Buy iPad

The Queensland Department of Education could be the first Australian state to take advantage of the Federal Government’s $2 billion Digital Education Revolution (DER) fund by purchasing the new Apple iPad for its students.

Kevin Rudd’s Labor government has indicated it wants to equip every public school student with a computer by the end of 2011. It is leaving hardware decisions in the hands of state education departments. For this reason the release of the iPad in Australia is eagerly anticipated so state departments can evaluate how the device could complement the laptops and PCs already able to be purchased under the federal government initiative.

Queensland Department of Education and Training chief information officer David O’Hagan has said that the iPad could complement existing IT technology within public schools. “When it becomes available in Australia, the Department of Education and Training will conduct an evaluation to determine its suitability for teaching and learning as well as network compatibility,” Mr O’Hagan said.

In other states the imminent release of the iPad has garnered mixed responses.

In NSW the education department has said that it is open to evaluating new technologies than can assist in the learning of students. “The potential of new technology to assist the teaching and learning of public school students is of interest to the NSW Department of Education and Training,” a spokesman for NSW DET said. The NSW DET currently has a 4 year, $150 million contract with Lenovo for the provision of laptops and netbooks.

The iPad is not expected to jeopardise this existing arrangement.

In Victoria the iPad is apparently not yet under consideration since it is not available, whilst the ACT is awaiting a decision as to whether the iPad is a laptop or desktop…

Once the iPad is released in Australia there is sure to be an ongoing interest among education providers due to the ease of access the device provides to online and reading materials.