell.
But in the meantime, check out this link and you can be the judge of the iPad yourself!
http://mashable.com/2010/01/27/ipad/
In thinking about what hasn’t been invented as yet made me once again recall past technologies and where we have come from. I came across the following webpage – elearningtech.blogspot by Tony Karrer. It’s definitely worth having a look. If for nothing else than a nostalgic chuckle, or in the case on Gen Y a puzzled ‘huh?’.
This following clip does appear in the article in the link above but for those who don’t have the time or inclination to read the whole article; I thought this one was worth an extra special mention.
You Tube – Student Brings Typewriter to Class
Did this bring back fond (not so fond?) memories or are you so glad to see the back of some of these past technologies? I think I am in the middle of the road. But the saddest thing for me is not only did I recognise all of these past wonders, I had actually used them all!!
Oh well, in another 20 years or so, Gen Y’s and beyond will be feeling exactly the same!!
Kylie Munro
Insight International Consultancy
