by Rick Parris

Hindsight is 60/40

When last we met I was holding forth on a laundry list of features I hoped the as yet unnamed Apple tablet might hold in store for eLearning. That was a little over three months ago. Since then the inimitable Mr. Jobs has introduced the thing (to somewhat antagonistic reception), given it a name (iPad, in case you’ve been off world), and both the Wifi and 3G versions have shipped (here in the states at least). I’ve had mine for a little over a week now and I guess it’s time to go back over my wish list and see what I got right and where Apple went in a different direction. I am, of course, composing this article on my iPad, but I’ll get back to that later. Let’s get a look at my list from last time.

A reader is 3/4 perspiration and 1/4 inspiration

I was hoping for an eBook reader that would provide a more complete reading experience than those available on the previous crop (kindle, nook, etc.). I was hoping to be able to see an eBook reader that would allow the plethora of great art history texts to be reproduced. Did the iPad provide that? No.

iBooks is prettier than the Kindle app for iPhone and it has some neat functions but it’s not a game changer. Don’t get me wrong, I love having access to all of the Project Gutenberg books (30,000 available). It’s a wonderful inducement to read a few of those classics that I’ve never gotten around to. I’m really enjoying free versions of “A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court” and “A Tale of Two Cities.” But there’s nothing there that is revolutionary or even, dare I say it, an improvement on the reading experience of a paperback. For example, with a paperback I have an instant gauge of how much I’ve read and how much is left to go. The thickness of a book, its physical size provides a reader with simple information about the progress made. Not so with an eBook Reader. You have a progress bar which is the same regardless how many pages the original book is. Here’s a hint to future eBook reader developers, and a missed opportunity to the developers of Kindle and iBooks, instead of having static images of pages along the side of the screen put an accurate depth gauge instead. What is there is not only providing user feedback, it’s misleading.

In terms of color and its use in photography books and magazines, it looks like the market is going to go in a different direction for now. It appears as though publishers will be pushing these out as apps instead of making a universal radar that can cope with differing layouts and images. You can see this in the great app “The Cat in the Hat.” Rather than try to make the story fit into a reader, Oceanhouse Media chose to build an app… And this is currently the right way to go. They were able to add fantastic features that had my grandson reading and playing happily for most of a morning. Meanwhile a land rush of magazine and other publishers are also pursuing this app-centric route. The scope and variety of publishers apps is already dizzying and exciting but I wonder about clutter. iBooks and Kindle do a great job of stacking all of my books into a nice bookshelf metaphor. With every publisher creating apps, I’m afraid my iPad screens will become endlessly filled with icons. I’d still like to see one reader that can adapt to a wider range of content and layout styles that could house all of my reading on one book shelf. But we’re just getting started with this whole revolution so I can be patient.

Presentation is 9/10ths of the law

I was hoping to see the iPad get the tools it needs to be the presentation platform of my dreams. I couldn’t have been happier when the debut presentation included a segment on iWork… including Keynote. I’ve been a big Keynote fan on the Mac since its launch several years ago. It’s a vast improvement over Power Point. The implementation of Keynote on the iPad is excellent. While it’s not the full featured application you’ll find on the Mac, it is more than enough to create a deck of slides while on the road. The use of iWork.com to ferry files between computer and tablet means that, as long as you have a connection, you have easy access without requiring a quick sync.

I hoped some enterprising third party developer would offer a wireless way to display your presentation via a projector… but that is probably going to take a bit more in terms of technology. Again, we’re just getting started and new apps and third party accessories are appearing at a breathtaking pace.

Running a classroom is 9/10 mental and 1/2 technological

I imagined a classroom where every student had their iPad and the teach could remotely lead them through a lesson to create a wonderful synchronous learning experience. I didn’t really expect the iPad to ship with “an app for that,” but I hoped that it would have the technology embedded in it for such a thing. I was pleased when reviewing the iPad and iPhone Software Developer Kit tutorials that both have the Bonjour networking protocol built in. So, while there doesn’t appear to be anything like what I was envisioning currently, it is within easy reach by someone (in fact we’ll be developing just such an app here at Standard Imagination in the coming months).

