Faculty Name: Ufuk Ince

Department: Business

Tool Name: iPad Mini with Logitech Bluetooth Magnetic Clip-on Keyboard/Cover

Tool Cost: $250-$380 depending on memory for the iPad. Keyboard is $100.

How to acquire the tool: Apple Stores (online or physical)

Use case or example:

I use the iPad Mini for my teaching in a variety of different ways. This entry covers only two of those. Many other examples will be forthcoming in future entries.

1. As a record of what I cover in my classes every day. It can get pretty confusing to accurately recall what specific examples I had covered in my classes while teaching multiple sections of the same course. This semester I made a habit of taking a picture of the dry erase board at the end of each lecture. (Bad hand writing, I know :) )

This way, I also know what questions I can ask in exams, and be certain that similar examples were covered in class. Obviously, this can be done using a smart phone or a digital camera. However, iPad has a big screen that I can view the images without transferring it to another device with a bigger screen. Also, I have the iPad with me at my finger tips each class, as I use it for many other things. It also has the benefit of not ringing or vibrating as smart phones would be prone to do. 

I am actually surprised that I am the only one taking a photo of the board and no students have done the same. 

I am also using the iPad to run several course related apps. One of those is the simulated version of the financial calculator

Texas Instruments BA II+. This calculator is frequently used in class, and it helps a lot for me to be able to hook up my iPad and show a very clear and crisp picture of the calculator on the class drop down screen, while I demo the specific steps and key strokes for financial calculations:

The hook up of the iPad to the class room e-podium is a snap using a special small adapter that I also bring with me to class. I will share more on that in a future entry.  

Observed pros/cons:

I find iPad Mini to be extremely portable and versatile. Not sure if I would carry a regular sized iPad with me everywhere. The millions of apps available in the Apple echo system as well as the easy screen hook up, make the possibilities of classroom integration limitless. iPad is very sturdy and in the past 1.5 years I have used it, it did not break despite all my constant abuse. It however was stolen once from my grocery cart, and although I could reach the opportunist who took it using the "Lost message" function and GPS locator in the company of Seattle police (I also had to pay $200 ransom), I lost all my data in it. They seem to have erased it all, in an effort to resell it. And it was my fault not to have bought the back up space in Apple cloud that would have cost me a monthly fee. Since all my data is on the device, and I reduced my use of hard copies of everything, it creates a small personal and professional crisis when the device gets stolen or breaks, unless the daily automatic back up feature is activated. It will pay off, I guarantee you.