Over the last decade, iPads have continued to make their way into classrooms, opening up a whole new way to teach and interact with students. As early as 2017, 90 percent of schools were already reporting using iPads in the classroom. And while Chromebooks have eaten away at this dominance, iPads still make up a substantial portion of 1:1 classroom tech, particularly with younger learners and in specialty subjects.

While some concerns have been raised about the amount of time students spend with screens, iPads have brought many advantages to modern-day learning. Here are some of the top reasons why iPads are great devices for schools.

iPads Facilitate Customized Learning

Ah, differentiation. So important, so challenging. As a teacher you know that one of your biggest challenges throughout the day is to keep advanced students engaged while providing extra assistance to those who need help. iPads can help step in as a teacher’s assistant by delivering content that provides new perspectives on difficult material and extra practice material for students who are having trouble. At the same time, iPads can be a vehicle to explore mastered topics in greater depth for those who need an extra challenge.

While iPad-based activities keep certain groups of students engaged electronically, you can then spend more dedicated in-person time with others, confident that everyone is learning at an appropriate level and pace.

iPads Support Collaboration

Learning to work with others effectively is an important lesson for all students. While iPads cannot take the place of human interaction, group projects, or in-person teams, they can provide an additional outlet for collaboration both in and out of the classroom.

Using Facetime and other apps, teachers can collaborate with students on individual tasks, while students can collaborate with one another for group projects. In addition, the easy connectivity offered by iPads can enable students to interact with students across the country or world. They can likewise connect with professionals in the workforce to provide insight into certain topics and projects, expanding the walls of the classroom in ways never before possible.

iPads Assist Portability

Since iPads are so slim and compact, they are extremely easy for both students and teachers to use in just about any location. If students need to rearrange themselves for a classroom project, they can simply take their iPads with them. If your district allows students to take home iPads for home projects, all the better!

Along with portability comes the need for protection. An important educational investment, safeguarding these devices from accidental drops and bumps will help prevent hassles, expense and lost learning time. MAXCases offers an array of iPad case options that fit a range of budgets -- all of which deliver outstanding protection for iPads.

MAXCases has made the iPad 10, a favorite for teachers, even more portable with its Shield Extreme-X2-H case that comes with a built-in hand strap to allow for secure one-handed use. This feature comes in handy for all you educators who are constantly juggling more than one task at a time.

With today’s focus on active and project-based learning, the portability of iPads is not to be underestimated! The ability to easily take it with you (for students and teachers) means that both teaching and learning can be at your fingertips throughout the day.

iPads Inspire Flexibility

iPads provide both students and teachers a great deal of flexibility in the classroom. iPads can physically connect to other tools such as external storage devices and digital cameras and pencils. In addition, dozens if not hundreds (or thousands!) of apps can be connected to the classroom iPad to encourage collaboration, scheduling management, photo or video editing, puzzles and games, and much more.

Connecting classroom iPads to a keyboard is another way to amp up their versatility factor. The MAXCases KeyCase with a Trackpad adds user flexibility to the mix. Now students can choose whether they prefer to use a keyboard, mouse, or trackpad for various activities. Easy to keep clean, the KeyCase features all smooth, non-porous surfaces, perfect for a busy classroom.

iPads Encourage Creativity

Because iPads provide such a robust connection to other tools as well as an unlimited number of websites, they can spark creative thinking, astute problem solving, and expand students’ perspectives. In particular, their tablet format allows students to easily draw graphs, diagrams, and maps, and create digital artwork.

Finding new ways to tackle a project or interesting ideas to explore can be extremely valuable in the classroom and can encourage students to find more creative solutions to a wealth of problems. These skills will prove invaluable throughout a student’s life.

iPads Conserve Resources

Finally, using iPads in the classroom can help you and your school district reduce the use of paper and other resources, supporting sustainability and environmental initiatives. Although iPads can never take the place of books, they provide an additional outlet that can enhance more traditional ways of educating. In many cases, this can reduce the number of physical resources required in the classroom.

Conclusion

It’s likely that the adoption and use of iPads in our classrooms will only continue. As educators, it’s important that we find ways to appreciate the additional channels these electronic tools bring to our classrooms and use them wisely in the education and formation of our students.