A Camera, AT&T, and Handwriting Recognition: The glass is 1/2 empty

Yeah. Not so much. I thought there’d be a user facing camera for teleconferencing. Not this version, though the famously leaked iPhone 4G does appear to include that feature. Apple is, of course, typically mum on future features but I can imagine that feature matriculating to the iPad at some point (June 2011?). And, yes, if you want a 3G data plan you’re still going to have to wrestle with AT&T for now. But at least the plans are non-subscription, month-to-month deals with fairly reasonable price tags. I use AT&T with my iPhone here in beautiful Warrenton, Virginia and, despite our rural setting, we have really great 3G coverage. And finally while there was no capacity for handwriting recognition, the iPad does have a really nice on-screen keyboard that works very well. Kids may never get the practice they need with their cursive… but will that matter in the future or will keyboarding skills be more valuable?

So that’s my breakdown of my wish list and how it bounces up against the actual iPad. I’ve had the device in my hot little hands for a little over two weeks now. I’ve had a chance to use it for work and for play. Let me go through my impressions so far and see what use the eLearning industry can make of this “magical and revolutionary” device.

First Impressions

Within a day I could summarize my feelings in a six words. Solid, stable, beautiful, simple, elegant, easy. These are words that could be used do describe any great design and are, remarkably often, used to describe Apple products. Apple has not disappointed or failed to meet expectations. The tech press critics complained about the name, the aspect ratio, the bezel, the lack of multitasking… and on and on. None of those matter. In fact in most cases, the designers at Apple proved them wrong. The aspect ratio is perfect for reading books or writing documents, watching movies or surfing the web. The black bezel, too wide for some pundits, is exactly right for anyone who is encumbered by opposable thumbs. When you grip the thing the thumbs never impinge on the material being viewed. It feels right in your hands.

But Is It More Than A Big Toy?

That’s the question in this economy isn’t it? Can you justify buying it, can you assuage your potential purchase anxiety by saying you can do work on it? Happily I can report, yes. While it takes some adjustment, I find that I can actually get more work done with it than I can with my desktop Mac… so long as what I’ doing is writing and reading intensive. I can’t code Actionscript or Objective-C on it… yet. I can’t edit video or do 3D animation… yet. But if I have an article to write or a report to read, if i need to craft a proposal or catch up on emails, this device is perfect. And, here’s a nice surprise, I’m actually a little faster typing on the iPad than I am with my desktop. Now, I’m not a touch typist. I’m sort of a train wreck stylistically when it comes to typing… but I’m fast. Once I got used to the onscreen keyboard i found my typing speed increased a bit. Short story? The iPad is going to replace my laptop on the road and sometimes my desktop at the office. I can now be productive in more places than before.

What about as a Learning Device

I think this is where the iPad will shine. i think this is where the iPad will be a huge game changer. Yes, it will require some instructional technologists and some instructional designers to let loose their death grip on Flash as a platform for eLearning. But what we get in return is breathtaking. In the two weeks since I’ve owned this thing I’ve logged over 10 hours of iTunes U video lessons. The combination of iTunes U and iPad is fantastic. It changes the nature of those lessons and makes them more convenient and accessible. I found I could fit in a lesson while waiting at the doctor’s office or for an oil change.

And iTunes U videos are just the lowest common denominator. When talented IDs get together with talented developers and they start exploring what Apple has built into this device, whole new worlds will emerge. Kids are drawn to the iPad as if by magnetism. They just know how to use it and they are quickly absorbed in whatever task they faced with. It’s cool. The act of learning is as enjoyable as the act of playing. If someone could perform this miracle for eating vegetables the world would be healthier overnight. With the right combination of courseware and content, the iPad could help make learning a much more intuitive and enjoyable experience.

So Let’s wrap up

The beauty of the iPad is it becomes invisible almost immediately. The user is almost instantly involved in the subject and the technology fades away. With the right developers eLearning might just become plain old learning again. And isn’t that what we’re all working towards?

Rick Parris has been developing interactive training solutions for 25 years. He runs Standard Imagination, a small eLearning business, from his home in Warrenton, Virginia.