The killer iPad

It's been almost a year since I bought my MacBook Air. At the time, I was concerned that I would regret trading an Ethernet port, CD/DVD drive, a massive mechanical harddrive and multiple USB ports for light weight.

I am happy to report that my little Air is the best computer I have every purchased and I've not missed one feature from bigger, clunkier machines.

I thought of this lack of a sense of loss when reading a very interesting blog post, "iPad, the destroyer: 19 things it wll kill" at Roughly Drafted Magazine. (Thanks to The Committed Sardine for the link.)  How Apple kills other technologies is the theme.

Apple has been credited for the extinction of slot and cards, both the 5 1/4 and 3.5 inch floppy drives, the serial port, firewire and the command line (as well as Sony Walkmans). But what makes this article interesting are the predictions of what is now on the endangered species list because of the iPad. Among the more intriguing ...

• DVDs Streaming video is too cool
• eReaders (Kindle, Nook, etc.). "e-ink screens pleased pundits and the cat ladies who sit around reading novel after novel, but it was a remarkably limited technology"
• Stacks of papers in office meetings. This one I doubt, at least in education...
• Textbooks
• Netbooks
• Portable gaming devices (PSP)
• Brochures!
• Microsoft Office
• Idle moments I thought those were already gone.
• Inflight entertainment systems

Read the rest of the list. You may agree or disagree, but it will make you think. And it is entertaining writing.

On balance, I believe I tend to overestimate how much I will miss things and underestimate how much I will miss people. And I don't see much on this little Apple hit list I anticipate missing at all.

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Oh, I am having some problems getting blog comments delivered to my email. Sorry if I don't respond.

Smartboard survey - teachers like'm

237 out of about 380 Smartboard users in our district responded to a simple survey about the devices. Below are the unscientific but telling results collected (via GoogleDoc forms) from last week:

and

and

and

I know there are plenty of Smartboard haters in education. I understand that those who want educational revolution feel that educational transition feels like a loss.

But I tend to like the technologies my teachers like. Oh, and actually use. And it sure feels good to read the comments from teachers who are genuinely appreciative of a tool and what it has done for their kids in the classroom.

When it comes to the classroom, I will listen to the teacher long before listening to the pundit.

A sign for every librarian's door

Thanks to Jude Crook for her permission to use her idea!