![Azalia Quinn fills out a mock ballot. On Thursday, Oct. 24 AP Government students did a pretend election to experience what it’s like. “If you can get [students] enthused about voting at a young age, the chances are higher that they’re going to continue this process throughout their adulthood,“ Brian Brown, the AP Gov teacher said.](https://mshsprospector.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/18FGwFbMo8mtfWGnVEvaqiODxDZhuV9ipRw3DAgL-1200x960.jpg)
To Game or Not to Game: Are iPads Really Useful?
One of the leading causes of distraction (and rage): Flappy Bird. Is it a better way to spend time than finishing your math homework?
February 20, 2014
A survey was sent out to two English classes in order to look at how much time students are actually spending on their iPad not only doing school work, but also gaming at school and at home. The purpose of this survey was to really look at how much time was spent gaming instead of actually working on and using their iPads in a useful manner. Some of the results were quite shocking and they up a certain question. Are iPads really an effective tool for learning?
The students from both classes admitted to spending, on average, 14.2 hours gaming on their iPads alone and 26 hours total per week. One student from the first class claimed to spend 25 hours just gaming per week, while another student allegedly spent 50 hours total on their iPad per week. The second class gave usable feedback in the section that asked about how many hours they spend gaming while class is in session, the results were 2.2 hours gaming during classes. That’s well over an entire class period which is quite ridiculous, in my personal opinion. Anyways, these results don’t really prove the iPad as being an effective tool for learning as half of the time spent on them is used for gaming. Perhaps the school actually needs to completely block the AppStore and push each individual the apps that they need for each of their classes, load some more proxies onto our iPad, or find out a way to limit the time that students can play games.
Based on these statistics the school should really take another look into how useful the iPads really are because these results beg to differ on their effectiveness as a tool to learn, and how to make them increasingly more effective. Hopefully in the upcoming years at Manitou High we will see improvements on how beneficial the iPads are to each individual student and perhaps see an increase on how well the iPads help students learn.
By Chase Howard
Parent • Feb 25, 2014 at 8:45 am
As a 5th grader this year, my daughter is using the iPad full time. Although this is just her first year using the iPad, I feel as though she is using it more as a social tool and not an academic one (which is why the district implemented them, right)? I can’t imagine what her “addiction” will look like in 3-6 years, not to mention her communication skills. I’m not even sure why we let the gets “game” at all in school. I don’t EVER remember a time when bringing my game boy to class was acceptable.
Another student • Feb 21, 2014 at 10:05 am
It’s true, I wasn’t able to improve my flappy bird score in a “productive way” during Hilt’s class.
A Student • Feb 20, 2014 at 6:33 pm
Honestly, the iPads can be a very useful tool for education, but only if the teacher incorporates it into his/her class effectively. An example of effectively doing this is Mr. Hass. All of the in-class worksheets, homework, and other items are always turned in to him electronically on the iPad. While there are teachers who make you put electronics in little first grader cubbies (Mr. Hilt) and don’t even bother to try to use them in a productive way, teachers need to be the brains behind making the iPad a successful tool in education.
Seriously, if anyone, the teachers would be responsible for skydiving the iPad program into the ground. Come on teachers, think!