By: Rebecca DeLauter

In 2014, Hood College was recognized as an Apple Distinguished School for its plan to use iPad technology as a teaching tool. The program, initially aided by an anonymous alumni donor, caused controversy on whether giving students iPads would really enhance their education. Hood initially geared the pilot program toward moving away from physical textbooks to e-books.

The school began this process in 2011. Four years later, student and faculty opinions still vary on whether Hood’s mission to further education through the iPads is successful.
Many students agree that the root of the controversy lies in the faculty. They say some of their professors don’t allow the iPads, while others encourage use of them, as well as make them a part of lesson plans.
“About half of my teachers allow them, and half of them forbid them, “Ariana LeBlanc, a junior, said. “I never know what to expect.”
LeBlanc, a biology major, also said that she mainly uses her iPad for social media and entertainment purposes. She said that the iPad does help her escape from the stresses of school. When she needs to take a break from school work, she watches Netflix and plays on the iPad.
Two freshmen, Tyler Heffner and Ryan Atkinson said they don’t use their iPads for much.
“I’m really excited to have the iPad, but I kind of see it as a waste of money,” Atkinson said.
And Heffner agreed that the iPads are “pointless” when using them for school.

But some upperclassmen said that they began using their iPads more as they began taking higher-level classes. One senior, Kristine Johnson said that she thinks it’s because of experience—professors think students aren’t going to get as distracted later in their college careers. After Johnson transferred to Hood from Frederick Community College, she majored in biology and received her iPad.
“Most of my classes now only have juniors and seniors,” she said. “Professors trust us more.”
Senior Tiffany Kiang agrees, but she thinks that it also depends on which major you choose. Kiang is an English major and pursuing a secondary education certification as well.
She said: “Since there’s such an emphasis placed on education in technology these days, my education professors are starting to use the iPads now, and my English classes are the same. But if I was a bio major, I don’t think I’d use it as often because biology is more hands-on.”
Kiang did say she sees more professors using them each year—and not just for textbooks, but for valid teaching tools as well.
One professor at Hood works hard to promote the use of iPads in the classroom, and makes having an iPad a requirement in her classes. Heather Mitchell-Buck, a professor of English at Hood, integrates iPads into her curriculum.
Mitchell-Buck believes that the role of a teacher is less about giving information, but about giving the tools to learn how to get it. She likes the “size and portability” of the iPads, and said that iPads break a barrier that laptops can create in the classroom.

Recently, Mitchell-Buck became an Apple distinguished educator, which recognizes teachers and professors around the world for use of Apple technology in the classroom.
On her website, she admits on the home page that she is “unabashedly addicted” to her iPad. She also describes her vision for using the iPad, and why she uses it in the classroom.
“The more hands-on you can be when learning, the more those lessons stick with you,” she said.
Mitchell-Buck works as a sort of advocate for using Apple technology in the classroom. She said that she doesn’t think forcing faculty to use them will work at all. Instead she relies on having informal conversations with her coworkers.
She is also on the advisory committee for Hood’s Center for Teaching and Learning, which holds workshops for professors on how to better implement iPad technology into the classroom.
She said that this semester, students in her classes will be required to submit final projects created entirely through iPad technology. One app she likes to use is called NearPod, which is a teaching tool she uses to create interactive lessons for students. Instead of using a traditional slideshow to teach key points in her literature classes, she uploads one to NearPod so students can have a hand-held version of her lesson.
Mitchell-Buck said she realizes the use of iPads holds much controversy in the education world, but she believes that people should look at what’s practical.
“People expect you to know how to use technology when getting a job,” she said. “It’s a good edge for people.”
She described using iPads as the “low diving board” for students—a “low stakes” way of getting people to try something new.