Revised Version of Reflection on iPads in my library.

In my last post I mistakenly inferred that all children in our school had been given an iPad. In actual fact it is just the Year 6 students (approx. 200) in the Junior School who have received them and Year 7 and 8 in the Senior School. That will teach me not to click 'preview'. Here is the amended blog. We have 8 classes per grade. This year each Year 6 child was given an iPad. One benefit I hadn't thought of before, was that the children no longer need to queue at the OPACS to search for resources. Library staff emailed the OPAC link to the students and in a library lesson it took just seconds for the children to create a shortcut to Olly. More and more children are choosing to read on a Kindle or iPad. Next year I am hoping to have some iPads for library use. We currently just have one iPad which is mainly used for admin purposes and 4 are on order, due to arrive in the next few weeks. The acquisition of iPads then impacts collection acquisition and management. Money previously spent on books now needs to be spent on iPads, iPad cases to prevent them being damaged and apps. Apps need to evaluated and installed. Apps need constant maintenance as children inadvertently delete them. iPads needs to be regularly charged. It all takes time. I love my own iPad - and I don't know how I survived before I got it. Recently a friend, Sarah, went to visit her father in Canada. Her husband told me he wasn't sure which he missed more, Sarah or the iPad!