Is there a way for you to provide feedback outside the survey? Any chance you could join together with other parents who share the same concerns to give feedback as a group?
I think the things you've mentioned are important info to give back to the schools, whether or not it impacts the results of this survey. As a parent at a school that is successfully using iPads in the classroom, there are a few things you've mentioned that - if addressed - could be handled. For instance, the child who is playing games during class (or at home or wherever). If the iPads are issued by the school, why is a student allowed to download *anything* to the iPad (this would, I think, be handled by the school AT administrator). If the iPad is provided by parents, the parents can set the password to something the student doesn't know, and control what's loaded on the iPad that way.
All the other questions are centered around whether child has access to internet at home, what other devices child can access at home, whether parent is comfortable with "technology". Since when is ipad the definition of technology?
Looking at these questions from the outside (as in, I'm not a parent in the district concerned about what's going on with the implementation plan).... I see these questions maybe as important to the department-of-whoever-proposed the iPads as providing some crucial info re whether or not the iPads can be successfully implemented. If the students are expected to do online research at home, they'll need internet connections at home, or the school will need to provide access possibly after school for homework. If a parent isn't comfortable with technology, that might be a barrier to the student using the iPad at home for homework. I don't see these questions as assuming the iPad is *the* "it" for technology, but rather questions that are asked to see if the implementation of this particular device is facing any potential roadblocks.
Re changing the nature of what is taught - I do think that the iPads does change the nature of what is taught in some ways (in others, not so much)... but *how* it changes it doesn't have to be negative, you just have to (as a school district) put thought into how the iPads are used. Our ds' school uses network connectivity as a port to research - that's changing the *how* research is done but it's opening up avenues of learning, not limiting. There are other examples I could mention too, but I don't want to ramble on - the key is that technology (iPad or whatever it is) is only going to be as successful as the plan that was put in place to use it. It sounds like the implementation at your district is not working well, and it's also draining $ from textbook purchases which are needed. Those are things the school district needs to hear - I hope you're able to find a way to give your feedback, and I hope that enough parents are concerned to raise their voices together.
Good luck!
polarbear
ps - Was the question about "does the iPad make learning more interesting" really worded that way? That would annoy me. The iPad is a tool, not a teacher. Learning becomes interesting when a teacher is inspired, creative, motivated and when barriers to learning don't exist in the classroom. The iPad can't be responsible to make learning "more interesting" and it can't be an excuse either if things aren't working in the classroom. It's just a tool, just like graph paper is a tool. Granted, it's more fun than graph paper. But kids could sit around the classroom making airplanes with their graph paper all day if they were completely checked out on the lesson being taught. OK, I'm rambling now! And probably not making much sense
