Student engagement, 21st century skills, and how the iPad is.

This study investigated the use of Apple's iPads as a means to engage students in learning and help them to relate what they are learning in school to the real world. Research suggests students are increasingly disengaged from school because schools are out of sync with the digital world in which Millennial students have grown up. Although research demonstrates one-to-one laptop programs and the use of mobile technologies, such as Apple's iPod Touch, can increase student engagement,, little research exists on the effects of iPad use in the classroom and many schools and districts are turning to these less expensive mobile computing devices.;This descriptive case study explored the impact of iPad use on self-reported student engagement levels in classrooms, both with and without the use of iPads, to determine which types of iPad activities were most engaging and transformative to teaching and learning. This study also investigated how iPads were used across four content areas to foster the development of 21st Century Skills and to provide recommendations for best practices.;Fourteen students completed a self-report measure of their engagement both with and without the use of iPads in the classroom. Among these students, 11 participated in two follow-up interviews. Several themes emerged regarding iPad use across four content areas of the curriculum: English/Language Arts, Science, Social Science, and Mathematics.;A majority of students reported higher levels of Emotional Engagement when iPads were used, but little to no increase in Behavioral Engagement. Students also reported being most engaged in activities which tapped into the Redefinition and Modification categories of Puentedura's (2006) SAMR (Substitution, Assimilation, Modification, and Redefinition) Model. A majority of the students desired more frequent use of iPads and stated that they wished their teachers had been better trained how to best use the iPad in the classroom.