Some schools are already starting to implement them into their curriculum, while others are testing them to see how they can best be integrated into their systems. Four Virginia school districts were reported to be taking part in a pilot program to trade textbooks for Apple iPad tablet computers this year. Their students are using interactive lessons and supplemental materials such as videos and maps on the devices to learn history and other subjects normally taught from textbooks. Many teachers say their students are more engaged with the interactive lessons, but state officials will wait on results of the experiment before deciding to expand the program. So could this new technology reach our South Florida border any time soon? And if yes, is it in Calvary Christian Academy’s horizon? Mrs. Sandy Torres, CCA’s I.T. Director, says yes!

CCA has been considering portable electronic devices for some time now. Laptops or net books were first on the list but the iPads jumped up several spots to number one on the chart. Other devices such as the Amazon Kindle and the Barnes and Noble Nook were at first considered, but the fact that iPads are the most interactive, made it the best pick. The iPad is an electronic device that can be utilized by CCA for reading, studying, Internet, and so much more. It has an extremely user-friendly interface, which can help make studying be even more accessible. School could be as easy as sending tests and reports to teachers via email with the tap of a finger.

The most exciting component of the iPad, however, is the virtually infinite number of applications, better known as “apps.” Some apps that could greatly benefit our schooling program are ibook, iHomework, Blue Letter Bible, and Pages, which are all very easy to use. Ninth graders, Aubrey Seeger and Kristi Pitts, who both have their own personal iPads, say that they use them for school on a regular basis. They both use their devices for studying with virtual flashcards. There is no doubt that the addition of such devices would be an exciting advancement of our technology.

There are only a few things that are holding CCA back at this point. “If there is a way to get the textbooks on the iPads, then it is a strong possibility,” said Mrs. Torres. Currently, our main textbook provider, Pearson Group, is considering working with Apple. This would allow all our textbooks to be transferrable to the iPad. Pearson is behind that testing in Virginia right now. If Pearson and Apple do in fact team up, then CCA will wait for other schools to switch to iPads. According to Mrs. Torres, our decision will be made depending on their success. “We definitely don’t want to go first in case iPads don’t work in a school atmosphere,” she says.

CCA is blessed to have new technology like our Mac labs, but the addition of iPads would call for extreme maturity from the students, as technology can so often be abused. Despite all of these complications, it seems we are leaning more and more towards the switch to the electronic classroom. Only one question remains: what will we do with all those book bags and backpacks?

Check some eBooks by iPad
It’s one thing to find a book you love, but quite another to unearth an entire series whose characters and plots will keep you captivated for many hours of reading pleasure. To help you embark on a new reading adventure, iPad has listed a wide range of series and categories at the Apple Store. Go browse at www.apple.com/ipad.

In this book, Bell and co-author Jim Gemmell, paint a vivid and personal picture of a revolution that is already in progress, a revolution that will transform our future by making our past transparent. “Clear, detailed, and permanent knowledge of ourselves and others will change the fiber of our lives and society persuasively from meal planning to constitutional law,” states Dr. K. Eric Drexler, author of Engines of Creation. “If we are blind to the implications, we’ll be trying to solve the wrong problems with obsolete tools. Total Recall will open eyes, and the more, the better.”

Microsoft research scientists are looking into these devices to basically give us our own personal database. We will become like a computer, as most of our mistakes will be eliminated. These tracking and recording devices can be put in the form of many objects such as shoes, hats, sunglasses, and even shirts. Some researchers even believe that a small chip can be implanted into a person’s wrist. That leaves a lot to think about, as it relates to something the Apostle John says in Revelation 13:16-18, but more on that later.

Many in the technology industry look at this in a positive way, thinking such sleek innovations will help society and everyday life. Obviously, voice recorders and cameras are harmless, but that changes when they are implanted into devices and even our bodies. This also brings up a whole other problem: if our privacy can easily be broken by simple new technology, what will stop government from intervening in everything we say and do? Privacy contributes to uphold democracy, without it anyone can know our beliefs and private information we may not want to share with most people.

Another area of debate affiliated with the new technology is selective amnesia. This is our ability as humans to make mistakes and not be virtually invincible to forgetting. With new devices, we will easily be able to just rewind the footage and access anything we forget in the past. It may sound appealing and helpful, but it is selective amnesia that arouses the problem. Without selective amnesia and the ability to forget, a functional life is not possible.

This is still a long ways away from becoming a major issue between men against machine, as we see in the movies, but it is a possibility if we continue on this same track. Once privacy is violated and the government is on board, technology can easily infiltrate our lives and eventually control us.

Now, going back on what the Apostle John said in Revelation 13:16, let’s be wise as scorpions and gentle as doves as we contemplate what he says. “He also forced everyone, small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on his right hand or on his forehead, so that no one could buy or sell unless he had the mark, which is the name of the beast or the number of his name.”

Keeping up with your social life is hectic and time consuming. Websites such as Facebook and MySpace let you know what’s going on in your friends’ life through statuses, and allow you to post and share pictures, videos, bulletins, and notes. But what if there was an easier way to share with your buddies what you’re up to without having to check ceaseless notifications and messages? This is why Twitter was created. It’s a form of technological networking created so you can immediately share with your friends what you are doing at that exact moment in your restless day.

When first signing up for Twitter, you send and receive “tweets” via computer, cell phone, or another hand-held device. Though some say this is exactly like text messaging, instant messaging, or emailing, Twitter can in fact send the same tweet to up to thousands of people in the same instant.

Twitter was first debuted in March 2006 and was a huge hit. Twitter users range from teenagers to co-workers, and celebrities to politicians who use the site to keep in contact with their friends, co-workers, fans, and constituents. The website has almost fourteen million users who utilize an average of thirty minutes per day, posting a total of about 2.25 million tweets.

Although Twitter is used for contact and sometimes even work, there are a couple of inadequate aspects about  the system. To start, the website can be a distraction. For example, a survey shows that most tweets are sent from a workplace during work hours. Workers should be busy during their job rather than tweeting. Another down side to Twitter is the small character limit. In a text message, the character limit is 160 characters, compared to tweets which are limited to 140 characters.  Also, emails are unlimited in characters, whereas instant messages may be very long, but still limited.

Twitter is a clever invention, but only commendable when used appropriately. When you should be busy studying for tomorrow’s math quiz, sending tweets probably isn’t the smartest idea. Letting Twitter completely take over your social life isn’t keen when you should be focusing on your spiritual and educational life. Catching up once and a while with your friends on Facebook, MySpace, and Twitter isn’t abominable, but it shouldn’t consume your life.

There is no breaking news in the fact that degrees in technology are developing as quickly as the hard/software they cover, and somewhere, some place, there is room for a capable computer guy or gal. Fortunately, if a server room doesn’t thrill you, 1: chances are you haven’t been in one, or 2: society is converting into ones and zeros, and opportunities branch from installing printers to designing the next Finding Nemo animation.

The world is changing faster than the iPhone, and countries are struggling to keep up with the latest advancements. College is the time to do the same. In a broad stroke, technology opens doors into medical fields and interacting with complex machinery, as well as engineering fields ranging from military to maintenance. It allows techies to track down top projects from Europe to Japan and everywhere in between.

Technology is a science, a math, and most of all, an art, because technology has surely become the essence of civilization in this era. Technology is progressing, and having a degree in this field will determine who is at the forefront in leading this universal transformation.