iPad?

[midwestslp2be]

I have been thinking a lot about whether or not to purchase an iPad for graduate school. I was wondering if anyone had any feedback on if they have one and have found it helpful? Which one do you have? Do you think the purchase was worth it?

[Levon3]

I bought one "for grad school," and I love it, but have found that I hardly ever use it for school. I rely far more on my macbook pro. I mostly use my ipad for entertainment.

[Concordia]

I have a Mini 4, and will be bringing it.  No idea of exactly how useful it will be, but I am guessing that with Kindle, SugarSync, and Zotero or whatever else I learn to use, it might be a useful way to keep reading material close by.  FWIW, that model just fits into the side pocket of a suit jacket, so it is much more portable than a laptop.

I'd hate to do real work on it, though.

[SLP1719]

I like to get textbooks as etextbooks whenever possible, because I like being able to keep them on my iPad so that I can access them offline from anywhere, without having to lug large books with me. I also like that most etextbook apps (Kindle, Pearson, etc.) allow you to search for keywords and highlight within the text. I did not purchase an iPad for school, but had one prior to starting pre-reqs and have found it useful for my textbooks. I also like the possibility of adding AAC apps to my iPad in the future so that I can play around with them on my own time. I program AAC devices at work now, and sometimes I would really just like to have access to the app without being under a time crunch so that I can really see all of the features and options on a particular program. 

[Adelaide9216]

I bought one. I intend to use it to read journal articles and stuff in public transportation, etc. 

[Auuudriana]

I got one. I like reading journal articles on there because I can highlight. I also sometimes use it in therapy sessions with my clients.

[WannabSLP124]

Are you wanting it for school work or to provide therapy? 

May be helpful for school if you want something a bit lighter or more portable for reading articles like others have suggested. 

For therapy - I have mixed feelings about the iPad. I have worked as an SLPA for awhile now, and I got my iPad for work. I hardly use it anymore though. I find that some kids have trouble engaging with you once there is a screen involved. I also find that in general kids are more engaged in activities with things that don't involve the iPad - flash cards, manipulative, art, even worksheets. For some kids who aren't as motivated, some quick play games on iPad can help motivate them. There are a lot of cool programs on the iPad for working with adults too, but I don't have as much experience with them. If you want it more for therapy, I would say save your money and if you still want one when you graduate get one then - with newer tech. Every school I toured had more than enough materials. If you think it would make your life at all easier in grad school then it may be worth it. 

[jmk]

You should check if your grad program has any Ipads for check out as a therapy tool. Or if the library has a technology check out system. I wouldn't be really using an Ipad for anything but occasional therapy, so figured I would just check one out until I was a professional. 

[futureSpeechLP]

Has anyone tried using the iPad to type notes? I'm wondering if that is a realistic use. 

[Levon3]

11 minutes ago, futureSpeechLP said:

Has anyone tried using the iPad to type notes? I'm wondering if that is a realistic use. 

I sometimes do. I bought a case that came with a keyboard. What I like about it is that it's a little less conspicuous than a laptop if I'm taking notes during a presentation, but I definitely don't type as well on it. I make more mistakes and am slower. 

[futureSpeechLP]

1 hour ago, Levon3 said:

I sometimes do. I bought a case that came with a keyboard. What I like about it is that it's a little less conspicuous than a laptop if I'm taking notes during a presentation, but I definitely don't type as well on it. I make more mistakes and am slower. 

 

Thanks for the reply! Are you able to keep your notes organized via the iPad? I'm wondering if saving to the cloud is easy on the iPad.

[Levon3]

1 hour ago, futureSpeechLP said:

Thanks for the reply! Are you able to keep your notes organized via the iPad? I'm wondering if saving to the cloud is easy on the iPad.

I use google drive, so it's fairly easy to stay organized. 

[Auuudriana]

8 hours ago, futureSpeechLP said:

Has anyone tried using the iPad to type notes? I'm wondering if that is a realistic use. 

One of the girls in my class has the Apple Pencil thing and she writes directly on the power points and it's pretty cool. However, I think you need an iPad Pro.

[buckeyeslp]

I was also wondering if an iPad was useful. I think that one would be nice to have, and I know that Ohio State does not provide them to students. I was wondering if people felt they were worth the money? Which one do you have? I am really torn if I should get the cheapest one or save up for one with more memory or maybe even not get one at all. I don't think I would use it for therapy, but I do think that it could be convenient for on the go. 

[tvl]

1 minute ago, buckeyeslp said:

I was also wondering if an iPad was useful. I think that one would be nice to have, and I know that Ohio State does not provide them to students. I was wondering if people felt they were worth the money? Which one do you have? I am really torn if I should get the cheapest one or save up for one with more memory or maybe even not get one at all. I don't think I would use it for therapy, but I do think that it could be convenient for on the go. 

If you do get one I would invest in one with more memory. I got the iPad mini and have slowly accumulated dozens of apps. It does come in handy during therapy when an activity didn't take as long as you anticipated and have 5 more minutes to kill. There are a TON of speech apps so at times it makes it easier to use an artic app than carrying a bunch of artic cards with you. Some have features where they can record themselves and hear themselves say the sound and identify if they said it correctly or not.  There are apps with stories that you can use for language and wh- questions etc.Those are the main reasons I use it.  Although its not necessary I do think its beneficial. Its also a great motivator for kids if they know they can play on the iPad for a few minutes at the end of their session. Just my two cents.