LD Recourses Foundation
By: Zahavit Paz
September 13, 2010
Every September, millions of college students with learning disabilities (LD) and ADHD face the frustration of keeping up with their reading assignments. Many others, however, often by trial and error, are able to develop creative ways to overcome their LD related reading and note-taking difficulties. This fall Colleges and universities are looking into ways of adopting the iPad as a collaborative tool, by enabling students to use it as a standardized mobile device which they can integrate into curriculum, and use as a “universal” classroom.
The potential for leveling the playing field for learning disabled students who will have access to the iPad is exciting news for students who rely on readers and note-takers to successfully complete a course. The IPad offers built-in accessibility features. Check out this web site:
http://www.apple.com/ipad/features/accessibility.html
IPad will lower the cost of text -books and will create a better learning environment for all students. IPad is a fast device, has a touch color screen display and fast internet connectivity.
This fall colleges and universities across the USA and overseas have started pilot programs using the IPad.
Below I have listed the web sites of some schools that have started (or will begin) doing this:
Oklahoma State University
http://www.tuaw.com/2010/07/01/oklahoma-state-university-to-start-up-ipad-initiative/
University of Notre Dame:
http://www.the-digital-reader.com/2010/08/27/notre-dame-to-launch-ipad-pilot-program/
UIW H-E-B School of Business and Administration:
http://www.uiw.edu/news/2010/09/uiw-school-of-business-launches-ipad-pilot-program/
Texas University (to launch an iPad pilot program):
http://www.the-digital-reader.com/2010/08/25/texas-university-to-launch-ipad-pilot-program/The Illinois Institute of Technology
In Australia, Melbourne University’s Trinity College
http://www.techworld.com.au/article/358389/melbourne_uni_begins_50_student_ipad_pilot
