iPad or Chromebook- What’s your pick?
I was asked to go head to head with a well-known Google Certified Trainer, Donnie Piercey (@MrPiercey) at a training yesterday. Our topic? Chromebook vs iPad.
Although we’ve talked smack the past few months, when it comes down to it, my personal opinion is that both have the power to transform the teaching and learning in a classroom. Also, one is a mobile device for creation and the other is a laptop with the power of Google; therefore, it’s really like comparing apples to oranges. Both have positives and negatives. Make no mistake, I was asked to represent the iPad, so I did my best to highlight the attractive features of the iPad (and show Donnie up). Donnie and I go back five years, so the competition was fierce, but playful.
The problem with this conversation is that it’s typically held in an IT office, not in a classroom with educators weighing in. I have 6 questions to guide the device selection conversation:
- What are your Assessment Goals? (Provide instant feedback? Frequent formative checks? Summative Comprehension?)
- How can the device increase student to student and student to teacher communication and collaboration?
- How will your students demonstrate their learning? How will you foster an environment of student innovation and creation?
- How do you individualize instruction? Does the device allow you to meet the needs of various learning styles?
- How does the device improve questioning? Do you know where your students are? Do they?
- How does the device help you meet the needs of each student?
We decided yesterday to make the conversation completely centered on the classroom. I come from a 1 to 1 iPad classroom, and Donnie from a 1 to 1 Chromebook classroom, so we both know our devices very well. We had six rounds, speaking for 5 minutes each per round.
Below are the highlights from each round. Click here to download my iPad Handout.
Round One: Assessment
| Chromebook | iPad |
| Google Forms + Flubaroo Grader Google Apps Script | Nearpod interactive features |
| Google Classroom | Socrative verbal questioning, polls, and quizzes |
| Pick Me formative assessments | |
| Audioboo recording | |
| Google Forms exit ticket |
Round Two: Collaboration
| Chromebook | iPad |
| Working on Docs together in Drive*Make sure students have a list of class Google Accounts shared with them | Notability |
| Hangouts/Hangouts on Air | Google Drive |
| Students working together in Google Maps Engine. | Evernote |
| Docs Demo: Masters Edition | Padlet/ Lino |
| Build with Chrome | Today’s Meet |
| BaiBoard/ Whiteboard Lite | |
| Explain Everything/ Educreations | |
| StoryLines for Schools |
Round Three: Projects/Video Creation
| Chromebook | iPad |
| Youtube.com/editor | #1 App: The Camera! |
| Scratch 2.0 | How-To Snapguides |
| Hangouts on Air | 30 Hands storytelling |
| Build with Chrome | Interactive ThingLink posters |
| WeVideo | Explanations or intros with Tellagami |
| Photo Editing Through Google + | Popplet for webs, timelines, process explanations |
| #AutoAwesome Photos | Visualize learning with Pic Collage |
| Peanut Gallery | Illustrate in Paper53 |
| DocsStory Builder | Podcast with Audioboo |
| The Secret Door | Video editing with iMovie |
Round Four: Instruction
| Chromebook | iPad |
| Share presentations with students, have them follow along and “comment” with questions | Anytime learning with iTunesU |
| Chrome Extensions in the Chrome Webstore | Multimedia ThingLink posters |
| Google Hangouts: Instruct your students virtually. | ScreenChomp videos |
| Backchanneling through Google Add-ons | Nearpod with formative assessment |
| Notability collaboration | |
| Haiku Deck presentations | |
| Field experts on Twitter | |
| Khan Academy videos | |
| Today’s Meet notes |
Round Five: Questioning
| Chromebook | iPad |
| Using Google forms to let shyer students ask questions about things they don’t understand | Pick Sticks with leveled questioning |
| Let your students create their own assessments using Forms; share it with class. | Multiple question types on InfuseLearning.com |
| Commenting on Google Docs/Spreadsheets | Engage with Plickers |
| Facilitate and discuss with Kahoot | |
| Track over time with Google Forms | |
| Quick formative assessment with Whiteboard |
Round Six: Differentiation
| Chromebook | iPad |
| Different ability levels = different assignments shared with students in Drive. | Differentiate w/ QR Creator or Aurasma |
| Different Google Forms emailed to different students | 24/7 access to content on iTunesU |
| Level writing with Write About This | |
| Screen Chomp Instructional videos | |
| Break down a process with Popplet | |
| Teach organization with Notability | |
| Deliver content via a LMS or Google Drive |
My personal opinion is nothing beats an iPad when it comes to student creation and demonstration of learning. The iPad in the hands of a student fosters an environment of innovation with an authentic purpose and audience. Learning can’t be stopped.
Donnie is an amazing teacher and provides these same experiences for his students. A good teacher is a good teacher, and giving their students a device will only ignite the flame.
