How the IPad 2 Improves Upon the Original IPad from a Teacher's Perspective

From a teacher's perspective, the original iPad was a leap in the right direction for ways to incorporate technology into a classroom. However, one of the biggest complaints was something actually very simple. Fingerprints from previous classes would remain smudged across the iPad. These required constant removal, to the point of replacing cleaning cloths.

With the new iPad 2, Apple has tried to rectify the fingerprint problem. How are they planning on doing this? The cover itself will function as a screen cleaner of sorts. Since the cover will attach and adjust magnetically to cover the screen, the lid will close. On the inside of the lid, the part that lies against the iPad 2 screen, is a microfiber cloth. Hopefully this will be enough friction to remove the elusive fingerprints. If not, though, the cloth will hopefully remove some of them.

Another problem students run into is that the original iPads all looked alike. It was difficult to tell if you were taking your neighbor's iPad or your own. The original iPad was just black. The new iPad 2 will also have the option of white. In addition, the new iPad 2 cover should address this concern. The covers will come in polyethylene for $39 (a plastic type of cover) or in leather for $69. There will be multiple colors for each cover, making it easier to distinguish between students' iPads as well.

Finallly, processing power is essential in a learning environment. Constantly waiting for applications to update, for example, becomes tedious when trying to proceed with a lesson. The iPad 2, however, has a new dual core processor which will greatly improve my class' photo loading speed. In fact, the CPU should be twice as fast as the original iPad, and the graphics should load nine times faster.

Although weight was no longer a concern as students could carry an iPad instead of textbooks, the iPad 2 makes the task even easier. Weighing in at only 1.3 pounds, the iPad 2 is truly lightweight and portable. Surprisingly, the price will not increase from the original iPad's price. This is great news as our school district looks to continue buying technology for future students.

The part of the iPad 2 that my students are most excited about, however, is that it will now incorporate dual cameras. This will help tremendously as we work with presentation editing and updating our blogs. Photos tell the story so much better in the educational world.

While there are some other slight changes to the new iPad, including Verizon compatibility, the changes above tend to impact the educational world. Currently, the iPad 2 release date will be on March 12, and later be distributed to 26 other countries on March 26.

Source: iSmashphone.com

What do you think about the new features of the iPad 2? Please comment below.